Recent figures have shown the number of homes granted planning permission is now higher than before the 2008 economic crash.

From the beginning of 2015 until March, councils across England granted permission for 261,000 new homes, the highest annual total for eight years.

Housing Minister Brandon Lewis said: "The previous system of top-down targets built nothing but resentment. Our reforms, a key part of our long-term economic plan, have changed that.

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"It means that permissions have been granted on 261,000 homes in the year to March – higher than the pre-recession peak in 2007 – while housing starts are more than double what they were 6 years ago.

"And with the Housing Bill set to include measures to bring forward brownfield sites, we’re determined that we will keep the country building while protecting the green belt."

Overall, 64% of councils have adopted a local development plan, an increase from 17% in May 2010.

Local support for housebuilding has doubled in the previous four years, from 28% in 2010 to 56% currently. Opposition to local housebuilding has more than halved during the same period.

The forthcoming Housing Bill will include measures to create a new register of brownfield land, helping to fast-track the construction of new homes on previously-used sites new existing communities.

(LM)