The recent report from The National House-Building Council (NHBC) has shown that the number of new homes being planned in 2013 has risen by 22 percent against the same period last year.

Total registrations for the UK were 31,739 in the first quarter of 2013. Registrations rose by 61 percent in London.

Meanwhile Barbour ABI, market intelligence provider for the Built Environment sector, reported the number of projects on a national basis being put on hold fell to its lowest level for over four years in Q1 2013. Barbour ABI also revealed regional variations in its new Landscape 2013 Q1 Report including:

  • Northern England is the hottest region with the most percentage growth in the quarter, in the commercial and retail market sectors
  • In the leisure sector, only the Midlands and East are cooling down with the rest of Great Britain seeing a quarterly percentage growth in construction opportunities.

“The first quarter of 2013 it would seem is showing some positive signs of recovery for the construction sector,” commented Wayne Lysaght-Mason, managing director at IronmongeryDirect. “This is good news for many of our customers, but as a nation-wide supplier we recognise that some regions are experiencing a stronger growth than others. We hope that the next quarter builds on this momentum across all regions.”