April new home starts up 21% as London soars

A resurgent London lifted UK figures with registration up nearly two thirds in the capital.

According to the latest figures from NHBC, 13,527 new homes were registered to be built in the UK during April.

Seven of the 12 UK regions saw an increase, with London seeing another considerable rise in registrations – up 61% (5,475 in 2019 v 3,397 in 2018).

This was driven by growth in the numbers of larger developments and an increased appetite in the private rental sector.

NHBC Registrations
	Feb 19 – April 19	Feb 18 – April 18	% change
North East	1,312	1,470	-11
North West & Merseyside	4,710	4,403	7
Yorks & Humbs	2,518	2,571	-2
West Midlands	3,275	2,868	14
East Midlands	2,621	2,868	-9
Eastern	3,661	4,671	-22
South West	3,570	3,025	18
London	5,475	3,397	61
South East	6,031	5,611	7
Total England	33,173	30,884	7
Scotland	3,038	2,987	2
Wales	1,375	1,249	10
Northern Ireland	910	922	-1
TOTAL UK	38,496	36,042	7

In addition, the strong level of growth compared to April last year is partly due to the impact of the freezing weather in Spring 2018.Over the rolling quarter, 38,496 new homes were registered to be built compared to 36,042 in the same February – April period last year.

The private sector was up 4% (27,881 in 2019 v 26,754 in 2018), with the affordable and rental sector up 14% (10,615 in 2019 v 9,288 in 2018).

NHBC Chief Executive Steve Wood said: “It is great to see another strong month for new home registrations. To date, there is little evidence that Brexit uncertainties are denting developer confidence, whilst the continued flow of inward investment into the private rental sector is another good sign of resilience.”