The National House Building Council (NHBC) said that 156,140 new homes were registered to be built in 2015, up 7pc from last year, and the highest number since 2007.
Mike Quinton, chief executive of NHBC, was upbeat on the industry's prospects of hitting the Government's target. "There is still a way to go before we are building the levels of new homes that were seen before the economic downturn, but 2015 represents consolidation on the growth seen over the last three years," he said.
Estimates vary over how many houses need to be built in the UK, but most experts say that at least 250,000 houses need to be built per year.
Mr Quinton added: "The detached home continues its resurgence, with our figures showing that house builders are building the highest number of detached properties for over a decade, with semi-detached homes also at their highest level in more than 20 years.
Peter Andrew, deputy chairman of the House Builders Federation, said: "It's heading in the right direction but I can't guarantee we'll get to [200,000]", adding that he believed there needed to be help for smaller house builders and action to tackle a skills shortage in the industry.
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