Demand for new homes is not being met across England , with planning applications and grants both down in 2017 compared with 2016 , official figures have shown . Hundreds of thousands of new homes a year are needed in England to keep up with demand but the latest official figures shows that overall planning applications and permissions are down. Planning applications in Q3 2017 were down 7 % from the previous year , with 117,700 applications made . Meanwhile , planning permissions were granted , which was down 3 % on Q3 2016 . For commercial developments , 2,600 applications were granted , down 11 % on a year earlier and for residential developments , 12,500 applications were granted in Q3 , down 3 % compared with the same period in 2016 .
Demand for new homes is not being met across England , with planning applications and grants both down in 2017 compared with 2016 , official figures have shown . Planning applications in Q3 2017 were down 7 % from the previous year , with 117,700 applications made . Meanwhile , planning permissions were granted , which was down 3 % on Q3 2016 . For commercial developments , 2,600 applications were granted , down 11 % on a year earlier and for residential developments , 12,500 applications were granted in Q3 , down 3 % compared with the same period in 2016 .