England’s new housing supply likely to fall to lowest level in decades, study says

The drop in housebuilding will make it harder than at any point in recent history to become a home owner, according to the analysis. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Housebuilding in England is due to fall to its lowest level since the second world war, according to an analysis by the Home Builders Federation (HBF), owing to a range of government policies that threaten to dramatically slow development.

The study says the supply of new housing is likely to fall below 120,000 homes annually over the coming years, less than half of the government’s target, as a result of changes to planning policy and what developers say is over-strict enforcement of environmental regulations.