House-building at its highest for a decade in England

The Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) has revealed that the number of new build dwellings started in England in the year to March 2017 stood at 162,880, a 15% increase on the same period a year ago.  Private starts were up 18% year on year and housing association starts up 1%, according to new government statistics.

The annual total is the highest since 2007, 152% above the trough in the March quarter of 2009. However starts are still 12% below their March quarter 2007 peak.

In the first three months of this year, seasonally adjusted starts stood at 43,170, up 21% on the same quarter last year and up 3% on the last quarter. Of these 36,470 were private starts – 22% up year on year.

The figures also show that 147,960 new build dwellings were completed in the year to March 2017, which is 6% higher than in the year to March 2016. Private enterprise new build dwelling completions were 9% higher than the previous year, whilst completions by housing associations decreased by 5% on an annual basis. 

The number of new homes being built in England is at its highest level for ten years, according to government figures.