The latest statistics on housebuilding show a mixed picture. On a quarterly basis, house building starts in England totaled 36,400, a negligible 2% increase on a quarterly basis and 6% on year ago levels. Completions were estimated at 34,920, 7% higher than the previous quarter but 2% lower than a year ago.
All starts are now 112 per cent above the trough in the March quarter 2009 but 26 per cent below the March quarter 2007 peak. All completions are 39 per cent above the trough in the March quarter 2013 and 28 per cent below their March quarter 2007 peak.
“We’ve got the country building again with more new homes started and built than this time last year,” said Communities Secretary Sajid Javid. “This is real progress but there is much more to do. That’s why we are going further and increasing our investment in house building to ensure many more people can benefit.”
Today’s figures show strong regional growth in London, Swindon and Wakefield, which are all experiencing high levels of completions.
Delivery in London saw 24% more homes being built in the year to June 2016 than the previous year with local authorities in Greenwich and Waltham Forest seeing completions soar 126% and 103% respectively over the same period. And in Swindon and Wakefield completions were up 104% and 41% respectively.
Figures published last year show that the total number of new homes across the country rose by 25% in 2014 to 2015, when taking in to account all homes, including new builds, houses that have been converted into flats and buildings whose use has been changed to residential.
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