More family homes being built in the UK and fewer flats

New homes being built in the UK are bigger with more bedrooms as changes in demand mean it is family homes that people want to buy, new research shows.

The number of bedrooms being built increased from 385,000 in 2008/2009 to 478,000 in 2015/2016, according to an analysis report from the Home Builders Federation (HBF).

This was largely as a result of the shift to building more family homes and the number of flats built dropped from 50% of the new homes in 2008/209 to just 25%, whilst the number of houses increased from, 80,000 to 120,000.

The research also shows that the average size of a new build homes increased by nearly 15% from an estimated 801 square feet to 918 square feet over the same period.

The report underlines how housing supply has rebounded since the financial crash of 2008/2009 that saw many house builders disappear and others shedding up to 50% of their staff.

As a result of a more positive economic and policy environment the industry has rapidly increased the number and type of homes it has built to better match demand. Indeed, whilst more dwellings were built in 2006/7, the number of houses produced last year far outstripped that of a decade ago.

The shift towards more spacious homes with additional bedrooms makes the speed of increases in house building even more impressive, the report suggests, adding that it also reflects the change in Government policy.

Through the early 2000s policy and planning guidance concentrated development on high density urban brownfield site. But the acute shortage of family housing dictated a shift. The introduction of the Help to Buy Equity Loan scheme and the more positive National Planning Policy Framework planning system have allowed the industry to increase output and deliver more of the type of homes that people need.

‘The report illustrates the huge increase we have seen in house building since the economic crash but this is more than just a numbers game. We have an acute housing crisis that can only be solved by building more of the right homes in the right places,’ said Stewart Baseley, HBF executive chairman.

‘Government policy has allowed the industry to focus on responding to the needs of buyers in this regard and, as a result, the industry has delivered huge increases in supply over the last three years,’ he pointed out.

‘The industry is planning to deliver further increases in output. By addressing the entrenched problems with planning and developing further positive policies to promote development the Government can help maintain this momentum,’ he added.