Eric Pickles has delivered a parliamentary statement on housebuilding figures on behalf of the DCLG, highlighting improvements to vacant and derelict land sites.
A number of key facts reported by DCLG which are likely to be of interest to members are reported below.
DCLG writes:
- planning permission was granted for 216,000 new homes in England in 2013 to 2014 (source: DCLG analysis of Glenigan data)
- more council housing was started in London last year [political content removed] (source: DCLG)
- the number of empty homes in England have fallen to a 10-year low, and the number of long-term vacant properties has fallen by around a third since 2009 (source: DCLG)
- Changes to Community Infrastructure Levy rules now provide an increased incentive for brownfield development, through exempting empty buildings being brought back into use. We have also published proposals to lift section 106 burdens on vacant buildings being returned to use.
