Raising standards to protect homeowners
House building levels on the rise in Northern Ireland
Latest figures from NHBC reveal a steady rise in house building in Northern Ireland.
During the three months August to October 2009, NHBC received 1,073 applications to build new homes - a 68 per cent rise on the same period last year (639). Applications to build new homes in October 2009 were 134 per cent higher than the same month last year.
Particular highlights were increases of 91 per cent and 87 per cent in Antrim and Down respectively.
David Little, NHBC Director for Northern Ireland, said: "Although there are obviously some regional fluctuations, it is encouraging that the housing market in Northern Ireland seems to be improving, supporting what many in the industry are saying - that the worst may be over.
"It is still difficult to predict the extent of the recovery, but the local market is certainly now looking more positive.."
NHBC statistics for Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man for the three months to the end of October 2009 also revealed:
- Of the 1,073 applications to start new homes in the combined private and public sectors during the three months to the end of October 2009, 1,016 were related to private sector activity (i.e. excluding housing associations) - 71 per cent higher than the same three-month period a year ago (593).
- New build completions in the combined private and public sectors in Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man totalled 1,074 in the three months to the end of October 2009 - just 5 per cent lower than the same period a year ago (1,127).
NHBC publishes a quarterly booklet of its new house-building statistics - subscribe here.
Ends
Note to editors:
(i) Full breakdown of new homes registered in Northern Ireland and Isle of Man by county from August to October 2009:
County |
August to October 2009 |
August to October 2008 |
Percentage Increase / (-) Decrease |
Antrim |
348 |
182 |
91% |
Armagh |
84 |
60 |
40% |
Down |
332 |
178 |
87% |
Fermanagh |
56 |
27 |
107% |
Londonderry |
76 |
73 |
4% |
Tyrone |
51 |
58 |
-12% |
Total for Northern Ireland |
947 |
578 |
64% |
Isle of Man |
126 |
61 |
107% |
Total for Northern Ireland and Isle of Man |
1,073 |
639 |
68% |
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: 24/11/09