New Home Starts Show Moderate Year-on-Year Growth 05/06/07
Statistics released today by NHBC reveal that the number of applications to build new homes across the UK increased by a small percentage year-on-year during the period from February to April 2007.
NHBC statistics show that 51,465 new homes were started in the three months from February to April - a four per cent increase on the same three month period a year ago (49,300). Of that total, 41,736 related to private sector activity (i.e. excluding housing associations), showing a two per cent decrease on the same period in 2006 (42,658). Housing association volumes increased by almost half in the three months to the end of April this year with starts totalling 9,729, an increase of 46 per cent on the same period a year ago (6,642). Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC Chief Executive, says: "There was a modest increase in house-building activity during the three months to the end of April compared to the same period last year. The greatest regional increase in the number of housing starts for the period was seen in the South East where 8,129 new homes were started, 26 per cent higher than last year's figure of 6,466." The number of homes completed showed little change year-on-year in the period from February 2007 to April 2007. New build completions totalled 43,329 in the three months to the end of April, less than one per cent decrease on the same period last year when 43,522 new homes were started. Additional figures for the three months from February 2007 to April 2007 show that the average number of new homes sold each day in the UK was 554, an increase of eight per cent on the same period a year ago (512). Ends Note to editors: NHBC statistics are based almost exclusively on information relating to its 20,000 plus registered house builders who construct more than 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.
