<p>New figures released today by the Home Builders Federation and Glenigan show that new home planning permissions being granted by local authorities slumped in 2010 to one of the lowest levels in the past five years. The fall coincides with the Coalition government's scrapping of new home targets and its announcement of radical changes to the planning system.</p> <p>The New Housing Pipeline report shows that through 2010 there has been a steady fall in permissions granted for new homes, with a sharp drop in England from more than 40,000 permissions in Quarter One to just 31,553 in Quarter Three.</p> <p>HBF executive chairman Stewart Baseley said: "The report paints a bleak picture and shows how permissions have plummeted. We already have an acute housing crisis and these figures show there is potential for it to get much worse."</p> <p>Baseley said it was crucial councils recognise the housing shortage and understand the government's new incentive system and so allow developers to build the homes their communities and the country "desperately" need.</p>