The number of new home planning permissions granted in England in the first quarter of 2011 was just 33,450, 17% down on last year and half of the level achieved five years ago according to the HBF's latest Housing Pipeline Report. <br> <br> The number of approvals was however up on the previous three months and significantly higher than the low of Quarter 2 2009.<br> <br> Commenting on the figures produced for HBF by Glenigan, HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: "Government will soon consult on the most important proposals since World War II. The figures today clearly demonstrate why it has to get its planning framework right."<br> <br>