7% more houses were built in 2015 compared with 2014 but totals are still well below government targets for housebuilding, according to the National House Building Council (NHBC)
In total, 156,140 new homes were registered last year according to the NHBC’s annual statistics, far short of the overnment’s own 200,000 target.
Despite rocketing property prices in the capital, the number of new homes built dropped 9% from 28,518 in 2014 to 28,994. Registrations in Yorkshire & the Humber is down 13% on 2014 and Wales is down 2% on 2014.
Outside of Wales, Yorkshire and Humberside and London however the picture is more rosy.
NHBC’s latest data also revealed that the majority of UK regions experienced notable growth on 2014 levels, with the Eastern region (+23%), North West (+16%) and Scotland (+15%) leading the way.
The East Midlands (+12%), South West (+9%) and West Midlands (+9%) also enjoyed a positive year, as did Northern Ireland (+30%) although this was from a relatively low base.
Private sector registrations increased by 7% (118,611 in 2015; 110,674 in 2014), with the public sector increasing by 5% (37,529 in 2015; 35,685 in 2014). The figures also showed that NHBC registered 75% more new homes in 2015 than it did at the time of the housing crash in 2009.
Continuing the trend from 2014, the number of detached homes registered over the last 12 months (42,173) is the highest for over a decade. Additionally, the number of semi-detached homes registered in 2015 (35,423) is the highest in more than 20 years (36,757 in 1994).
NHBC Chief Executive Mike Quinton, said:
“We are pleased to report that 2015 was a year for continued housing growth in the UK. Both the public and private sectors have performed well and we have seen encouraging levels of house-building across most regions of the country.
“The detached home continues its resurgence, with our figures showing that house builders are building the highest number of detached properties for over a decade, with semi-detached homes also at their highest level in more than 20 years.
“There is still a way to go before we are building the levels of new homes that were seen before the economic downturn, but 2015 represents consolidation on the growth seen over the last three years.
“As always, NHBC’s mission is to ensure construction quality of the very highest standard in new homes and this emphasis on quality remains unwavering, particularly during such periods of increased activity and production that we have seen over recent years.”
