Housing industry defends record against claims homes are going unbuilt

Housebuilders have rejected claims they are sitting on hundreds of thousands of unbuilt homes. Shelter, a housing charity, claims that 40pc of residences currently granted planning permission remain unbuilt, with more than 380,000 not being completed since 2011. However, the Home Builders Federation said the figures were misleading. The row comes as the Government launches sweeping reforms to the planning system in an attempt to cut red tape and free housebuilders to construct more homes. Shelte