Homes England renounces land banking accusations

The government-owned housing agency has refuted claims that it has been secretly stashing away land and notes it has enough space for almost 300,000 new homes.

Analysis conducted by The Telegraph outlined that Homes England, an executive non-departmental public body, had enough land for 279,000 housing plots – equivalent to 9,000ah – which remained unbuilt upon.

This sparked immediate concerns as not only has the current cost-of-living crisis forced thousands to go without affordable homes, but in 2019 the government pledged to build 300,000 new homes – a target it is yet to achieve.

However, last week, the government body rejected the findings and stated that 3,000ha was already built on – delivering 50,000 homes, while a further 4,990ha was due to become home to 55,000 newly constructed properties, of which 30,000 would be delivered within the next five years.

A spokesperson from Homes England said: ‘We don’t land bank and we absolutely refute this claim and the figures being stated. We enable the right homes to be built in the right places – many of which are affordable.

‘We already disposed of around 3,000ha delivering 50,000 homes…under a land lease, so that we can ensure the continued pace of house building is realised and policy objectives, such as sustainability and design, are met. Until delivered, this will remain under ownership.’

Despite the public rejection of banking land, a housing pipeline report published by the Home Builders Federation last week, claimed the number of planning permissions being granted was ‘continuing to nosedive to new record lows’ across England.

Data from the report found the number of housing projects that were granted planning permission in the first three months of 2023 was the lowest quarterly figure on record, with 3,037 housing projects granted permission.

The figure is a 20% reduction on the number of projects granted permission from last year and is 11% down on the final quarter of 2022 when the number of projects approved over the course of the year was already at its lowest rate since the data set began in 2006.

Following these outrageous findings, Stewart Beasley, executive chairman of the Home Builders Federation, said: ‘There is now clear evidence that planning permissions are plummeting, a direct result of the government’s capitulation to the nimby lobby on planning.

‘Over the last four years, ministers have failed to intervene on Natural England’s disproportionate ban on new homes, which disregards the findings of government’s own evidence and represents a major misdirection of effort and resources.’   

Image: Julian Ebert