Latest numbers from the National House-Building Council (NHBC) show sustained growth in the industry for the first quarter of 2014.
In total, 33,816 new homes were registered in the UK during Q1 2014, which is a 7% increase on the 31,739 for the corresponding period a year ago.
Of these private sector registrations increased by 3%, reaching 24,414, compared with 23,608 in Q1 2013.
Public sector registrations in Q1 2014 were up by 16% year-on-year from 8,131 to 9,402.
Following a record 2013, with the highest new house building volumes in London for a generation, Q1 2014 London registrations also grew 6% year-on-year.
NHBC has also identified how other major UK cities are performing compared to the capital. Outside of London, the figures show that Birmingham, Manchester and Bristol are the top three cities with the highest number of new home registrations, broken down below.
- Greater London 7,693
- Birmingham 3,406
- Manchester 2,625
- Bristol 1,570
- Newcastle 1,496
- Liverpool 1,494
- Sheffield 1,169
- Leeds 990
- Nottingham 700
- Glasgow 618
- Bradford 560
As the leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK, NHBC’s registration statistics are an indicator of how busy the house-builders are.
Commenting on the latest statistics NHBC chief executive Mike Quinton said:
“Our new figures show further sustained growth and consolidation in the UK house building industry following a strong year last year. Over the past 15 months we have seen a genuine return of confidence to the industry as builders strive to meet the growing demand for new homes that the country clearly needs.
“London continues to be the major driver for growth in house-building. But our figures also show that other UK cities outside the capital are also showing some encouraging signs of growth.
“However, we have been clear that this growth is from a historically low base. The UK still has a chronic shortage of new homes so we must not get complacent in our continued attempts to meet the growing housing needs of the population.”