This map shows we’re building houses in the wrong place

Too few houses are being built in the fastest growing areas of England, according to think tank Civitas.

Analysing government figures, their study found that while national housing supply is at 90 per cent of projected population growth for the next 25 years, the picture locally and regionally is far less optimistic.

In London, housing is expected to cover only 55 per cent of projected growth, with construction in all but three boroughs falling below the levels required to match growth locally.

Outside the capital, only five of England’s fastest growing areas – Uttlesford, Dartford, Ashford, Aylesbury Vale, and Slough – are projected to meet the housing demands of their projected population.

Daniel Bentley, editorial director at Civitas, told the Independent:

High growth areas, in particular London and the South-east, are being starved of the homes they need by an array of factors, including greenbelt restrictions, ultra-high land values and the dysfunctionality of the current housebuilding model. All of these issues need to be addressed in the forthcoming housing white paper.

A DCLG spokesman said:

The truth is we’ve got the country building again with nearly 900,000 homes delivered since the end of 2009, and housebuilding at its highest level for eight years.

We’re determined to build homes in the places people want to live, which is why we’re investing more than £25bn in housing - the largest housing programme of any government since the 1970s.

Our housing White Paper, due to be published next month, will also set out further plans to build even more homes, more quickly.

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