Source:&nbsp Shutterstock Housebuilding in the UK is continuing to slow amid inflation and new building safety regulations, data shows In 2024 the number of homes under construction fell by 14 per cent according to the British Property Federation, which said the final quarter of the year was also the fifth consecutive three-month period in which completions outstripped starts.  Government data shows that 153,910 homes were completed across the UK last year, a drop of 5.8 per cent from 2023 and 13.7 per cent from 2022. The drop was driven by the private housebuilding sector, which saw completions fall 7.4 per cent from 2023 to 2024.  There was an even larger contraction in the number of homes starting on site. In 2024 construction began on just 107,530 homes, a drop of 29.5 per cent from 2023 (150,370) and 40.1 per cent from 2022 (182,070). Advertisement In a statement the British Property Federation said: ‘The slowdown in construction reflects the broader challenges currently impacting housing delivery.  ‘Significant delays at the Building Safety Regulator are currently blocking schemes across the country, while concerns over development viability, driven by build cost inflation and the economic climate, are contributing to a cautious market. ‘Taken together, these factors are slowing down delivery, as projects aren’t proceeding from outline planning through to detailed planning and ultimately into construction and delivery.’ The British Property Federation said detailed planning applications for homes dropped by 16 per cent across 2024, suggesting that the slowdown in housebuilding is set to continue.  Planning Portal statistics show planning applications covering 233,811 homes were submitted in 2024.Advertisement The data also revealed an average of 300,232 new homes applied for each year over the last five years — theoretically enough to achieve the government’s target of building 1.5 million homes during the five-year parliament started in July 2024. However, in a report, Planning Portal-owner Terraquest pointed out that not all these applications would be approved, saying: ‘We need to see a much greater volume of applications over the coming quarters – tens of thousands, if not more [to reach 1.5 million new homes].’  Construction activity on projects across all sectors was subdued in the first three months of 2025, according to data intelligence company Glenigan.  It said that the project-start rate fell 4 per cent compared with the final three months of 2024 and was down 21 per cent year-on-year, ‘reflecting continued delays in major developments and subdued confidence in underlying schemes’. Glenigan housebuilding 2025-04-23 Will Ing comment and share TagsGlenigan housebuilding