House builder confidence 'is increasing'
21st Jun 2012
Confidence is growing in the house building industry, as developers begin new projects and the overall outlook for the sector improves, the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) has stated.
Brian Berry, chief executive at the FMB, said there are some signs that in the new-build housing sector confidence is growing.
He pointed out that there was a rise in residential planning approvals in the first quarter of this year, suggesting that there may be some growth in new-build housing.
"Our own survey suggested that the proportion anticipating an increase in overall workloads in the coming months did rise at the beginning of this year compared to the end of last year, so there is more confidence among our members," Mr Berry explained.
The expert's comments came after figures from Glenigan showed that, although the value of construction output fell over the first quarter of the year, the value of public non-residential repair and maintenance has increased year-on-year for the third quarter in a row.
As less money is available for new builds, it appears this different type of work is becoming increasingly important.
Commenting on the data, Mr Berry said: "It is unsurprising to an extent that repair and maintenance is increasing in importance when it comes to overall construction output."
Posted by Staff Writer: Ewan Robertson
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