Do you know how much land is used for new housing in the UK or how much Green Belt is protected from development? Edward Parker, managing director at Bennett Homes, gives us 10 points about building new homes you may not know.

Eastern Daily Press: Edward Parker, managing director, Bennett Homes. Pic: www.bennett-homes.co.ukEdward Parker, managing director, Bennett Homes. Pic: www.bennett-homes.co.uk

Do you know how much land is used for housing in the UK? What is the most popular type of property? Or how much of the Green Belt is protected from development? A recent report by the NHBC Foundation highlights some interesting facts and figures that may surprise you.

1.There is often concern over the amount of land given over to new developments but in fact houses and gardens cover only just over one twentieth of the UK's total land area.

2. Protecting our green and pleasant land is high on the agenda and the fact that 44 per cent of new homes were built on brownfield land during 2016-17 shows that policies designed to protect Green Belt are still having an impact.

3. Figures show that England's designated Green Belt area has increased in size over time and today more than 40 per cent of land has restrictions on development.

4. Population growth is one of the reasons for our current housing shortfall and this varies from region to region. Over the past 25 years the proportion of over 65s in London increased by only 5.9 per cent whereas in the East of England it grew by more than 47 per cent.

5. UK households are changing and now many more 20-34 year olds are living with their parents rather than being able to afford to buy their own homes.

6. Residential accommodation accounts for only 5.1 per cent of the UK's land use whereas over 50 per cent is used for agriculture, fishing and hunting.

7. The most popular type of home is a terraced property (28 per cent), followed by semi-detached (25 per cent), apartments (21 per cent), detached (17 per cent) and bungalows (9 per cent).

8. The types of homes we build in the UK is also changing – with increases in detached and semi-detached properties and decreasing quantities of apartments and terraced homes.

9. In terms of the average size of home, the UK sits in the middle of other European countries with Cyprus having the largest floor area and Romania the smallest.

10. Contrary to the news headlines, this report also shows that public opinion to building new homes is changing. In 2010 46 per cent were not in favour of new local housing versus 21 per cent in 2014.

Come along and see our current developments at: Saxon Green, Ashill; The Signals, Watton; Woodlands, Old Costessey; Tudor Gardens, Framlingham; and Abbey Gardens, Thorpe-le-Soken.

You can contact Bennett Homes, sponsor of this column, on 01284 766057 www.bennett-homes.co.uk