READING Borough Council has released figures that show that work is still yet to begin on thousands of homes in Reading despite having planning permission granted.
Data shows that more than 4,000 homes in the borough are still waiting for construction to begin after being green-lit–which represents just under 80% of approved plans.
Works to build 4,371 homes, including just under 400 earmarked for affordability, are still outstanding of a total of 5,530 which have been approved up to 2024/2025.
Just over 200 affordable homes approved up to the same period have begun construction, 43% of which are part of the affordable house building programme.
That percentage is made up entirely of the 88 affordable housing units at Wensley Road and Hexham Road.
The figure is high as, over a 10-year period between 2015-2024, the comparable average figure was 3,399.
Under planning law, developers have three years to begin construction work on a site they have planning approval for.
As long as this is adhered to, there is no subsequent time limit on how long it takes to complete.
Despite the data, the council says that it is still ‘on schedule’ to deliver just over 400 new homes, with new developments already completed at Lyndhurst Road, North Street, and Arthur Hill, as well as its acquisitions project.
Micky Leng, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Councillor for Planning, said: “At a time when there is a desperate need for new housing in the town, it sounds almost implausible that there should be 4,371 potential new homes with full planning permission just waiting to be built out by developers, but that is the reality of what we are facing in Reading.
“That figure includes nearly 400 affordable homes which, if completed, would have a significant impact for many residents who are understandably struggling to afford housing on the open market.
“There can be several reasons for developers not building out sites they have permissions for. We know, for example, many of the potential new homes in Reading are larger flat developments, which means developers will often focus attention on individual housing developments which can be freed up more quickly.
“But there is no doubt that after acquiring planning permission, many developers are just waiting on these sites, hoping to improve their profit margins, which helps nobody.”
He explained: “The nature of new housing developments in a tight-knit urban town like Reading means we often see peaks and troughs in the numbers, as and when large-scale flatted developments come to fruition.
“That doesn’t change the fact that the number of new homes with planning permission where work has not yet begun is significantly higher than the 10-year average in Reading.
“Reading Council is playing its part with the delivery of hundreds of new affordable council homes through its own local authority new build programme, including at Wensley Road and Hexham Road in 2024/25, and other new council house builds which will show up in future years’ figures.”
He concluded: “If private developers followed suit and delivered on the projects they have secured permission for, the impact on Reading’s housing market would be considerable.”
