The Government wants to build more than 3million new homes than are needed!

Our new independent report, How Many Homes? shows the Government is planning
for almost twice as many new homes as England needs over the next twenty
years.

The Government is planning to build 85% more new homes than England needs over the
next two decades – a staggering over-provision of more than three million new-build
properties. That’s the shock finding of the latest report on national housing need, produced
on our behalf by social research consultancy Opinion Research Services.

The ORS report ‘How Many Homes? Reviewing the National Housing Need for England’
examines the impact of the Government’s proposals to modify the formula (or algorithm)
that councils in England must use to calculate ‘local housing need’.

We are seeing green fields across the UK concreted over at an alarming rate for sprawling new housing estates, but this new report shows that we don’t need anything like the number of new houses the Government tells us we do. Over the next twenty years, we are in danger of building three million homes too
many because the proposed Government formula for calculating housing need uses a seriously flawed methodology. This independent study is proof of that.

A complimentary copy of How Many Homes? is available to all Devon CPRE members – just contact us for your copy. If you are not already a member of CPRE, and are concerned about the Government’s plans for new house building, now’s the time to join us!

related posts

‘Wrong development, wrong location’ – new Brixham housing proposal on farmland should be refused

We’ve submitted a comprehensive objection to Torbay Council (planning application reference: P/2026/0148) outlining numerous reasons why proposals should be refused to build 175 homes on…

Read Post

Devon solar farm shut down to avert grid overload

Power ‘shut down’ at Derril Water Solar Park and other North Devon renewable generators to avert grid overload Devon CPRE has learnt that National Grid…

Read Post

Edward Capern Festival – 4/5 June 2026

Devon CPRE sponsors inaugural festival to celebrate ‘Devonshire’s Robbie Burns’ on Devon Day, 4 June 2026 We are really pleased to be sponsoring the first…

Read Post

Westleigh, near Instow, housing appeal dismissed

We are delighted that a Planning Inspector has dismissed an appeal by the Christie Estate for outline permission to build a cluster of new houses…

Read Post

Major development of 450 houses permitted at Barnstaple, North Devon

Despite numerous objections, including our own, North Devon District Council planning committee have permitted this major development at Brynsworthy, on the edge of Barnstaple. The proposal had been refused two years ago for being outside the development boundary, lack of connection to services and infrastructure issues. But this time around, councillors were told if they refused it again they were likely to lose if it

Read Post

Development of 41 new houses proposed for green fields outside Hatherleigh, West Devon

We have submitted an objection to West Devon Borough Council to this current planning application. The site is in a prominent location on the approach into Hatherleigh and is a strategically important. It fails to demonstrate compliance with Policy TTV24 in terms of delivering a high quality gateway into Hatherleigh.

Read Post