Survey of British adults reveals drop
A survey by market research firm Stack Data Strategy asked more than 14,000 British adults whether they would: ‘support or oppose more homes being build near to where you live’, with respondents revealing a -11% reduction in housing support since the General Election.
Their findings also found that the fall in support was associated with areas in which housing targets had increased significantly, and where Reform had won support in local elections.
However, it is not all bad news: Stack Data Strategy also found that there are sufficient potential sites to achieve the Government’s target of 1.5m homes over the current parliament.
Meanwhile, policy and research consultancy Public First have published a report calling on the Government to introduce a new equity loan scheme to help first-time buyers onto the property ladder.
The report, Saving the British Dream, states that such an initiative would boost housebuilding and economic growth, finding that only 10.4% of 20-44 year-olds in England can afford a home.
London has the lowest affordability at 4.9%, with the East Midlands also suffering from low affordability, at 2.1%.
Such a scheme would, according to Public First, bring home ownership into the reach of 490,000 more young people and unlock at least 19,700 additional new homes per year.
Homes England beats targets as project starts rise
According to Homes England, 36,000 homes were completed in the period, up 14% from 2023/24. Work began on 38,000 homes; an increase of 6% on the previous year.
Land capable of delivering 79,000 extra homes was cleared for development, which Homes England said is also up on the previous year.
Our 2024/25 performance figures reflect the Agency’s determination and passion for housing and regeneration. We’ve exceeded our delivery targets by supporting our housebuilding partners to create much-needed new homes and we’ve worked more closely with mayors across the country to champion place-making and drive regional growth.
Eamonn Boylan, Chief Executive, Homes England
Meanwhile, the May edition of Glenigan’s Construction Review found that project starts rose by a third in the three months to April when compared with the previous quarter.
The uptick was mainly due to an improvement in project starts in key sectors such as housebuilding.
However, there has been a 17% overall reduction in activity when compared to the same period in 2024.
In other news…
Brickmaker Forterra is firing up kilns as housebuilding demand returns, after a trading statement revealed a 22% increase in revenue for the first quarter to 30 April when compared to the same period last year.
Forterra said: “Trading saw continued positive momentum with the group benefitting from an improving demand environment, primarily driven by house building.
“With demand recovering and inventories reducing we are actively managing production capacity to ensure we continue to address customer demand.”
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The Crown Estate is buying a 50% share in six Lendlease projects in the UK, which could deliver 26,000 homes.
The joint venture between the King’s property company and the firm could also create 900,000 square metres of offices and laboratories across six sites.
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Cala Group has reported reduced profit and turnover for 2024, with pre-tax profit of £78.2m for the year to 31 December.
The housebuilder, which was sold last year to US private equity firm Sixth Street and Patron Capital, remains confident that expansion of new sites will lead to future growth.
Housing View 