Planning permission was granted for 52,167 homes in the first quarter of this year – up 19% on the same quarter last year.

And, for the first time since 2008, annual permissions – granted in the year to April – cracked through the 200,000 barrier. In total, 203,810 permissions were granted.

The figures are in the House Builders Federation and Glenigan’s latest Housing Pipeline Report, which only looks at permissions on sites with ten or more units.

The report also makes it clear that many of the homes which have permission still have to navigate the remainder of the planning system, delaying work starting on many sites.

Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the HBF, said: “We are still only building around half the number of new homes the country needs, and far fewer than in previous decades.

“How quickly we get more sites to the point where we can actually start to lay bricks will be a major influence on future house building levels.”