Knight Frank estimates that the net annual housing supply climbed to more than 200,000 in England in the year to April 2017. The recently released Housebuilding Report 2017 by the firm, which also includes a Housebuilder Survey, suggests that housing delivery will continue to rise in the years to come, with more than half of respondents saying their organisation would build more homes in the next 12 months.

When measuring pure demand, (the population rising at a pace to create around 200,000-250,000 new households in England every year), against the supply of new homes (net housing supply in England averaging 160,000 over the last 15 years, and hitting a low of around 130,000 in 2012/13), it is easy to see why more homes are still urgently needed in England.

Knight Frank engaged with nearly 70 respondents from housebuilders and developers across the country for this years’ Housebuilder Survey. The companies represented in the survey built more than three-quarters of all new housing in England in 2015/16.

The report states: ‘There have obviously been several notable changes in the housing landscape since last year’s survey, including the vote to leave the EU in June last year, and the long-awaited publication of the Housing White Paper earlier this year. We asked our respondents about some of these issues as well as the wider challenges in the market. The survey suggests that the overall delivery of homes will continue to rise in the coming years across the UK, although it is worth noting that some local markets may not follow this trend.’