Latest figures have shown the number of homes being granted planning permission is now higher than pre-recession levels.
With councils granting permission for 261,000 new homes to be built in the year to March, this year’s annual total is the highest recorded for eight years.
Housing minister, Brandon Lewis, said: “The previous system of top-down targets built nothing but resentment. Our reforms, a key part of our long term economic plan, have changed that.”
He went on to discuss the forthcoming Housing Bill, stating: “With the Housing Bill set to include measures to bring forward brownfield sites, we’re determined that we will keep the country building while protecting the green belt.”
The bill will help to facilitate the construction of previously-used sites near existing communities, including measures to create a new register of brownfield land. It will also contain measures to speed up the process in order to maximise the number of areas able to follow suit, with more than 1,500 communities across the country having applied to have their neighbourhood plan designated.
John Thompson, chief executive at Association of Plumbing and Heating Contractors, said: “The latest figures for attained planning permissions are great news for the construction industry, indicating that it is finally recovering from a long and difficult recession. We’re hopeful that government measures, such as those set out in the upcoming Housing Bill, will be successful in maintaining momentum in this area, ensuring a stable market for our members.”