Homes England has released new statistics revealing the number of housebuilding starts and completions in 2024. Additional data shows which areas are experiencing the biggest housing booms
The Homes England statistics reveal that 15,682 new homes were started on site, in addition to the 14,295 homes completed.
The stats run from 1 April to 30 September and are compared to the same period last year. This marks a small step in the right direction to meet Labour’s housing targets.
Homes England statistics show an overall increase in housebuilding projects
Starts on-site for affordable homes saw a 12% increase thanks to the Homes England five-year programme ramping up delivery.
Affordable homes in this period saw the construction of 1,098 affordable rent homes (an increase of 4%), 1,426 Intermediate Affordable Housing Schemes, including Shared Ownership and Rent to Buy (an increase of 22%), and 2,002 Social Rent homes (an increase of 148%).
Tenure is still yet to be confirmed for 8,547 affordable home starts (1% increase), while 10,434 of the completed houses in the April-September period were for affordable homes, representing an impressive 32% increase on the 7,929 affordable homes from last year’s period.
The Shared Ownership and Affordable Housing Programme (SOAHP) 2016-2021 was closed in March 2024. Through the course of the programme, they delivered 135,962 starts on-site for affordable homes, exceeding the target of 130,000.
In the April-September period, 3,381 of the SOAHP homes built were affordable rent (9% increase from the same period last year), 5,062 were Intermediate Affordable Housing Schemes (63% increase), and 1,9991 were Social Rent (a 63% increase).
Peter Denton, chief executive at Homes England, said: “The statistics published today show a strong set of half-year results, reflecting the sector’s hard work and determination to build the new homes and communities the country needs.
“We have worked closely with our partners over the past year to manage pressures on delivery and ensure they have the security and certainty to keep going.
“The mission from the Government is clear, so we will continue to work extremely hard to make sure our partners have the tools to carry on with the job in hand, creating the places that people are proud to call home.”
By region: which areas are seeing more homes built?
Another set of results useful to view alongside Homes England’s statistics, published by EG Propertylink, examines data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to determine which UK local authorities are seeing the biggest increase in new homes per 10,000 residents.
The study looks at the number of permanent dwellings started and completed by local authorities between 2014 and 2023. The average number of new dwellings is then taken and scaled against the total population of the local authority’s area of jurisdiction, ranking the homes built per 10,000 residents.
South Derbyshire saw the highest rate of buildings started and completed, with 160.4 new dwellings per 10,000 people, 176% above the national average, which stands at 58.1 per 10,000 people. This marks 1,782 starts and completions of new dwellings per 10,000 South Derbyshire residents from 2014-2023, the highest in the country. In 2014, there were 970 starts and completions, rising to 1,740 (79%) in 2023.
Stratford-upon-Avon comes in second, at 151.5 projects started and completed per 10,000 residents. 1,820 of the 2,099 average starts and completions were in 2023 alone, meaning a 72% increase in 2023 from 2014.
The full list of the top 15 regions is as follows:
| Rank | Local authority | Country | Population (2022) | Average yearly new dwellings – Last 10 Years | Average yearly starts and completions per 10,000 residents – Last 10 Years |
| 1 | South Derbyshire | England | 111,133 | 1,782 | 160.4 |
| 2 | Stratford-upon-Avon | England | 138,583 | 2,099 | 151.5 |
| 3 | Midlothian | Scotland | 97,030 | 1,469 | 151.4 |
| 4 | Tewkesbury | England | 97,000 | 1,372 | 141.4 |
| 5 | Vale of White Horse | England | 142,116 | 1,907 | 134.2 |
| 6 | Harborough | England | 100,481 | 1,333 | 132.7 |
| 7 | North West Leicestershire | England | 107,672 | 1,389 | 129.0 |
| 8 | Ribble Valley | England | 63,107 | 797 | 126.3 |
| 9 | Dartford | England | 118,820 | 1,478 | 124.4 |
| 10 | East Lothian | Scotland | 112,450 | 1,380 | 122.7 |
| 11 | South Norfolk | England | 144,593 | 1,717 | 118.8 |
| 12 | Mid Suffolk | England | 105,723 | 1,244 | 117.7 |
| 13 | Milton Keynes | England | 292,180 | 3,360 | 115.0 |
| 14 | Telford and Wrekin | England | 188,871 | 2,170 | 114.9 |
| 15 | South Cambridgeshire | England | 165,633 | 1,883 | 113.7 |
Chloe Ward, product manager at EG Propertylink, said: “These numbers really spotlight the contrast in housing growth across the UK, as well as naming potential up-and-coming regions.
“Regions like South Derbyshire and Stratford-upon-Avon are seeing remarkable rates of development, driven by demand for suburban and semi-rural living. In contrast, places like Richmond upon Thames show the pressures urban areas face with limited space and complex planning regulations, which restrict new builds.
“This data reflects where people are choosing to move and highlights possible emerging residential hotspots, particularly around popular cities like Edinburgh, where development is responding to growing demand for housing.”
