House building activity in the UK this year is set to top levels seen in 2014, according to new figures released by NHBC.
The new home registrations statistics reveal an increase of 11% for the rolling quarter June – August, compared to the same period last year. A total of 40,101 new homes were registered in the UK during this period, up on the 36,149 new homes registered in the previous year.
The private sector increased by 12% during this period, with the public sector increasing by 9% from last year.
However, registrations for August were down marginally by 6% – the first time since January that figures fell below last year’s respective monthly totals. For the month, the private sector was marginally down by 1%, with the public sector down 23%; this decrease follows six consecutive months of growth when compared to last year for the public sector.
As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC’s registration statistics help to provide new and accurate data on the country’s new homes market.
Commenting on the latest registration statistics, NHBC Chief Executive Mike Quinton said: “Despite a slight decrease for August, overall registration levels for the rolling quarter show the same steady growth we’ve seen throughout 2015.
“However, we are now seeing registration volumes fall in the public and affordable sector after a good start to the year. This may be due to many housing associations holding back on developments in light of welfare reforms and the cap on rental increases. We will closely monitor this over the coming months, along with the private sector, as the house building industry strives to build more new, quality homes that the UK needs.”
