Planning approvals fell 9% to 61,500 decisions in the first three months of the year from 12 months ago, the latest housing department data shows.
The figure will come as a disappointment to the government, which will see Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones release its £725bn 10-year infrastructure strategy, later today, which will set out plans to build homes, roads, railways, hospitals, and schools across the UK.
The government’s Infrastructure and Planning Bill is progressing through parliament, which aims to speed up planning decisions.
The housing department data shows that 7,000 residential applications were granted by district level planning authorities in England, down 11% from the same quarter a year ago.
While, 36,200 householder development applications were decided, down 9% from the same quarter a year earlier.
The quarterly fall in consents came as English councils received 90,700 planning applications in the first three months, up 6% from a year earlier.
In the year to March, authorities granted 265,800 planning decisions, down 7% from the previous 12-month period.
While, 29,300 residential applications were granted in the same period, down 8%.
Hampshire Trust Bank managing director of development finance Neil Leitch says: “A drop in planning approvals confirms what many developers have been seeing in practice.
“It supports recent Home Builders Federation data pointing to a 13-year low in approval levels and highlights the ongoing pressures within the UK’s planning system.
Leitch adds: “Planning remains the biggest obstacle. Developers face delays, inconsistent feedback and limited engagement from under-resourced planning teams. The system is not failing through lack of intent. It is failing through lack of capacity.
“We talk a lot about reform, but what developers need is delivery. That means local authorities equipped with the people, skills and systems to make timely, consistent decisions.
“Until then, even the best policy will struggle to translate into real-world impact.”
