The new research from the Planning Portal was announced at the National Planning Conference in Manchester.
According to a new report, planning applications for new homes in England increased by 68% year-on-year in the third quarter of 2025. The rise marks the strongest quarterly performance since 2021.
The data shows that between July and September the number of homes proposed, far outstripped the same period last year.
While the rise has been driven largely by market housing, affordable housing applications also saw an increase, reaching their highest level since 2020.
Meanwhile, the research outlines that most regions of England experienced an increase, with the North West, East of England and South East more than doubling their application numbers compared to this time last year. Only the South West and North East recorded no year-on-year growth.
Geoff Keal, CEO at TerraQuest, which operates Planning Portal, said: ‘This is a clear statement of intent from housebuilders, taking to heart the government’s determination to drive housing delivery. The figures will also be welcome news beyond the housing sector, with new homes widely recognised as a cornerstone of the country’s future economic prosperity.’
‘What is less clear, however, is how these promising housing application figures will translate into delivery,’ Geoff continued. ‘We typically see some attrition along the way from application to delivery, whether through applications being refused, changes of plans on the part of developers, or economic changes rendering plans unviable.
‘With the government’s recent commitment to get spades in the ground on the first three new towns before the next election, we can already see the focus turning to delivery, which is a promising sign.’
Echoing a similar tone, Dinny Shaw, head of planning at Places for People, explained it is ‘crucial that affordable housing is central to the delivery of new homes.
‘Housing associations like Places for People are essential to meeting the government’s ambitious housing targets. While the financial capacity of housing associations is improving, planning departments must be resourced to match that momentum, otherwise, progress will continue to stall.’
‘Alongside immediate delivery, we need to also back a long-term strategy,’ Dinny added. ‘Investment in new towns is an effective way of achieving high scale and building new neighbourhoods around community and infrastructure-first principles.’
Download the Planning Application Index Q3 2025 here
Photo by Ian via UnSplash
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