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Rise in new orders provides some solace, but they remain at very low levels

Rise in new orders provides some solace, but they remain at very low levels

The latest construction new orders figures will give some solace to some. The need to see growth, any growth, in any construction indicator is desperate. The top graph shows clearly how new orders for construction have fallen over the past few years and how frighteningly low the level remains. I remain a shade concerned over the accuracy of this data series just because it does look so terrible and the implications the figures have for construction output – that which…

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How can I put this? The Government remains clueless on how to boost house building

How can I put this? The Government remains clueless on how to boost house building

The latest house building data show we have now endured the three worst years in England for new home completions since 1946. More homes were built in the single year of 1967 than were built in 2010, 2011 and 2012 put together. The figures again underline the limpness of Government strategy in dealing with the housing crisis. Given the projected path we set ourselves as a nation back in 2007, we should be building at twice the current rate. That…

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The figures point to more job losses for construction over the year ahead

The figures point to more job losses for construction over the year ahead

The latest employment figures show construction losing a further 25,000 jobs in the final quarter of last year, following a slight increase in the workforce in the spring and summer. This leaves construction employment down 20,000 on a year ago. Taken from the peak in September 2008, the number employed in construction has fallen by 428,000, roughly 17%. But perhaps of more note is the mix of that workforce. The number of self-employed workers actually increased in the final quarter…

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Positive signs in the RICS housing survey – but nothing to get too excited about

Positive signs in the RICS housing survey – but nothing to get too excited about

Recent surveys of the housing market by the surveyors’ body RICS have become increasingly positive in tone and are finding increasing signs of life. There are some promising signs in the findings for house builders and the construction industry. Inevitably the popular focus falls on price changes, with rises seen as a sign of an improving market. Here the RICS found stability taking the nation as a whole and its members were modestly bullish about the prospect of prices rising…

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2012 was the fourth worst on record for construction growth as output falls 8.4%

2012 was the fourth worst on record for construction growth as output falls 8.4%

So there we have it, the official Office for National Statistic figures show that Britain’s construction output fell by 8.4% last year. But how can construction output have collapsed so far so fast and there not be howls of pain and frantic action by the Government to bolster one of the nation’s more vital industries? It’s a puzzle made all the more baffling by the constant appearances on the telly of David Cameron and Nick Clegg in green boots, hi-viz…

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The ever changing shape of housing tenure in England

The ever changing shape of housing tenure in England

I’ve updated some of the graphs I used in a piece I co-wrote for the Housing Market Intelligence 2012 report to take account of the latest English Housing Survey data. Hopefully the graphs are pretty self explanatory. The data is taken from previous English Housing Surveys, its predecessor the Survey of English Housing and from the DCLG website. There are some gaps in the data and dotted lines join these gaps. The dates refer to the previous calendar year, so 2011-12…

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Do the home working statistics provide cause to rethinking the built environment?

Do the home working statistics provide cause to rethinking the built environment?

The recession has brought into stark relief the effects of Internet shopping on the viability of the high street. This has raised big questions on how the nation ought to reconfigure its built environment. This in turn raises big questions for those who build and maintain it. What has been less in our faces during the recession is the marked rise in working from home. This potentially could have an even bigger impact on the built environment and on what…

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Construction forecasters get more pessimistic – the difference a year makes

Construction forecasters get more pessimistic – the difference a year makes

It’s that time of year when we look at forecasts and wonder just how bad or good the future will be for the construction industry. The top graph shows the latest prognostications and they look pretty miserable in the short term. The forecasters have nudged down their expectations, some lightly, some heavily, which means they now expect things to be worse than when they last forecast. The overall picture they paint is of another year or possibly two of recession…

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Why today’s GDP estimate for construction growth is so worrying

Why today’s GDP estimate for construction growth is so worrying

The estimate for construction growth within the latest GDP figures was truly surprising. We already had two of the three months of data in for the fourth quarter and from that you could build a reasonable case for growth between 2% and (perhaps) 5%. Those unfamiliar with the data might see that as a sign of recovery. It would not have been for many reasons, one – the lag inherent in the monthly survey returns – I will discuss later….

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Nicky come lately still doesn’t get it for all his Damascene conversion to capital spending

Nicky come lately still doesn’t get it for all his Damascene conversion to capital spending

The Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has realised, he says, that the Government cut capital spending too fast. After this no doubt a whole industry – construction – is now saying “we agree with Nick”. The sad twist is that in reality it is Nick that now agrees with the industry. Sad because the nation has had to endure a long haul where opportunities were missed and huge damage done. Sadder still because there’s little hope of a meaningful boost…

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