But a 6% fall in repair and maintenance activity saw construction output as a whole slip by 2% during the period.
After October and November delivered small falls in growth, December bounced back with a 3% rise in new work output.
The latest figures also show that the industry as a whole grew by 7.4% last year compared to 2013 (see table below).
These new Government figures have been greeted with cautious optimism as the industry braces itself for a possible hiatus in workload later in the year because of the looming general election.
Stefan Friedhoff, managing director for construction at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “With other survey data – including the monthly PMI – suggesting a buoyant start to 2015 and with commercial construction continuing to rebound while pipelines and order books fill up at a healthy pace, the sector’s optimism is tangible.
“Nevertheless, there is uncertainty over the outcome of the general election and the prospect of a standstill in decision-making in the run-up to 7th May, while the cost of subcontractors also continues to rise with little sign of this relenting.
“Current sentiment can best be described as cautiously optimistic and construction firms are longing for some stability to keep the recovery on track throughout 2015.”
Across the sectors infrastructure recorded a 3.6% rise against the previous quarter at the end of the year, commercial work edged up 0.8% and public building work also edged up 1.5%.
There were further signs of an end of year slowing in house building with both private and public housing output slipping 0.2%.