Developers are the blockers to housing delivery, say councillors

Developers are the main blockers to housing delivery, a major survey of councillors who sit on planning committees has revealed.

 

7 out of 10 councillors cite developers claiming a lack of viability as their biggest challenge to housing delivery in their local authority area (68%).

 

The second biggest challenge was the slow build-out of housing by developers, according to 58% of respondents – an increase of 18% on last year.

 

In contrast, just 6% of councillors blame planning system issues as a block to housing development.

 

The survey of 485 councillors in 228 local authority areas in England between February and April 2025 was undertaken by SEC Newgate and revealed in the 2025 National Planning Barometer report.

“The housing crisis has not been caused by the Planning System, it is caused by developers refusing to build out the 1.1 million permissions,” one respondent said.

 

Another writes: “It expects the private sector to deliver affordable homes which is not what developers were created to do and so, of course they will try to wriggle out of this responsibility.”

 

The survey reveals growing discomfort as government targets coupled with a lack of investment fuel an increase in the blame game over just who is responsible for the lack of affordable housebuilding.  

 

 

The findings also reveal that 76% of planning authorities consider the government housing targets to be unachievable.

 

The construction skills shortage is cited by a third of councillors as a reason why housing targets will be missed. Developer land-banking is also cited by 19% of councillors as a blocker to meeting the target.

 

What the vast majority of councillors do agree on – 92% – is that housing is in crisis or that conditions have worsened. 85% of councillors say they need social rental homes in their area, 51% need temporary and emergency accommodation, while 83% need affordable housing.

 

Councillors surveyed fear that. the government’s removal of national requirements relating to affordable home ownership will have a further negative impact on supply, with 59% of councillors believing this will reduce the supply of affordable homes. 47% of those surveyed say it will reduce the guaranteed provision of affordable homes and 36% say it will negatively impact low income families.

 

Only 2% of councillors say housing delivery is on target in their local authority area.

 

 

Other challenges to housing delivery cited by councillors include community opposition, with 47% of councillors seeing it as one of their biggest challenges to housing delivery – an increase of 14% since 2024.

 

A lack of suitable sites is also cited as a key issue by 45% of respondents.

 

Policy constraints such as the Green Belt are cited as a challenge by 23% of respondents while just 17% of councillors complained of a lack of schemes coming forward.

 

Nearly a third of councillors cited resourcing issues in the planning team as a barrier to housing delivery – 29%.  

 

In terms of priorities, 74% of those surveyed cited the delivery of affordable housing for future generations as their top priority for 2025.