Croydon is one of just three London boroughs exceeding government house building targets, new research has revealed.

The Ministry of Housing and local authorities jointly set out annual housing targets for a ten-year period from 2016-2026, which were published in September 2017.

New research by modular smart homes provider Project Etopia found that London boroughs are on average 19 years behind the rate of building required to meet their goals.

Croydon is one of the few exceptions keeping pace with its housing requirements.

Councillor Paul Scott, Croydon Council’s cabinet lead for regeneration and planning, said: “From establishing Brick by Brick, that will soon complete its first Croydon homes, to creating a charity giving hundreds of local people in temporary accommodation a decent long-term place of their own, the council is doing a lot to boost local housing supply and has plans to do much more for our residents in the years to come.

“We also work with both local and international developers to deliver high-quality homes for Croydon people and help us deliver our housing targets.”

Croydon’s annual target for houses built is 1,414 per year which it is currently out performing, building at a rate of 1,717.6 annually.

In 2016 Croydon Council established Brick by Brick (BXB) to accelerate the delivery of much needed new homes, both private and affordable, to buy and rent.

The only other two boroughs on track to meet their targets were City of London and Hillingdon.

Project Etopia’s study shows that building across all London boroughs is on course to fall short of housing need by 429,973 over the decade.

If failing boroughs fail to increase their rate of construction, they will miss their targets by 436,426 homes come 2026.

Of the 10 boroughs which have fallen the furthest behind, it would take until between 2050 and 2108 for all the required homes to be built.

Figures show Redbridge is by far the worst place for meeting its targets, and could be 26,196 homes short of those its needs by the end of 2026 — and if it does not speed up, it would take 82 more years to get there.