Construction

Housebuilding soars to highest levels in almost a decade



The number of new-build homes that have started to be built has surged to the highest level since 2008, according to a new report.


The latest housebuilding data from the Department for Communities and Local Government has revealed that 164,960 new homes have been started in the year to June 2017, up 13% on the previous year and more than three-quarters since the low in 2009.

Over 153,000 new homes have been completed during the same period, an increase of 11% compared with the year before.

“Building more homes is an absolute priority for this government,” said Alok Sharma, the housing and planning minister.

“Today’s figures are proof that we are getting Britain building again, with new housing starts reaching record levels since 2009.

“It’s vital we maintain this momentum to deliver more quality homes in the places that people want to live.

“Our housing white paper set out an ambitious package of long-term reforms to do just that.”

The government’s housing white paper included new plans to fix the housing market and build more homes across England.

An additional £1.4bn investment was announced for the government’s affordable housing programme in the Autumn Statement, increasing the total budget to £7.1bn.

Since 2010, almost 333,000 new affordable homes have been delivered, including 240,000 affordable homes available for rent.



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