Comment from shelter on annual house building figures

November 17, 2017

Shelter comment on annual housing supply figures (2016/17) released yesterday 16th November 2017

  • There were 217,350 additional dwellings between 2016/2017, and increase of 15% on last year. (DCLG)
  • However, according to government statistics out last week, the total number of affordable homes built in England last year was 41,530, well below the average over the past ten years. This means that only 19% of new properties announced today are classed as affordable. (DCLG)
  • The biggest changes in supply were seen via conversions (splitting homes to make more units) and change of use (conversions from offices to flats for example), at 19% and 22% respectively. Worryingly, these dwellings have no quality assurance or affordable housing obligation.
  • Shelter say we need to build at least 250,000 new homes a year, 125,000 of which should be genuinely affordable. Affordable homes should take up no more than 1/3 of local people’s income.

Polly Neate, chief executive at Shelter, said: “It’s good to see the Prime Minister shedding light on housebuilding and new statistics showing some increase in new homes, however the numbers are still well short of the government’s own targets and we should be crystal clear that not even a fifth of these are affordable.

“With hundreds of thousands of people homeless this Christmas and those in need of affordable homes going up all the time, owing to a crippling combination of soaring rents and welfare cuts, these numbers fall woefully short.

“If the government is serious about tackling our housing crisis and helping the millions of families on lower incomes in the upcoming budget then sticking plasters will not be enough – it must urgently prioritise building homes which are genuinely affordable for ordinary people to rent or buy.”

Source of information Shelter.

Allen Walkey

Highly experienced businessman with a successful career in property sales and investment both in the UK and abroad. Now a freelance writer and blogger for the property and Investment Industry, keeping readers up-to-date with changes and events in a rapidly changing world.

You May Also Enjoy

New Build for Merseyside
Breaking News

First-time buyer demand falls sharply

First-time buyer demand falls sharply across Britain’s major cities, with Nottingham leading the decline The latest research by Yopa has shown that first-time buyer demand has dropped significantly across a number of major British cities, with Nottingham seeing the sharpest decline since the start of the year. Yopa analysed first-time buyer (FTB) demand based on…
Read More →
Breaking News

Families to save hundreds of pounds through major homebuying overhaul

·        Buying or selling a home to be faster, cheaper, and easier under common-sense reforms ·        First-time buyers to save £710 on average, putting money back into people’s pockets ·        Proposals will halve number failed transactions, preventing last minute fall throughs, slashing weeks off the process and driving up standards across the board Hundreds of thousands of first-time…
Read More →
Estate Agent Talk

Got a New Home in Nelson UK? Explore Stylish Furniture for Every Corner

Moving into a new home is always exciting, and if you’ve just settled down in Nelson, UK, now is the perfect time to furnish your space with stylish, functional, and long-lasting pieces. At AH Interiors Nelson, we bring you a wide range of modern and classic furniture that makes every corner of your home truly…
Read More →
Breaking News

Annual house price growth steady in September

Annual rate of house price growth of 2.2% in September, similar to 2.1% seen in August Northern Ireland remained the top performing area with annual house price growth of 9.6% Outer South East weakest performing region, with 0.3% year-on-year rise   Commenting on the figures, Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief Economist, said: “The annual pace of…
Read More →
Rightmove logo
Breaking News

Rightmove launches Online Agent Valuation to help agents connect with more vendors

Rightmove, the UK’s largest property platform, launches Online Agent Valuation, a new product for agents designed to give them more ways to reach prospective vendors. The consumer innovation delivers quality leads by connecting agents with home-owners who are serious about moving, but who would prefer to get a valuation from a local agent online. Rightmove…
Read More →
Breaking News

September sees highest number of homes listed this year

September brings post-summer surge in home seller activity, with highest number of homes listed so far in 2025 The latest internal data from eXp UK has shown that September has delivered a notable surge in market activity, with the firm recording an average of 81 new properties listed every day over the course of the…
Read More →