Building in the Right Places: Can Labour Build Two Million New Homes?

Abstract Britain's housing crisis reflects not only insufficient supply but also the persistent tendency of new homes to be delivered in suboptimal locations. Even where excess demand is most acute—typically in the cores and fringes of major cities—planning constraints, political pressures and land‐use designations often limit development, while substantial volumes of new housing continue to be steered toward lower‐demand rural and small town areas. This article surveys the localised pressures that shape where homes can be built, focussing on features of England's discretionary planning system, including local plans and the geography of the green belt, and showing how these factors combine to misalign supply with underlying demand. To support more effective spatial planning, the article introduces an interactive mapping tool that highlights neighbourhoods with the highest excess demand and identifies places where planning designations most restrict growth, offering policy makers and stakeholders a practical resource for targeting new development more strategically.