Record Planning Permissions Create a 400,000 Home Building Backlog

New research by the Local Government Association (LGA) reveals a bumper building backlog of 400,000 new homes which have received planning permission but have not yet been completed, with building yet to start on more than half of approved plots.  At the current rate of construction it would take developers three-and-a-quarter years to clear the backlog by building all of the new homes local authorities have signed off.  Meanwhile, Government figures show that councils are more positive towards development than ever, with the overall percentage of planning applications being given the green light by local authorities hitting a 10-year record high last year.  The figures also show that the time taken by developers to complete work on site has increased by several months since the credit crunch, with the longest taking nearly nine years from permission being granted to homes being built.  Read more on the LGA website.