The number of planning permissions granted for new build homes in Britain has fallen 20pc in the past year and is at the lowest level since records began in 2006, figures show.

The number of homes approved has nearly halved from a peak of 110,000 in the first quarter of 2021 to 62,700 in the second quarter of this year, according to the Home Builders Federation, a trade body.

Builders said ‘NIMBY’ councils and others had been allowed to block more planning applications after the Government scrapped mandatory house-building targets for local areas at the end of last year, caving to pressure from dozens of backbench MPs.

It comes after Michael Gove, the Levelling Up Secretary, has vowed to block “ugly” homes and give communities more powers to shape the appearance of new builds in their neighbourhoods.

In April he overruled planning inspectors to refuse permission for a 165-home development in Kent because the homes were of a “generic suburban nature” and did not “reflect the expectations” of the local design code.

It was believed to be an unprecedented move for a housing secretary.

The housebuilding industry has warned that the number of homes being built in the coming years could fall to the lowest level since World War II.

The Government has repeatedly missed its target of building 300,000 homes in England each year, which critics say is contributing to a shortage of properties and pushing up prices.