London (Parliament Politic Magazine) – According to research conducted by a property developer, it is imperative for the government to ensure the delivery of an average of 67,500 new homes per quarter by the end of the upcoming year. This ambitious goal is set in order to achieve the government’s target of constructing 1 million new homes by the conclusion of the current parliamentary term.
Last week, the government announced its focus on brownfield development as a means to deliver one million new homes. However, an analysis conducted by the Stripe Property Group has revealed that in order to achieve this goal, the government would need to produce nearly 68,000 new homes every three months. This achievement has eluded the government throughout its tenure.
New Homes Delivered Across Europe
Stripe conducted an analysis of the delivery of new dwellings since the current government assumed power in December 2019. The findings reveal that, over a span of approximately three years and six months, only 594,805 new homes have been successfully delivered across England.
Interestingly, the most commendable performance was observed during the final quarter of 2020, with a mere 51,370 new homes being delivered. This stark reality highlights the government’s struggle to effectively address the pressing need for housing in the country.
With only a year and a half remaining for the Government to achieve its target (before the upcoming election, scheduled no later than January 2025), an additional 405,195 new homes must be built to reach the ambitious one million mark by December 2024.
The Stripe managing director James Forrester has revealed: “The government is notoriously poor at keeping its promises when it comes to housing delivery and time and time again we’ve seen targets set, only for them to fall by the wayside further down the line. At the same time, local councils are making it harder and harder for house builders to comply with the masses of red tape, all of which increases the prices for the end user’’.
Housing Crisis A Major Problem
It has been over four years since ministers initially proposed the idea of loosening regulations to address the housing crisis and eliminate noisy shops on high streets, which have been associated with anti-social behavior.
Today, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced that Mr. Gove will surpass the 2019 reforms by permitting takeaways larger than 150 sq. meters to convert after only two years of operation.
During the 2019 election, the Conservative Party pledged to construct one million homes by 2024. According to James Forrester “Given the fact that less than 600,000 new homes have been delivered in the last three and a half years or so, we can’t imagine that the target of one million new homes by the end of next year will come to fruition either.
“So we can expect to hear more excuses from Rishi Sunak and co come the end of Parliament, as well as more smoke and mirrors around the delivery of new housing, no doubt fudging the figures with new additional dwellings data to make it appear as though they’ve delivered on their word.”
However, the construction industry has been severely impacted by inflation and two years of lockdowns. In light of this, Mr. Gove will announce plans to allocate £24 million towards a planning skills delivery fund, aimed at addressing the existing backlogs.
Government Fails To Meet Its Goals
In a speech delivered in the Midlands, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of perseverance, stating, “We must continue our efforts to enable a greater number of individuals to fulfill their aspirations of homeownership.”
“We won’t do that by concreting over the countryside – our plan is to build the right homes where there is the most need and where there is local support, in the heart of Britain’s great cities.”
Labour has demanded that the Government release any impact assessment it conducted regarding the decision to abandon the mandatory housebuilding target. Lisa Nandy, the Shadow Housing Secretary, expressed her concerns, stating,
“The Government has consistently failed to meet its goal of constructing 300,000 homes annually. Today’s announcement falls far short of the level of ambition required to address the housing crisis.” In his speech, the Housing Secretary outlined a series of measures aimed at enhancing the housing sector. These measures encompassed leasehold reform, streamlining planning procedures, bolstering planning capacity, and revitalizing inner cities.