The number of new homes created in England has hit its highest level in almost 30 years, official figures show, with more than 240,000 properties added to the country’s housing stock in 2018-19.
Data from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government showed that 241,130 new homes had been completed. The total is more than at any time since the report began in 1991, and beats the previous record of 223,530 recorded before the financial crash in 2007-08 .
The figure, which takes into account homes lost through demolitions, has almost doubled in six years, after reaching a low of 124,720 in 2012-13.
However, alongside new-builds the figures include 29,260 homes that were created through a change of use, including 12,032 from former offices.
These properties, built under permitted development rules introduced in 2013, have been controversial as developers do not have to get planning permission. They are able to divide buildings into far smaller homes than if they were building from new, some as small as 13 sq metres (12ft by 12ft).
The Home Builders Federation said almost 380,000 more homes were in the pipeline but that political support was needed to meet the government’s target of building 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s.
Stewart Baseley, the federation’s executive chairman, said: “We need to see policies that ensure buyers can buy and that enough land comes forward in the right places quickly and efficiently.
“We also need to see more support for SME [small and medium enterprise] builders and specialist providers to ensure the supply base continues to grow.”
The housing charity Shelter said the government would not reach its target without a major programme of social housebuilding.
Shelter’s chief executive, Polly Neate, said: “Your average renter can’t afford to buy a three-bedroom new-build; we need to be building the types of homes that people can actually afford.”
She added: “What is being provided is too often not good enough; 14,000 have been converted from empty buildings, including former fast-food shops and office blocks.
“These homes come with no quality or space standards – developers don’t even have to provide windows. The end result is terrible, cramped flats on industrial estates. This is not the answer for families needing homes.”
The government’s figures show that Salford, South Derbyshire and Uttlesford in Essex have seen the highest rates of building, while Kensington & Chelsea, Gosport and Portsmouth have recorded the lowest rates of new homes.
In London, the housing stock grew by 35,959 over the year, including 2,777 office-to-residential conversions.
• This article was amended on 21 November 2019. An earlier version gave the growth in London’s housing stock as 31,444 in 2018-19. That was the figure for new-builds. The overall figure was 35,959.
