Build September 2016

Build Magazine 5 Increase in Number of New Homes Built and Started The latest house building data shows that 139,030 new homes were completed in the year to June and have continued to build gradually over the last two years. More than 144,280 homes were started in the year to June 2016. Meanwhile, figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders show there are more first-time buyers than at any time since 2007, with 72,800 in England in the second quarter of 2016. Communities Secretary Sajid Javid said, “we’ve got the country building again with more new homes started and built than this time last year. “This is real progress but there is much more to do. That’s why we are going further and increasing our investment in housebuilding to ensure many more people can benefit.” Today’s figures show strong regional growth in London, Swindon and Wakefield, which are all experiencing high levels of completions. Delivery in London saw 24% more homes being built in the year to June 2016 than the previous year with local authorities in Greenwich and Waltham Forest seeing completions soar 126 per cent and 103 per cent respectively over the same period. Added to this, in Swindon and Wakefield, completions were up 104 per cent and 41 per cent respectively. Figures published last year show that the total number of new homes across the country rose by 25% in 2014 to 2015, when taking in to account all homes, including new builds, houses that have been converted into flats and buildings whose use has been changed to residential. The Government is committed to building the homes this country needs and investing £8 billion to build 400,000 more affordable homes to rent and buy. The landmark Housing and Planning Act will help deliver on its ambition to build a million more homes by ensuring councils continue to play a key role in delivery, and through new measures that will allow them to deliver more homes more swiftly. The number of newly built homes has increased 6 per cent in the past year, new figures released in August show.