New house building figures show slight upturn

Latest house building statistics from National House Building Council (NHBC) could reveal further indications of recovery throughout the UK. During the three months from July to September 2009, NHBC received 24,136 applications to build new homes in the UK ,an increase of 4 per cent on the same period last year.

Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC Chief Executive, said: "It is reassuring that NHBC's figures show consistent improvement and that these positive signs extend across the UK. The sector has weathered the traditionally slow summer period, but we must now see out the autumn and hope that this confidence extends to the end of the year."

NHBC statistics for the three months to the end of September 2009 also show:

• Recovery in the private sector continues. Private sector applications were up 17 per cent across the UK to 15,577 from 13,358 for the same period last year.
  
  
• Public sector figures for the three months to the end of September totalled only 8,559 - 13 per cent lower than the same period a year ago (9,827).
  
  
• The average number of daily sales of new homes in the UK recorded by NHBC during July to September 2009 was 365 - 15 per cent lower than the same period a year ago (429), but 7 per cent higher than the number of sales recorded during the last rolling quarter (342).