| Synopsis: |
The latest annual volume of "Housing and Planning Statistics for 2009" was released on 03 December 2009 under arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority. The publication replaces the annual Housing Statistics publication and contains all the information previously contained within that publication, but with the addition of two sections on Planning Statistics. This annual compendium covers all aspects of housing and planning in England (and in some cases, tables also cover the United Kingdom). Key figures from the report show: of the 22 million dwellings in England in 2007, 82 per cent of them houses or bungalows. In London 43 per cent of dwellings were flats. In 2008, 68 per cent of households are owner occupiers, 18 per cent are social tenants and 14 per cent are private renters. Lower quartile house prices stood at 6.98 times lower quartile earnings in 2008, up from 4.72 times in 2002, but down from 7.25 times in 2007. In 2007-08 in England the average rent paid by council tenants was GBP 295 per month compared to GBP 333 for Housing Association tenants and GBP 583 for free market private rents. In 2007-08 around 2.7 per cent of households were living in overcrowded conditions, ranging from 6.8 per cent in London to 1.4 per cent in the North East and East Midlands. There were an estimated 3,860 Right to Buy sales in England in 2008-09, a decrease from 15,110 sales in 2007-08. The average energy efficiency rating for housing stock is increasing - almost 8 per cent of houses were in the more energy efficient bands A-C in 2007 compared with only 2 per cent in 1996. In 2008, 77 per cent of new dwellings (excluding conversions) were built on previously-developed land, compared with 74 per cent in 2007. The number of planning applications received by planning authorities in April-June 2009 decreased by 21 per cent when compared with the quarter April-June 2008. |