NHBC stats ‘clearly demonstrate the acceleration in house building activity’ Reacting to the NHBC figures, Stewart Baseley Executive Chairman of the HBF said; “A 28% increase in new home registrations is a huge leap and demonstrates the acceleration in house building activity. “The Help to Buy Equity loan scheme is driving demand and builders are responding quickly by increasing output. Considering Help to Buy only launched in April in England, September in Scotland and not until this year in Wales, 28% is a significant increase in supply for 2013. “If people can buy, builders can build, so creating tens of thousands of jobs on construction sites and in the supply chain. “However, we are still a long way from building the number of homes the country actually needs. Government needs to work hard to reduce planning and regulatory costs while securing stability on the demand-side if we are to see sustained increases and the associated social and economic benefits.” In summary, NHBC’s annual statistics for 2013 reveal: 133,670 new UK homes were registered last year compared to 104,514 in 2012.All English regions reported growth on 2012 figuresUK private sector up 25% on 2012 (97,399 – 78,125)UK public sector up 37% on 2012 (36,271 – 26,389)Registrations in Scotland and Northern Ireland also up on 2012Increase in smaller builders joining NHBC register (Average of 50 new builders a month joining the register July – Dec 2013) HBF research shows that 1.5 full time construction jobs are created for every home built – plus at least the same again in the supply chain. For media enquiries, or to arrange an interview, please contact Steve Turner on 020 7960 1606 / steve.turner@hbf.co.uk Notes to editors The Home Builders Federation (HBF) is the representative body of the home building industry in England and Wales. The HBF’s member firms account for some 80% of all new homes built in England and Wales in any one year, and include companies of all sizes, ranging from multi-national, household names through regionally based businesses to small local companies: www.hbf.co.ukThe NHBC press release can be found hereThe NHBC stats can be found hereThese stats follow a report from CITB that stated that private housing will be the chief driver for wider construction growth and will account for over a third of construction output. It estimated that 185,000 new construction jobs will be created in the coming years. ow.ly/t3QAS
