Is it any wonder new homes are not being built?

 Is it any wonder new homes are not being built?   

Here is part of a list Southwark Council requires from a developer when submitting a planning application; (Daily Telegraph25 April 2026).   It is estimated that these will involve over a thousand pages of documentation and involve a great deal of expense employing experts to compile these reports!

• Whole life cycle carbon assessment.
• Circular economy statement.
• Be seen energy monitoring spreadsheet.
• Urban greening factor assessment.
• Air quality positive assessment.
• Micro-climate assessment.
• Townscape visual impact assessment.
• Biodiversity net gain assessment.
• Business relocation strategy (if any small shops might be displaced).
• BREEM pre-assessment (a sustainability certification pre-check before building has started).
• Student management plan (including arrangements for short-term holiday rentals during vacations).
• Bat survey (required where development might affect bats' foraging or commuting habitats).
• Archaeological evaluation report.
• Sport and leisure facilities assessment (if any existing sports facilities are affected).
• Trip generation report (a full traffic study).

In the first quarter of this year 23 of London's 32 boroughs started no new homes.

Private housing starts in the capital have plummeted by 84% since 2015.