Rise in new residential building activity recorded
Construction
21st August 2009
The number of new housing starts in England increased by 63 per cent to almost 30,000 over the three months to June 2009 compared with the previous quarter, according to government figures.
Communities and Local Government revealed that the number of projects getting underway over the period in question reached 29,980 on a seasonally adjusted basis, although this was nine per cent below the total for the same three months of 2008.
Last quarter, completions increased by 24 per cent to an estimated 39,320, while overall housing starts fell 41 per cent over the year to June to 87,190, indicating that the construction sector has experienced a difficult 12 months.
Commenting on the publication by the UK Statistics Authority, senior economist at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors Brigid O'Leary declared that it was indicative of an end to the recent contraction of the building market.
She claimed that the second consecutive rise in housebuilding activity since the downturn began suggests that increased government funding provided to registered social landlords "is indeed having a significant impact on building activity".
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