Raising standards to protect homeowners
House Building Levels Improving in Northern Ireland
The Northern Ireland new homes market is continuing its steady improvement, according to latest figures from NHBC.
For the three months ending August 2009, NHBC statistics show that it received 997 applications to build new homes in Northern Ireland; a 38 per cent increase on the same period last year (723).
This increase follows that of the previous rolling quarter, which also showed an improvement in registrations compared with the same period in 2008.
David Little, NHBC Director for Northern Ireland, said: "Although house building figures are still relatively low, the overall picture is one of slow, steady growth. This supports what we are hearing in our meetings and discussions with builders, many of whom have been increasing activity on site again, albeit cautiously.
"We are still not experiencing a true indication of the level of demand for new homes as mortgage availability remains a constraint, and there is some way to go before we reach a level of productivity which will be sustainable in meeting the future needs for new homes."
NHBC statistics for Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man for the three months to the end of August 2009 also revealed:
- Of the 1,053 applications to start new homes in the combined private and public sectors during the three months to the end of August, 936 were related to private sector activity (i.e. excluding housing associations) - 23 per cent higher than the same three-month period a year ago (762).
- New build completions in the combined private and public sectors in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man totalled 1,177 in the three months to the end of August 2009 - 11 per cent lower than the same period a year ago (1,318).
NHBC publishes a quarterly booklet of its new house-building statistics - to subscribe visit http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Builders/Shop/Publicationsforsale/
Ends
Note to editors:
(i) Full breakdown of new homes registered in Northern Ireland and Isle of Man by county from June to August 2009:
County |
June to August 2009 |
June to August 2008 |
Percentage Increase / (-) Decrease |
Antrim |
348 |
236 |
47% |
Armagh |
81 |
88 |
-8% |
Down |
353 |
229 |
54% |
Fermanagh |
46 |
33 |
39% |
Londonderry |
111 |
94 |
18% |
Tyrone |
58 |
43 |
35% |
Total for Northern Ireland |
997 |
723 |
38% |
Isle of Man |
56 |
65 |
-14% |
Total for Northern Ireland and Isle of Man |
1,053 |
788 |
34% |
NHBC is the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK. It was established more than 73 years ago as a non-profit distributing company. NHBC's primary purpose is to help raise standards to protect homeowners. NHBC's ten-year 'Buildmark' warranty covers more than 80% of new homes built in the UK and currently protects approximately 1.6 million homes.
News Date: 28/09/09