By bizn_fun 
Every region except London saw a rise in the number of homes applied for in 2025, but in the capital they fell by almost a third on the year before, returning to levels similar to 2023.
While it’s too early to know the impact, it should be noted that in October, the government gave the mayor of London powers to fast-track housing.
Geoff Keal from TerraQuest, which runs Planning Portal, attributed the overall growth across England to a “streamlining” of the planning process.
He also praised the “grey belt” reforms which had led to “applications coming through that wouldn’t have previously”.
But the Local Government Association – which represents local authorities – said while councils supported moves to tackle the housing crisis, planning reform alone would not deliver the scale of homes required to meet Labour’s 1.5 million homes target.
It said delivery was constrained by a shortage of construction workers and rising building costs.
Other new data released on Thursday suggests the government has more work to do.
New figures released about Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) – which measure how energy efficient a property is – in England in 2025 indicate that the total number of homes registered was slightly lower than the year before.
The government uses EPCs as an early indicator of new housing, because the data is published more frequently than the annual official new housing statistics. EPCs can also include homes that are not yet complete or occupied.
BBC Verify analysis of the EPC data suggests 99 areas out of 294 in England would need to more than double the number of new homes they had in 2025 to meet their annual target this year.
A further 22 saw the same number of homes or more registered than their targets called for, however councils said they expect the numbers to rise and fall from year to year.
There are however nuances to the data. For instance, 106,700 new homes in England received their first EPCs in the second half of 2025, which is 3,800 more than during the same six months of 2024.
In addition, the final three months of the year saw registrations rise by seven per cent compared with the same period in 2024.
In a report accompanying the EPC statistics, the government pointed to the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast of a continued decrease in completed homes because of “recent subdued housing starts”.
Edward Clarke from planning consultants Lichfields said no-one should expect an upturn in housing yet as it can take years to go from planning to delivery.
“If the government’s positive changes are implemented efficiently and effectively, there is an opportunity to achieve 300,000 homes built in a year by the end of this parliamentary term,” he said.
Some local councils have complained that the government’s targets are “unrealistic” and have called for a re-think.