Overview
- London saw just 4,170 new homes started in 2024/25, a 72% annual drop and the lowest level in about 80 years, the Centre for Policy Studies reports.
- Across England, housing starts fell to 115,700 in 2024/25, roughly 39% of the 300,000 annual pace linked to the government’s 1.5 million homes pledge.
- Starts in the capital fell across all tenures, with London boroughs beginning only 90 council homes (down 95%) and housing association starts down 78%, according to the CPS.
- Based on the weak pipeline, consultancy Molior projects around 4,550 homes will be completed in London in both 2027 and 2028.
- Conservative figures blamed Labour and the Mayor, City Hall cited a perfect storm of costs, regulation and legacy factors, and ministers pointed to draft planning reforms and a claimed 29% annual rise in recent starts.