England developed more homes last year ‘than at any time since financial crash’

Fresh figures show that there was a rise in the number of housebuilders completing new homes in England last year, helping to alleviate some of the pressure on demand from buyers and renters. 

The latest data provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals that 178,790 new homes were delivered in England last year, which beats the previous high set in 2007 when the industry completed 176,640 new builds. 

Joseph Daniels, founder of offsite eco developer Project Etopia, said: “Before coronavirus brought the country to a standstill, the housebuilding sector actually finished more homes in England last year than at any time since the financial crash.”

To help fix the dysfunctional housing market and make properties more accessible, the Conservatives, in their election manifesto, promised to increase housebuilding levels by delivering an average of 300,000 new build homes a year across the UK by the mid-2020s, although it is not yet clear what medium to long-term impact the Covid-19 epidemic will have on housebuilding levels. 

Daniels added: “The statistics show that things were improving before coronavirus stopped the industry’s momentum in its tracks. 

“With announcements this week from a series of large housebuilders about returning to site, thoughts will now be turning to how quickly the sector can get the construction rate back to where it was. 

“Completions rose by nearly 9% between 2018 and 2019, which is an indication that the country was starting to make a real dent in the housing targets.”

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