Image: Lafarge
Housing starts fell by 8% year on year in the quarter to June 2019, according to the latest government figures.
There were 37,220 new build dwelling starts in the last quarter, down 2% on the quarter before and 8% down on a year ago.
Completions increased during the quarter to 45,190, up 11% on the year before and 4% on the previous quarter.
Annual new build starts totalled 160,640 in the year to June 2019 – a 1% decrease compared with the year to June 2018.
During the same period, completions totalled 173,660, an increase of 8% compared with the year before.
Housing secretary Robert Jenrick celebrated the rise in completions to an 11-year high, describing the news as “hugely welcome”.
He said: “We are moving in the right direction, but there is still much more to do if we are going to deliver the numbers needed by communities up and down the country.
“I’m determined to deliver homes that are high-quality, well designed and good for the planet. Faster and simpler planning regulations will help us reach that goal, which is why I have announced measures to accelerate planning decisions for homes and reduce the use of unnecessary conditions by up to a third, freeing up developers so they can get on and build in a locally appropriate way.”
Last week, the government unveiled its Future Homes Standard, under which it will ban fossil fuel heating systems in new homes by 2025.
