HBF urges government action to halt London housing crisis

Urgent government intervention is needed to stop housing delivery in London from collapsing, according to the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

A report HBF has released today (September 15), shows that only 30,000 homes were completed in the capital in the year to June 2025 when it is expected to deliver 440,000 of the government’s 1.5 million new homes target by 2030. And the trend for year-on-year planning permission consents and housing approvals is down.

According to the publication, Mind the Gap, the latest yearly London figure, based on the number of new properties issued with energy performance certificates, is 12% down on the previous year and “significantly” below the peak of 2019/2020.

And, HBF said, planning permissions in the capital had “nosedived” to their lowest levels since records began in 2006. Only 966 projects were approved in the 12 months to June.

The report reveals that the overall share of national housing delivery in London has shrunk from 20% ten years ago to 15% currently.

The number of new site starts has dropped 38%: HBF said that under the government’s standard method, output would need to increase 175% to meet the calculated 88,000 homes a year …