Nottingham ranks fourth in UK housebuilding growth with huge 316% rise

A huge divide is opening up across Britain’s housing market, with some cities seeing construction surge while others are grinding to a halt.

New data shows that while a handful of hotspots are rapidly expanding to meet demand, others have seen new builds fall off a cliff in just five years.

A new study by Mortgage Lane analysed official data from 64 UK cities, tracking how the number of newly built homes has changed between 2020/21 and 2024/25. By comparing five-year percentage shifts, the research reveals where development is thriving and where it’s struggling to keep up.

Nottingham comes in fourth place, with a 316% rise in new homes.

That puts Nottingham firmly among the strongest performers in the UK for housebuilding growth over the five-year period. The sharp increase points to a big rise in construction activity across the city, with more homes being delivered as demand stays strong and regeneration work continues.

What stands out is how much momentum Nottingham has built compared with many other cities, where growth has been slower or even negative. The city has clearly seen a strong lift in development activity, helping it secure a place near the very top of the national rankings. While it sits behind Brighton and Hove, Norwich and Leicester, it still ranks as one of the standout housing growth stories in the Midlands.

Looking at the rest of the top 10, Nottingham is followed by Derby with a 244% increase, York at 200% and Newport at 194%. Bath records 179% growth, Westminster sits at 173% and Milton Keynes rounds out the top 10 with a 172% rise.

At the other end of the spectrum, several cities have seen construction activity collapse.

Wigan ranks fifth from bottom with a 54% drop, followed by Sheffield, where new builds have fallen by 61% despite its size and economic importance.

Worcester has also struggled, with a 64% decline, suggesting weaker development pipelines compared to previous years. Even sharper falls are seen in Wolverhampton, where construction is down 74%, pointing to a severe slowdown in housing delivery.

But it’s Lincoln that ranks dead last, with a staggering 97% drop in new builds over the five-year period, effectively signalling a near-total halt in growth.

Full list of the UK cities with the most newly built homes:

Rank City 5-Year Percentage Change in New Home Construction

1 Brighton and Hove 557.14

2 Norwich 433.33

3 Leicester 400.00

4 Nottingham 316.67

5 Derby 243.75

6 York 200.00

7 Newport 194.44

8 Bath 178.57

9 Westminster 172.73

10 Milton Keynes 171.70

11 Oxford 161.54

12 Stirling 137.50

13 Peterborough 133.33

14 Canterbury 129.03

15 Liverpool 127.66

16 Wrexham 100.00

17 Bradford 79.55

18 Winchester 76.47

19 Swansea 68.75

20 Exeter 65.52

21 Bristol 54.05

22 Glasgow City 48.30

23 Preston 38.10

24 Dundee City 36.36

25 City of Edinburgh 33.85

26 Hereford 33.33

27 Derry 26.42

28 Coventry 24.56

29 Chelmsford 20.00

30 Southampton 16.67

31 Kingston upon Hull 15.00

32 Aberdeen City 10.47

33 Tunbridge Wells 8.57

34 Sunderland 4.92

35 Chichester 3.92

36 Armagh 3.75

37 Belfast -4.92

38 Birmingham -5.26

39 Manchester -6.21

40 Chester -7.58

41 Cambridge -7.89

42 Gloucester -8.51

43 Newry -13.33

44 Plymouth -15.38

45 Leeds -18.55

46 Cardiff -20.78

47 Stoke-on-Trent -21.21

48 Perth -21.62

49 Lichfield -21.74

50 Portsmouth -22.22

51 Lisburn -22.78

52 Newcastle upon Tyne -30.09

53 St Albans -31.25

54 Colchester -32.79

55 Lancaster -34.78

56 Doncaster -39.51

57 Wakefield -39.82

58 Salford -40.74

59 Southend-on-Sea -42.86

60 Wigan -54.89

61 Sheffield -61.68

62 Worcester -64.10

63 Wolverhampton -74.32

64 Lincoln -97.50