North East planning specialist Hedley Planning has recorded its highest ever level of residential approvals as it looks ahead to continued growth in the next 12 months.
The news comes as the firm, which provides planning services for volume housebuilders including affordable home providers, either submitted or secured approval for 3,322 dwellings across the North East region in 2025.
In total, the firm managed planning for 84 projects, with thousands of approvals providing employment for over 11,000 people, £3m worth of contribution to open space provision, £20m towards infrastructure development and £88m in council tax contributions, according to the House Builders Federation’s housing calculator*.
Hundreds of new homes across County Durham and Northumberland and affordable homes on Green Belt land in Hexham were among the projects Hedley Planning secured planning consent for in recent months.
Many of these properties allow prospective first-time buyers and young families to have access to a more readily available supply of quality affordable entry level housing across the region.
They are also being hailed as part of a host of residential schemes seen as a welcome boost to North East housing stock, helping to meet the strong demand for quality homes.
Despite national challenges, the firm, which has offices in Newcastle city centre and Hexham, sees the regional house planning and property sector remaining a strong performer, driven by low interest rates, greater affordability, major regeneration projects, and a focus on sustainability and quality in new builds.
Alex Franklin, associate director at the Newcastle office, said: “With planning reforms this year set to streamline planning permission, these figures reflect the wider strength of the North East market and our hopes for busy and buoyant planning activity across all sections of the residential development spectrum.
“We are looking forward to continuing to unlock new opportunities for builders and developers regardless of scale and size, and support the creation of more quality, sustainable homes across the North East.”
*The House Builders Federation (HBF) is the representative body of the home building industry in England and Wales.