A trend for people living alone has prompted a surge in the number of homes needed nationwide.
Researchers said rising divorce rates, people working away from home and an increase in life expectancy led to greater demand.
The Government released its housing projections for the next 20 years yesterday, revealing 150,000 of the 209,000 extra homes needed each year will be occupied by just one person.
According to the figures, based on the 2001 Census, there will be nearly ten million one-person households by 2026 compared with 8.8 million occupied by married couples and 3.35 million by cohabiting couples.
Housing Minister Yvette Cooper said: "We have an ageing, growing population with more people living alone and if we don't build more homes to meet that need we will see house prices rise further, pushing first time buyers out of the market.
"These figures show how important it is to build new homes for the next generation in every region."
Rob Rowlands, a lecturer in urban and regional studies at the University of Birmingham, said a number of factors contributed to the rise in single occupancy homes.
"Many of the lone residents are young, you have got people delaying marriage or delaying cohabiting," he said.
"You have got a high level of divorcees moving out of the family home and you have also got people who are working away from the base where they usually live or the family home and requiring a second home.
The majority tend to be the aging population who are living longer and tend to be living in independent accommodation rather than nursing homes," he said.
According to Government statistics, the majority of single houses (2.35 million) in 2026 will be occupied by those aged 75 and over.
The second largest group (1.79 million) are those aged 55 to 64.
Mr Rowlands said it was doubtful there would be a return of large tower blocks to accommodate this growing number, as many lone occupants preferred houses. He also predicted that the buy-tolet market for flats in Birmingham city centre could dry up if flat developments continue.
"The trend to build one and two-bedroom flats may no longer continue. Most people want to live in a house with sufficient space, they don't want to be crammed in and that will have particular consequences for developers," he said.
"In the city centre there is anecdotal evidence that there might not be a demand for these types of properties, which the majority are currently owned as buy-to-lets. If we carry on with this trend of continuing to build an enormous number of flats, at some point the demand will dry up and we will be left with empty properties."
Mr Rowlands said a desire to build on brownfield sites in order to save green field areas might also fail to attract potential housebuyers.
"There is a pressure to put on to brownfield sites but you have to ask whether people will want to live in these locations."
Mr Rowlands also questioned the Government's plans to build the majority of homes in the South-east, claiming the area could become saturated by a desire to retain the economic engine in London.
He believes planners should be looking at spreading the economic prosperity further north, to benefit regions like the West Midlands.
"You do start to question whether the planning mechanisms developing these areas are looking at the overall picture or whether they are just trying to meet targets.
"Planners really need to look at how that economic growth can be moved further north and the debate we have had here is to what extent you can do that."
