UK house building is currently in crisis because of the absence of an efficient planning system, one organisation has claimed.

The low number of homes being produced means that it is key for developers to engage fully with the government's Localism Act, even though issues may arise with the new system, a spokesperson from Mount Anvil has noted.

Killian Hurley, chief executive at Mount Anvil, said: "We are not delivering enough houses. This supply constraint is influenced by a number of factors and the absence of an efficient planning system is one of them."

Ms Hurley also suggested that the Localism Act leaves planning highly politicised.

Last month, the Department for Communities and Local Government reported that seasonally adjusted house building stood at 23,410 in the September quarter of 2011.

This figure marks a one per cent decrease than the statistic found in the June quarter, but is 62 per cent above the March 2009 equivalent.