Tom Kirk, NHBC director for Northern Ireland, says: "The first quarter saw a decline in the number of new house starts in Northern Ireland when compared to the record figures last year. Contributing factors include planning delays, increasing land prices and a rise in house prices. However, I believe house-building in Northern Ireland will be boosted this year as new measures are brought in to deal with the long planning delays."

In Northern Ireland the average anticipated selling price of new homes (registered with NHBC) during the first quarter of 2002 was £95,000, a one per cent increase on quarter one 2001 (£94,000). Based on actual selling prices, the proportion of homes sold for over £100,000 was 32 per cent, an increase on the same period last year (28 per cent).

NHBC's first time buyers' ability to buy index increased by five points during the quarter to 113, an increase on the figure for quarter four 2001 (108). The index is based on a formula which takes into account the average cost of homes bought by first time buyers, average income and mortgage interest rates (from the Nationwide Building Society). The higher the index, the greater the ability to buy.

UK wide figures show a total of 42,768 applications to start new homes during the first quarter, a seven per cent increase on the same period in 2001 (39,893). Of that total, 38,198 relate to private sector activity (i.e. excluding housing associations), and show a six per cent increase on 2001 (36,085). Housing association starts totalled 4,570 - an increase of 20 per cent on quarter one 2001 (3,800).

NHBC UK figures show there were 32,774 new build completions during the first quarter of 2002, showing a decrease of three per cent on the same quarter last year (33,661).

The figure for the average daily sales of new homes in the first quarter of 2002 is 525, an increase of four per cent on the same period a year ago (506).

Q1 2002 regional figures

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