Steve Reed says uptick represents ‘green shoots of recovery’ in market
Housing secretary Steve Reed has said an uptick in housing starts over the past year represents the “green shoots” of recovery in the market.
New build starts were up 18% in the year ending September 2025 compared to the year before, according to new data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
Around 118,000 new homes were built during the period, with nearly 30,000 starts between July and September, up 3% on the same quarter in 2024.
The data shows an estimated 309,600 homes have now been completed since the start of the current Parliament on 9 July 2024, meaning the government has now delivered just over a fifth of its 1.5 million home target.
Reed argued the rising number of starts were a result of the government’s planning reforms, which have included the creation of a new ‘grey belt’ land class for poor quality areas of the green belt.
“I said I will build 1.5 million homes and I meant it,” Reed said.
“Thanks to our changes to planning laws we’re now seeing the green shoots of recovery – with an 18% increase in work starting on new homes compared to the previous year.
“We will keep on streamlining the planning system and investing in social housing so we can end the housing crisis we inherited and give everyone the chance to live in the home they dream of.”
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