There has been an increase in new homes being built in Bolton as demand for 'good quality new build' grows.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities figures show around 120 new dwellings were built in Bolton in the three months to June – an increase from the 110 completed in the same period of 2022.

Of these, 90 were built by private developers, while the remainder were social homes financed by housing associations.

In Bolton, 330 new build constructions got under way in the three months to June – more than last year, when 110 dwellings were started.

Andrew Cardwell, Managing Director of Cardwells Estate Agents, said: “It is pleasing to see the increase in new build homes for our Bolton Community both over the last year and hopefully the coming year too.

“There is certainly a demand for good quality new build homes all across Bolton.

“The noticeable statistic is that the vast majority of the new build properties are built by private developers.

“Usually, private developers bring quality additions to the property mix and these are often a welcome addition to a community.

“Sometimes the developments can help regenerate an area or create better use of previously unoccupied space. 

“Unfortunately, there is an underlying shortage of both privately developed and social homes in Bolton.

“So, the addition of even more social housing is encouraging, but I am confident that there is a need for even more in our town.

“This is not just a local issue in Bolton, the government is aware of the problem and has targeted the building of around 300,000 new properties a year by the mid-2020s, in 20/21 this amount built fell below this level with around 233,000 built.

“However, research by the NHF and Crisis estimates that 340,000 need to be supplied in England each year, of which 145,000 should be affordable.

“These new build properties, and the planned ones for next year will be a welcome addition to people across our Bolton Community.”

Experts said the current target set by the Government, which is to build one million homes by the end of this parliamentary term, is too low to meet demand for housing.

Across the country, according to seasonally adjusted figures, 67,600 new dwellings were started in the second quarter of the year, which was a 33 per cent increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.

The local figures have not been seasonally adjusted and have been rounded to the nearest ten.

However, the increase has been attributed to the new building standards introduced, which prompted house builders to bring forward the start of project works to avoid the costs of complying with the new regulations.

Luke Murphy, associate director for energy, climate, housing and infrastructure at the Institute for Public Policy Research, said housing in England “is now among the poorest quality and most expensive in the developed world”.

He added: “We now have millions of people renting privately, often in poor quality conditions or with little security, but still paying sky-high rents.

“Yet the Government doesn't have the policies in place to meet its own housing targets.

"It certainly won't meet its stated ambition to supply 300,000 homes a year by the mid-2020s, and may struggle to meet its ambition to build 1 million new homes this parliament, and is nowhere near meeting actual housing need.”

If you have a story or something you would like to highlight in the community, please email me at chloe.wilson@newsquest.co.uk or DM me on Twitter @chloewjourno.