In response to the severe housing crisis, the UK government has committed to constructing 1.5 million new homes by 2029. The Housing Forum’s report, “Roadmap to 1.5 Million Homes,” offers a detailed strategy to achieve this target over five years, emphasising cooperation, policy adjustments, and efficient resource distribution. The report identifies ongoing issues like planning inefficiencies, land shortages, and affordability challenges, and highlights the need for urgent action across the housing sector.
The government faces a substantial challenge in accelerating construction. Housing completions in 2022-23 stood at 234,400, but projections suggest a drop to 150,000 for 2023-24, far below the required 450,000 annual target by 2028-29. This would demand an unprecedented level of construction, unseen in over five decades. Several obstacles are flagged in the report, including financial limitations on housing associations, rising building costs, and a sluggish planning process, all compounded by workforce and land shortages.
The Housing Forum’s five-year plan outlines essential actions to reach the 1.5 million goal. In the first year (2024-25), efforts will focus on reversing the decline in housing starts, aided by the Housing Accelerator Fund’s initial £5 billion investment to support affordable housing and halve homelessness within three years. Year two (2025-26) will prioritise bolstering housing associations and councils, with renewed funding for the Affordable Homes Programme to meet demand for social housing. The third year (2026-27) targets the skills shortage, recommending the creation of Skills England to address the demand for a skilled workforce in low-carbon housing construction. In year four (2027-28), the focus will shift to scaling up construction rates, and by year five (2028-29), the roadmap stresses the importance of cross-party support, long-term funding policies, and advancements in housing technology to ensure sustainable growth beyond 2029.
A critical recommendation in the report is the urgent need to improve the planning system, where delays in application processing are significant. Only 1% of local planning authorities meet the statutory 13-week deadline for major applications, drastically slowing the building process. To counter this, the report calls for improved recruitment, retention of planning officers, and systematic performance monitoring.
Environmental sustainability is also a key aspect of the roadmap. The government’s commitment to addressing nutrient neutrality—rules which have delayed construction—is necessary to progress. However, the report also highlights the need for pollution control at the source to ensure long-term environmental protection while facilitating housing developments. Additionally, the report suggests priority access to new homes and mortgage guarantees for first-time buyers to address affordability, while recommending more targeted fiscal incentives, like the Help to Buy scheme, to support those entering the housing market.
This roadmap offers a structured and realistic approach to reaching the government’s housing target. By prioritising policy changes, investments in skills and technology, and strategic sector planning, the UK could make substantial progress in addressing its housing crisis. The coming five years will be critical to realising these goals, but with coordinated action, the ambitious target of 1.5 million homes remains within reach.
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