The number of planning permissions granted in the year to June was the highest for a 12-month period since 2006, according to a recent study.

The Home Builders Federation (HBF) and Glenigan’s latest Housing Pipeline report found that permission was granted for 321,982 new homes. The report highlighted a strong correlation between planning permissions granted today and new home completions two to three years down the line.

The figures also demonstrated the confidence of builders as first-time buyers continued to use the Help to Buy scheme to get on the housing ladder.

“These record planning permission figures are a clear indication that housebuilders are committed to increasing housing output,” said Stewart Baseley, executive chairman of the HBF, adding: “We’ve seen 50% growth in output over the last three years and these figures indicate that progress can continue.”

However, while the overall number of planning permissions is high, the report found there were concerns as to how long many of these permissions would take to process to the stage where houses could actually be built.