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Tag: house building

CIPS figures show construction activity in 2009 ending with a whimper

CIPS figures show construction activity in 2009 ending with a whimper

The buyers’ body CIPS has released its first construction statistics of the New Year and they show the industry continuing to decline in December. The construction index finished the year on 47.1, below the 50 no-change mark for the 22nd consecutive month. But there was some good news. The housing index remained positive for the fourth month running and growth appears to be strengthening. Meanwhile optimism among purchasing managers about future activity rose slightly. But as the graph shows the…

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Residential planning activity bounces back

Residential planning activity bounces back

The latest Government planning data on the face of it supports the view that there has been a bounce in activity within the house building sector. The topline data, released today, for residential planning decision show a fall in the September quarter compared with both the previous quarter and on the same quarter last year.

The cruelty of breeding force-fed first-time buyers

The cruelty of breeding force-fed first-time buyers

Here’s a question that goes right to the heart of current housing policy: Should we be using incentives as readily as we are to encourage first-time buyers onto the property ladder? However iconoclastic or contrary this question may seem, it needs to be asked. There is so much at stake.

House building looks set for growth in 2010

House building looks set for growth in 2010

The latest Government house building numbers strongly suggest that a shade more than 100,000 homes will be built in England in 2009. This would represent a 40% drop on the peak year of 2007 and make 2009 a record peacetime low. There are hints of hope in the figures with the starts figures rising. But if we look at the 12-monthly number we see that the accumulated starts over the past year are low, which does not bode well for…

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Forecasts suggest some rays of hope, but huge uncertainty remains

Forecasts suggest some rays of hope, but huge uncertainty remains

For those with an optimistic nature there was some good news to be seen in the latest set of industry forecasts with both the Construction Products Association and Hewes trimming how much they feel output in the industry will fall. Indeed the three forecasts came closer together in this round of forecasting as Experian took a marginally dimmer view of 2009. This convergence hints at there being more certainty about the near term direction of construction than there was. That…

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Look east to find some shelter from the storm

Look east to find some shelter from the storm

My good friend Martin Hewes has just past me some details of the latest Hewes & Associates forecast for new work construction output.   It will not make for comfortable reading if you happen to be trading heavily in Yorkshire & Humberside.