The Home Builders Federation calls on the UK Government and the Mayor of London to take “urgent” action to address development barriers, or risk London’s development market grinding to a halt.

In a new report, Mind the Gap, published by the Federation, several development issues have been raised, including weak demand from first-time buyers, planning delays, and increased cost burdens on brownfield development.

The Federation warns that if this collection of barriers persists, it could risk bringing the capital’s development market to a “complete halt”.

According to recent figures from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) included in the report, only 32k new homes were delivered in London in 2023/24.

A 9% decrease from 2022/23, putting the market 30% below the recent 2019/20 peak and marking a new housing delivery low in a decade.

Included in the recommendations to avoid the worst case scenario, the Federation says the Government needs to fast track the green belt review to avoid borough-level plan production.

More recommendations for the London development market can be found in the Mind the Gap report, here.