Big milestone today: the New Homes Accelerator has already helped unlock and speed up work on nearly 100,000 new homes across England.
Launched just a year ago, the programme was set up to clear away the roadblocks that slow down housebuilding — from planning bottlenecks to regulatory delays. By bringing in expert support, extra planning capacity, and closer coordination between government and local councils, developments that were stuck are now moving forward.
Progress so far:
6,000 homes are already being built faster than expected.
Plans for another 63,000 homes are now unblocked and moving ahead. In total, that’s almost 100,000 homes back on track.
Next up, the Accelerator team is turning its attention to six new priority sites, including projects in Somerset, Wigan, Guildford, Aylesbury, and two major sites in London. Together, these will deliver 12,000 more homes, with at least a quarter classed as affordable.
This is all part of the government’s wider Plan for Change, which aims to deliver 1.5 million homes this Parliament, alongside investment in infrastructure and affordable housing.
Deputy Prime Minister and Housing Secretary, Angela Rayner said:
“We’ve rolled up our sleeves and are breaking down the barriers which stop us from building the houses to buy and rent that families and young people need, helping to speed up the delivery of tens of thousands of new homes already.
“We are continuing to take decisive action through our New Homes Accelerator to speed up the delivery of homes, meet our stretching 1.5 million homes target through the Plan for Change, and get spades in the ground to turn the tide on the housing crisis.”
Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan said:
“I’m pleased the government is working with London boroughs to unblock housebuilding as part of its plan to deliver the good growth our country needs. I’m determined to use all the powers at my disposal to build the homes Londoners need and get Britain building again.
“I look forward to working with Ministers on the action and investment needed to accelerate the delivery of new homes as we continue building a better, fairer London for everyone.”
On the ground, this is already making a real difference. For example, at Wisley Airfield in Guildford, work has now started on 1,730 new homes (40% affordable), along with shops, sports and social facilities, a school, and a huge public park.
In short: the Accelerator is proving that when government, councils, and builders pull together, we can get shovels in the ground faster and deliver the homes communities have been waiting for.