The rebranded Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) is a signal of how integral the government sees housing provision to economic opportunity and growth. Yet the housebuilding sector still faces a longstanding challenge to meet targets. 2020 is the first time the UK has delivered homes at a similar rate to the late 2000s. However, projections by developer StripeHomes indicate the government will not start hitting its 300,000 per annum goal until 2028.

At the same time, demand for different types of new homes is starting to change as lifestyles adapt post-pandemic. The number of registrations for new apartments – typically mid or higher-rise and with limited outdoor space – dropped by 20.4% between Q4 2019 and Q2 2021.

By comparison, registrations of more traditional family housing types all increased, with detached homes especially in demand with a jump of 41.7% in the same period. While nascent as a trend, the long-term implications are for homes built at a lower density and with a growing premium for those with more space.

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