Drive past almost any growing town in Norfolk and you'll see signs promising hundreds of new homes.

But here's the awkward question.

Who's actually going to build them?

Planning permission doesn't put a roof over anyone's head.

It doesn't pour foundations, fit kitchens or hand over front-door keys.

Recent local reporting has highlighted concerns that shortages of construction workers could become one of the biggest obstacles to tackling Norfolk's housing shortage.

That's an important warning but it isn't, on its own, proof that building has stalled across the county.

To understand the real picture, we need to look beyond planning approvals.

How many homes have been given permission?

How many have actually started?

And, most importantly, how many families have moved in?

Those answers are likely to vary across Norfolk.

A development in Norwich could face different challenges from one in King's Lynn, Fakenham or Great Yarmouth.

Some sites may be waiting for contractors. Others may be delayed by finance, materials, roads or utilities.

That's why housing targets can sometimes paint an incomplete picture.

A council might approve thousands of homes, but if builders can't get the people, skills or materials they need, those houses remain lines on a planning map rather than places for families to live.

The workforce matters just as much as the planning system.

That means having enough bricklayers, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, groundworkers and apprentices to keep projects moving.

Without them, even the best housing plans can slow down.

The real measure of success isn't how many homes are approved.

It's how many are completed.

If you've got a housing development near you that's been sitting unfinished or hasn't even started despite planning permission—we'd like to hear about it.

The more specific examples we collect, the better we can understand where Norfolk's housing plans are succeeding and where they're getting stuck.