Nick Sommerlad

A study by Babelfish shows the UK’s five biggest housebuilders hold land for 869,000 potential homes, prompting criticism that slow build-out rates hinder meeting the government’s 1.5‑million‑home target. Companies such as Barratt Redrow and Taylor Wimpey hold landbanks equating to more than a decade of construction at current output. Dale Vince urges the new government under Andy Burnham to curb land banking and incentivize building, while the Home Builders Federation argues most plots lack planning status and rejects claims of deliberate land hoarding. The Competition and Markets Authority previously found developers’ landbanks exceed what would be expected in a well-functioning market, though firms made no admission of wrongdoing.