Updated June 2026 · Report
The UK Housing Pipeline — Q2 2026
How many new homes are moving through the UK planning system, built from the dwelling counts on applications SiteLens tracks across the public registers. Figures cover the last 12 months and count only applications where a dwelling count could be determined — a floor, not a complete national total. Free to cite with a link to this page.
The planning pipeline contains 285,138 homes across 12,181 applications with stated dwelling counts. Of these, 178,768 homes remain in planning awaiting a decision, while 56,158 have already secured approval. Major schemes of 10 or more homes number 1,840, representing a significant proportion of the pipeline's volume. This concentration of large projects signals sustained demand across the supply chain, though the gap between homes awaiting and approved decisions indicates material delays in the planning phase that will affect delivery timescales.
The South East dominates the pipeline with 62,672 homes (22 per cent of the total), followed by the East of England with 42,125 homes (14.8 per cent). The South West accounts for 40,484 homes (14.2 per cent), while Greater London and the East Midlands hold 27,568 and 27,401 homes respectively. Together, these five regions represent over 80 per cent of the recorded pipeline, concentrating both opportunity and capacity pressures among suppliers and contractors operating in southern England and the East.
Homes in the pipeline vs approved
Of 285,138 homes across applications in the last 12 months, 178,768 are still in planning — awaiting a decision — and 56,158 have been approved and are heading toward site. The in-planning figure is the leading edge of demand: the schemes the supply chain can engage before they break ground. Counts come from 12,181 applications carrying a dwelling count.
Where the homes are
The regions with the most homes moving through planning over the last 12 months. A region’s share reflects both its size and how much residential development is in train there.
Homes in the pipeline by region, last 12 months (share of the total).
Councils with the most homes in the pipeline
The local planning authorities seeing the most new homes come through their registers — where residential activity is most concentrated right now.
| # | Council | Region | Homes | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bristol City Council | South West | 16,363 | 94 |
| 2 | Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead | South East | 8,882 | 119 |
| 3 | Medway Council | South East | 8,171 | 99 |
| 4 | Maldon District Council | East of England | 6,882 | 76 |
| 5 | West Oxfordshire District Council | South East | 6,652 | 78 |
| 6 | Cotswold District Council | South West | 6,532 | 118 |
| 7 | Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council | North East | 5,602 | 46 |
| 8 | Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council | Northern Ireland | 5,591 | 260 |
| 9 | Southend-on-Sea City Council | East of England | 5,278 | 53 |
| 10 | Chelmsford City Council | East of England | 4,749 | 65 |
| 11 | Thanet District Council | South East | 4,716 | 79 |
| 12 | Horsham District Council | South East | 4,229 | 108 |
Methodology
Homes are counted from the dwelling count on each application — taken from the application documents where SiteLens has extracted them, otherwise derived from the application description. Only applications carrying a usable count are included, so these are a floor, not a complete national total, and coverage expands as more registers and documents are processed. “In planning” means awaiting a decision; “approved” means granted in the period. Implausibly large counts are excluded as likely data errors. For the wider picture — application volumes, approval rates and decision times — see the State of UK Planning report, or explore any authority on its SiteLens council page.
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