It’s official: House building activity in strong recovery

Aaron Morby 13 years ago
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The first hard evidence that house building activity has turned the corner has emerged from latest NHBC registration figures.

A surge in affordable homes and new homes in the capital helped to lift registrations in the first three months of 2013 by 22% compared to a year ago.

Across the UK 31,739 homes were registered, 5,741 more than in 2012 first quarter and the highest quarterly level since 2008.

The rise has been fuelled by an increase in public sector registrations of 43% in Q1 this year compared to the same period last year.

The main driver for this rise has been the Government’s £2.2bn Affordable Homes Programme which aims to deliver 170,000 new homes by April 2015.

2013 Q1/2012 Q1

  • Private registrations rise 16%  to 23,608
  • Public sector registrations soar 43% to 8,131

The NHBC figures also reveal an enormous 61% increase in new houses being registered in London in the first quarter.

The landmark Battersea Power Station redevelopment helped boost the figures as more than 800 new properties were registered during the first phase of the project.

Over the next 15 years, more than 3,000 new homes will ultimately be built on this iconic London site.

As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC’s housing registration statistics are a key leading indicator of activity in the new homes industry.

NHBC commercial director Richard Tamayo said: “These figures may be an indication that much-needed confidence is returning to the industry, although they should be viewed in the context of overall new homes volumes remaining significantly below historic levels.”

NHBC starts

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