This comes from a new report by Naismiths titled ‘Has PD Peaked’ which can now be viewed online.

It found that permitted development — which typically allows developers to convert commercial buildings into homes without planning consent — has been in decline since 2017.

Some 637 PD projects were recorded across Britain in Q2 2017, while these figures had dropped to just 468 in Q2 2018.

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Blane Perrotton, managing director at Naismiths (pictured above), said: “Few expected PD to be a silver bullet for solving Britain’s housing crisis, but for a time its extraordinary popularity among both developers and lenders gave the residential sector a huge shot in the arm.

“But our analysis reveals its star is now falling almost as quickly as it rose. 

“In part, its declining popularity is a product of the uncertainty roiling the property sector as a whole, but we’re also detecting a marked shift to residential refurbishment projects. 

“Used responsibly, PD is a powerful way to promote the creation of much-needed homes, not to mention a vital stimulus for the army of smaller developers on whom UK residential construction relies.

“PD should be championed not chopped, and developers should be encouraged to use PD rights sensibly.

“Despite its slowdown, PD still has an important role to play in getting the future housing mix right.”