Affordable housing figures offer a mixed bag

Affordable housing completions rose by 12% in the past year in England, though figures failed to reach the 10-year average. Some 47,355 affordable homes completed in the 2017/18 financial year, up from 42,223 the year before. However, activity remains 29% below the peak in 2014/15 and 7.2% below the average from 2008-2017. The numbers, released by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, reveal a mixed picture of affordable housing delivery in England. Affordable shared ownership has more than doubled in the past two years from 4,048 to 10,880. That has bolstered overall home ownership figures – which also include single affordable home ownership – up by two-thirds since 2015/16. In that same time, affordable home ownership completions have plummeted from 3,494 to 1,727. Shared ownership now makes up 86.3% of affordable ownership, up from 53.9% two years ago. Starts on affordable housing have risen dramatically over the past few years, from just shy of 29,000 in 2015/16 to more than 53,000 this year, suggesting a growing pipeline of affordable housing across England. To send feedback, e-mail karl.tomusk@egi.co.uk or tweet @karltomusk or @estatesgazette