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Newly re-appointed housing secretary Angela Rayner has said the government remains committed to delivering 1.5 million homes this parliament, while acknowledging that the target will be difficult to meet.
\nAccording to The Planner, Rayner said the commitment had become more challenging since the government came into power, pointing to wider pressures affecting housing delivery.
\nThe target has been under continued scrutiny across the planning and housing sectors, with concerns about whether current delivery rates are high enough to meet the overall ambition.
\nResearch published by Savills in June forecast that new homes completions in England could average 167,500 per year over the five years to 2029/30. This would amount to 837,500 homes in total, below the level needed to reach the government’s target.
\nAngela Rayner noted that the recent measures intended to support housing delivery were starting to move through the system. These include updates to the National Planning Policy Framework, investment in planning officers and the £39 billion Affordable Homes Programme.
\nShe also pointed to rising construction costs as one of the pressures affecting delivery, while noting that new homes take time to move through the planning and construction process. Rayner added that council housing would need to play a greater role in increasing delivery, alongside homes built by private developers for sale on the market.
\nThe remarks came shortly after Andy Burnham made ending long-term rough sleeping his first policy pledge as prime minister. He had previously announced plans for what he described as the “biggest council housebuilding programme since the post-war period”.
\nRayner said the 1.5 million-home target would remain in place, adding that she would “keep the target” and was “not going to be defeated”.
\nThe government has confirmed plans to increase national planning application fees in England to an estimated 90% cost recovery, as part of changes intended to improve local planning authority resourcing.
\nIn its response to the recent planning fees consultation, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said it intends to establish a new National Default Fee Schedule by increasing planning fees closer to the cost of processing applications.
\nThe government said current planning fees do not fully reflect the costs faced by local planning authorities, contributing to under-resourcing and inconsistent performance. It said higher fees should support more efficient and reliable planning services.
\nThe consultation ran from 23 March to 18 May 2026 and received 173 responses from local planning authorities, developers, planning professionals, industry bodies and members of the public.
\nAccording to the government response, respondents were broadly supportive of a National Default Fee Schedule set at 90% of estimated full cost. However, some local planning authorities said fees should go further and recover 100% of estimated costs.
\nDevelopers and landowners raised concerns about higher fees, particularly where increases are not clearly linked to service improvements. The government said it would continue to monitor the speed and quality of local planning authority decision-making.
\nThe response also confirms that future local fee-setting powers will allow councils to vary fees where the national fee does not cover their costs. Under the proposed approach, local planning authorities would be able to set fees up to 30% above the national default fee, where supported by evidence.
\nRegulations to increase planning application fees are expected to be taken forward this summer, with the aim of bringing them into force before the end of the year, subject to Parliamentary approval.
\nYou can read more here.
\nThe number of new homes registered to be built across the UK fell by 4% during the second quarter of 2026, according to new figures from the National House Building Council (NHBC).
\nA total of 29,162 homes were registered between April and June, compared with 30,259 during the same period in 2025.
\nPlanning Portal’s Planning Application Index series has revealed that the number of new homes being applied for over the past 12 months has reached its highest level since the beginning of the decade, while developers and industry stakeholders continue to highlight viability as a key barrier to delivery.
\nThese latest figures are another stark reminder that developer intent at the start of the pipeline is not yet translating into increased housing delivery. According to the NHBC data, private-sector registrations experienced a larger decline, falling by 5% from 20,097 to 19,045. However, activity across the rental and affordable housing sector remained broadly stable, with 10,117 homes registered compared with 10,162 a year earlier.
\nNHBC said elevated interest rates, geopolitical uncertainty, rising costs and affordability pressures affecting consumer demand had led many housebuilders to slow their building programmes during the quarter.
\nThe regional picture was mixed, with registrations falling in 6 of the 12 UK regions. The largest decreases were recorded in the South West, where registrations fell by 42%, followed by the East Midlands at 36% and Wales at 34%.
\nLondon recorded the largest increase, with registrations rising from 896 to 2,417 compared with the previous quarter. However, NHBC cautioned that figures for the capital can be more volatile because large developments are often registered over short periods rather than evenly throughout the year.
\nNHBC welcomed the government’s plans to expand council housebuilding but noted that the industry would benefit from greater clarity on how the programme will be funded and delivered.
\nIt also called for faster planning reform, reduced regulatory pressures and measures to improve affordability for prospective buyers.
\nYou can read the full NHBC update here.
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