Flats dwarf all other housing types 11/10/06

NHBC's latest statistics show that almost half of new homes started in UK so far this year were flats and maisonettes.

According to NHBC, who cover over eighty per cent of new homes in the UK, up until the end of August, 47 per cent of new homes started in the UK were flats and maisonettes. In contrast, 20 per cent of new homes started during the first eight months of the year were detached properties.

Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC's Chief Executive, said: "In 2000, high rise building made up less than a quarter (22 per cent) of new housing stock in the UK, however in 2005, this number almost doubled to 44 per cent.  Figures for August show that flats and maisonettes are continuing to dominate the market, with fewer detached properties being built than ever before.     

"There are a number of factors driving this increase, from house builders meeting Government planning regulations, to an increase in demand for smaller properties to cater for first-time buyers.  With the trend for multi-storey building looking set to continue, especially as house builders endeavour to meet the demand for new homes, the industry must be cautious not to swamp the market with one type of home that might not necessarily fit with the aspirations of future homebuyers."

Additional statistics by NHBC for August show that the number of UK applications to build new homes in August 2006 increased substantially when compared with figures for August last year.

17,536 applications were made to build new homes in the UK in the combined public and private sectors, showing a 29 per cent increase on the same month in 2005 (13,639).

Private sector applications for the month were 15,427, showing a 35 per cent increase on August last year (11,417).  There were 2,109 UK housing association applications, showing a five per cent decrease on August of the previous year (2,222).

New build completions for the combined public and private sectors totalled 11,635 in August 2006, a 12 per cent decrease on the same month last year (13,166).

Note to editors:

• NHBC statistics are based almost exclusively on information relating to its 20,000 (approx.) registered house builders who construct in excess of 80% of the new homes built in the UK.  As such they represent a unique source of detailed, up-to-date information on new home construction and the house building industry.