New CEBR analysis for Babelfish finds 1.4m homes could be built on brownfield land, adding 0.9% to GDP a year for a decade. Half already have planning permission.
The Big Five: how Britain's housebuilders measure up
Barratt Redrow, Taylor Wimpey, Persimmon, Vistry and Bellway hold 869,000 plots between them. Taylor Wimpey's landbank alone would take 19.5 years to build out.
Between them, these construction giants own 869,000 potential plots... but will they actually build on them?
Barratt Redrow
253,698 total plots
108,655 owned and controlled plots, including joint ventures
145,043 plots in strategic landbank
16,565 completions in 2025
6.6 years in short-term landbank, 15.3 years total
£6.3billion pre-tax profits in last decade
Taylor Wimpey
209,772 total plots
76,772 short-term owned and controlled plots
133,011 strategic owned and controlled plots
10,735 completions in 2025
7.2 years in short-term landbank, 19.5 years in total
£6.5billion pre-tax profits in last decade
Persimmon
161,879 total plots
84,879 owned and controlled plots
77,000 plots in strategic landbank
11,905 completions in 2025
7.1 years in short-term landbank, 13.6 years in total
£7.4billion pre-tax profits in last decade
Vistry
147,869 total plots
71,501 owned and controlled plots, including joint ventures
76,368 plots in strategic landbank
15,658 completions in 2025
4.6 years in short-term landbank, 9.4 years in total
£1.9billion pre-tax profits in last decade
Bellway
95,704 total plots
47,904 owned and controlled plots, including joint ventures
47,800 plots in strategic landbank
8,749 completions in 2025
5.5 years in short-term landbank, 10.9 years in total
£4.9billion pre-tax profits in last decade
Other relevant stories
Survation polling for Babelfish finds more people back than oppose charging housebuilders council tax on consented land they haven't built on. 49% back brownfield.
New CEBR research for Babelfish: 1.4m brownfield homes would unleash £259bn and return £1.92 for every £1 spent. The big five sit on 869,000 plots instead.
Britain's big five sit on 869,000 plots worth £275bn and build slowly to keep prices high. Start the rates clock the day permission is granted.
Babelfish commissioned CEBR to map England's brownfield sites. The result: 1.4m homes, £259bn in economic value and 370,000 jobs a year for a decade.