The number of new homes being built rose by 4% during the third quarter of the year
The number of new homes being built by developers rose by 4% during the third quarter of the year in a further sign that the property market is recovering, research revealed.
The NHBC (National House-Building Council) received 24,136 applications to build new homes in the three months to the end of September, up from 23,185 in the same period of 2008.
The improvement in new build levels was strongest in the North East, where they jumped by 149% year-on-year, while in Northern Ireland they were 55% higher.
But the West Midlands continued to show a decline in the number of new homes started, with a year-on-year drop of 13%, while levels were also lower than a year ago in Merseyside, Greater London, Yorkshire and the Humber and eastern regions.
Imtiaz Farookhi, NHBC chief executive, said: "It is reassuring that NHBC's figures show consistent improvement and that these positive signs extend across the UK.
"The sector has weathered the traditionally slow summer period, but we must now see out the autumn and hope that this confidence extends to the end of the year."
The group's figures showed applications from the private sector were 17% higher in the third quarter than during the same period of 2008 at 15,577.
It added that an average of 365 homes had been sold each day in the three months to the end of September, 15% lower than a year earlier, but 7% higher than during the previous three month period.
