Theresa May has welcomed new figures showing housing starts and completions at a seven year high in the UK, with hundreds of new homes being delivered in the Maidenhead area.

The latest figures show that, in 2015, there were nearly 1,000 new housing starts in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead and Wokingham Borough, and over 800 completions. Building more houses means that more people can achieve their dream of buying their own home, and that the next generation will have the homes they need.

The Government’s plans to get Britain building have included reforms to the planning system, fast-tracking house building and investing in schemes like Help to Buy. Further measures include support for small builders, building new affordable Starter Homes for young first-time buyers, and building homes faster with planning permission in principle for brownfield sites. The ambition is for a million new homeowners by 2021.

Commenting, Theresa said: “These figures show that the country is building again and housing starts have nearly doubled since the low point of 2009. More local families now have the chance to buy their own home, with nearly a thousand new housing starts in Maidenhead and the surrounding areas last year. This is important in ensuring that everyone has the chance to fulfil their dream of owning a home.”

ENDS

Contact Theresa May:

Office: 020 7219 5206

Email: [email protected]

Web: www.tmay.co.uk

Notes to editors

1. In 2015, there were 210 new housing starts and 370 completions in the Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead. There were 770 starts and 450 completions in Wokingham Borough. (DCLG, Housing building statistics, 25 February 2016)

2. The latest national figures show:

 The number of starts up 23 per cent on same quarter a year earlier

 Completions up 21 per cent over last year

 More than 143,500 new build homes started – nearly double low point of 2009

 Planning permissions up 12 per cent on same quarter last year

(DCLG, Housing building statistics, 25 February 2016