Three per cent more home building projects were started in England during 2006, compared to the previous year, with the number of new buildings completed up half a per cent.

These are the key statistics from the annual housing summary published by Communities and Local Government. According to the figures, 183,143 homes were begun in 2006, compared to 177,129 in 2005 and just 144,702 in 2000.

Last year, 160,234 new homes were finished, which compares to 159,454 in the previous 12 months. Seven years ago, 135,359 homes were finished in the space of a year.

Anomalous statistics for the final quarter of 2006 reveal that the number of home building project rose by 11 per cent to 47,570, while the number of completions fell by 11 per cent to 41,750.

Communities and Local Government explains the latter slump can be attributed to unusually high completion figures during the corresponding quarter of 2005.

The south continued its strong home building record in recent years, with an additional 12 per cent more homes started in the south-east during 2006. The East Midlands also enjoyed a good year.

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