Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 17
17
We echo the Public Accounts Committee’s calls for greater clarity on how the Government will...
Recommendation
We echo the Public Accounts Committee’s calls for greater clarity on how the Government will deliver its ambition for 300,000 housing units a year, and why this target was chosen. Our previous reports have endorsed the need for additional social and specialist housing. But the scepticism voiced by some about the validity of the 300,000 units target, particularly given the revisions to household projections, deserves a clear answer. There is also scepticism that the target can be delivered. The Government should publish the evidential basis for its 300,000 housing units a year target and set out how this target will be achieved, both by tenure and by location. (Paragraph 116) 104 The future of the planning system in England
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
35. The Government is determined to create a market that builds the homes this country needs. Our ambition is to deliver 300,000 homes per year on average and create a market that will sustain delivery at this level. There is compelling evidence that increasing the responsiveness of housing supply will help to achieve better outcomes. There seems to be consensus that 250,000 to 300,000 homes per annum should be supplied to deliver price and demand stability. For example, a 2014 joint KPMG and Shelter report highlighted that 250,000 homes per annum were needed to address price and demand pressures. 36. From April 2019 to March 2020 over 242,000 homes were delivered – the highest level for over 30 years. Over the past 5 years, extra homes from new build completions have averaged 201,000 per annum (between 2015-16 and 2020-21). 2019-20 was the highest year, with 219,000 completions. In addition, there have been 36,000 extra homes per year on average from conversions and change of use, many of which have been the result of new deregulatory permitted development rights.