New homes boost in UK

The number of new homes in the UK is growing and has reached the highest first quarter level since 2008, with a particularly strong showing in London.

The UK’s National House-Building Council (NHBC) has reported that new homes registered with the NHBC in the UK during the first quarter of this year reached a total of 31,739.

It said this figure represented an overall 22% increase on last year, when 25,998 new homes were registered in the first quarter of 2012.

According to the NHBC, the rise has been fuelled by an increase in public sector registrations of 43% in the first quarter this year compared to the same period last year. The main driver for this rise, it said, had been the UK government’s £2.2 billion (€2.6 billion) Affordable Homes Programme which aims to deliver 170,000 new homes by April 2015.

The NHBC statistics also reveal a 61% increase in new houses being registered in London in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the same period last year. 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 are expected to be built on this iconic London site.

NHBC commercial director Richard Tamayo said, “This rise in new homes being registered – particularly affordable homes – is very encouraging news for Britain’s house-building industry, which has been through a very difficult time in recent years.

“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.”