Housebuilder Redrow has criticised Britain's planning system as a "bureaucratic mess" that risks causing a housing supply crunch.

Chairman Steve Morgan revealed the group had 16,600 plots locked in the planning system, that could deliver around 120 new developments, but said only a "minority" were expected to progress in the next year due to the complex approval process.

His warning came as the Flintshire-based builder posted a 63% jump in pre-tax profits to £70 million in the year to June 30, after capitalising on a housing market fuelled by state stimulus schemes.

It saw a 15% jump in completed sales to 2827 and said private average selling prices rose 11% to £227,300 as it sold more large family homes under its Heritage Collection brand.

Redrow plans to reinstate shareholder dividends following the robust results, proposing a final divi of 1p a share. It last made a payment in March 2008.

It said the Government's Help to Buy initiative had made a "significant contribution" to forward sales, up 42% by value over the year, although it has only led to 3% of private completions so far since launch in April.

The group cheered the return of market confidence, with private reservations in the current financial year up 54% at 784. It is aiming for a "substantial" increase in building, with 93 sites to date in 2013, against 84 in 2012.

Mr Morgan said: "Although we do expect to increase outlets in the current year, the pace of growth is much slower than we would like and the level of planning bureaucracy is an unnecessary barrier to increasing the supply of new homes."