Lockdown sparks boom in home improvements

With lockdown meaning that many Brits have since spent more time in their homes than ever before, many have been reassessing the space they have and how it works for them. As a result, alongside the many movers in the market at the moment, many homeowners are also looking to make changes, and in the 13 weeks of lockdown UK homeowners have submitted 61,682 planning applications, according to new analysis from Santander UK.

Analysis of local authority planning applications, compiled by construction industry analysts Barbour ABI, shows that if all the renovation work applied for was completed, it would add more than 1.5 million meters of space to Britain’s existing housing stock, the equivalent of 214 football pitches.

Figures indicate that lockdown has been the main driving force in this increase, as prior to the start of COVID-19, only one in five (18 %) had planned to complete large scale home improvement or renovation work on their property in the next 12 months.  This has now increased to one in three (32 %).

Separate research commissioned by Santander surveyed 2,000 UK homeowners, 40 per cent of whom said that the pandemic accelerated their home improvement plans and inspired future projects both small and large. Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, only 4% of homeowners said that they have now cancelled plans to improve their home.

Aston spoke to Lisa Dawson, interiors expert and Instagram influencer to talk about new figures which show how lockdown has sparked a boom in home improvements, as over 60,000 extension and conversion applications were submitted during lockdown.

Photo by Eugen Str on Unsplash