40,343 new homes were registered during April to June, a marginal 1% decrease on the 40,810 registered in the same three months in 2016.
There were 29,123 homes registered in the private sector, representing a 7% decrease on the same period a year ago (31,381), with 11,220 new homes registered in the affordable sector, a 19% increase on 2016 numbers (9,429).
The NHBC said that the continued rise in the affordable sector can be attributed to a number of larger housing associations developing homes for market rent, private sale and shared ownership along with a rise in joint ventures with the private sector.
Six out of the 12 UK regions experienced growth in registrations, when compared to the same period last year. West Midlands (4,223 +33%), Scotland (3,709 +23%) and Wales (1,345 +56%) were among the regions with most growth.
As the leading warranty insurance provider for new homes in the UK, with 80% of the market, NHBC's registration statistics are a lead indicator of the UK’s house-building market. Registrations refer to the process of a builder registering a new plot/home to be built in the coming months or weeks, to be covered by NHBC’s 10-year Buildmark warranty.
NHBC business development director Neil Jefferson said: "New home registrations have remained stable in the second quarter of this year, with some areas of the UK seeing significant increases in registration volumes
"With demand for housing as strong as ever, the growth seen in the affordable sector is particularly encouraging."
Full regional breakdown of new homes registered in Q2 2017 by region/country:
Country/Region |
Q2 – 2016 |
Q2 – 2017 |
England – Regions |
||
North East |
2,087 |
1,451 |
North West |
3,531 |
4,317 |
Yorkshire & the Humber |
2,336 |
2,475 |
West Midlands |
3,182 |
4,223 |
East Midlands |
3,812 |
3,595 |
Eastern |
4,347 |
4,118 |
South West |
4,824 |
3,802 |
Greater London |
5,029 |
3,518 |
South East |
7,060 |
6,622 |
Totals for England |
36,208 |
34,121 |
Scotland – Councils |
3,006 |
3,709 |
Wales – Unitary Authorities |
861 |
1,345 |
Northern Ireland – Counties |
735 |
1,168 |
Totals for UK |
40,810 |
40,343 |
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk