The numbers
The East of England is asked to add 1.59% of its existing housing stock every year - among the highest rates in England, in the driest region in the country.
These figures are the government's standard method for local housing need: an advisory starting point for plan-making, not a binding delivery target. Thirty-year totals below hold the annual figure constant (the flat reading). We do not lead with compound projections.
National and regional
| Area | Homes/yr | New homes over 30 years | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 371,114 | 11,133,420 | +43% |
| East of England | 45,596 | 1,367,880 | +48% |
| Essex | 14,075 | 422,250 | +51% |
| Suffolk | 5,105 | 153,150 | +42% |
| Cambridgeshire | 5,859 | 175,770 | +44% |
| Hertfordshire | 9,962 | 298,860 | +57% |
Districts
Sorted by growth against existing stock. Uttlesford is highest among these districts at +59%.
| Area | Homes/yr | New homes over 30 years | Growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uttlesford | 818 | 24,540 | +59% |
| Maldon | 586 | 17,580 | +57% |
| Cambridge | 1,085 | 32,550 | +56% |
| East Hertfordshire | 1,237 | 37,110 | +54% |
| Babergh | 790 | 23,700 | +53% |
| Chelmsford | 1,448 | 43,440 | +53% |
| North Hertfordshire | 1,036 | 31,080 | +51% |
| East Cambridgeshire | 687 | 20,610 | +50% |
| South Cambridgeshire | 1,205 | 36,150 | +48% |
| Braintree | 1,132 | 33,960 | +48% |
| Mid Suffolk | 757 | 22,710 | +45% |
| Colchester | 1,276 | 38,280 | +44% |
| Huntingdonshire | 1,237 | 37,110 | +44% |
| Tendring | 1,069 | 32,070 | +42% |
| West Suffolk | 1,185 | 35,550 | +42% |
| East Suffolk | 1,658 | 49,740 | +40% |
| Fenland | 602 | 18,060 | +37% |
| Ipswich | 715 | 21,450 | +34% |
How to read this
Say "the government's formula sets a starting point of 818 homes a year" - not "the government wants X homes in our district."
Adopted local plans nationally currently sit well below the standard method sum. Nothing here is a forecast of what will be built.
Sources: MHCLG Live Table 125 (dwelling stock at 31 March 2025); ONS affordability ratios; Planning Practice Guidance standard method as revised under the December 2024 NPPF. Compiled LPA table vintage May 2026. Settlement geography (elsewhere on this site) from the MHCLG Built up area dataset.
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