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PRO INSTALLER DECEMBER 2014
PRO BUSINESS
@proinstaller1
NEW HOME CONTRACTS AT
HIGHEST LEVEL SINCE 2008
Figures released on
20th November reveal
that the number of contracts for new homes
increased for the sixth
consecutive month
in October and are at
the highest level since
2008.
Barbour ABI, which is a
chosen provider of construction data to the Office
for National Statistics (ONS)
and the Government, has
published its latest Economic & Construction Market
Review revealing that the
total number of contracts
for new homes awarded in
October increased by 9.2
% from the month before
and were 34.2% higher than
October 2013.
While the number of
residential units continues
to increase, contract values
fell slightly in October, with
values 0.6% down on September and 6.2% lower than
the same month last year.
Experts believe this may be
an indication that the recent
boom in house building is
beginning to spread to other
parts of the UK, as opposed
to a concentration in London where values tend to
be higher.
Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI, said:
“With rumours of a cooling
housing market, it’s encouraging to see the residential sector still performing
strongly in October, accounting for a third (30%) of
the total value of contracts
awarded.
“The fact that the number
of units is on the increase
but values aren’t, shouldn’t
prove too concerning for
the industry as this is more
than likely due to a wider
geographic spread of house
building contracts to areas
such as the South West
(13.9%) and South East
(13.2%).
“After its recent sluggish performance, it’s also
positive to see the infrastructure sector featuring
prominently this month
with 22% of the total value
of all projects. With the
sector showing growth in
the latest ONS Construction
Output figures, perhaps this
is evidence of projects in
the pipeline beginning to
translate into activity on the
ground.”
The report also showed
that the UK witnessed an
Leading politicians to
address delegates at NIA
Annual Conference
The National Insulation Association’s (NIA) Annual Conference and Exhibition held at
the Hinckley Island Hotel, on
Thursday 4th December 2014,
featured a panel of leading
politicians including; Natalie
Bennett, Leader of the Green
Party, Jonathan Reynolds MP,
Labour Shadow Minister Energy and Climate Change and
Amber Rudd MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
for the Department of Energy
and Climate Change.
Neil Marshall, Chief Executive of
the NIA, said: “We heard from the
politicians on their views and priorities for tackling climate change
and fuel poverty and creating a
platform for a sustainable energy
efficiency market going forward.
“The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Building a Sustainable
Future for the Industry’ and we also
had a strong line-up of external
speakers who talked about oppor-
tunities in the new build, retrofit
and commercial markets. In addition, our headline sponsor, Essex
Insulation, addressed the conference to highlight its diverse portfolio and multi-measure approach in
the energy efficiency market. The
Conference provided our members
and external guests with an informative and enjoyable event, at which
they found out about a range of opportunities across different markets
and enabled them to network as
well.”
The NIA Annual Conference is
now firmly regarded as a leading
insulation industry event.
The NIA offers a number of
membership opportunities.
Companies interested in finding
out more about membership
should contact Bev Coombe,
Membership and Communications
Manager; on 01525 383313 or
email [email protected]
Report highlights:
overall increase in construction levels in October with
the value of new contracts
awarded worth £6 billion.
This is a 5.9% increase from
September and 6.1% higher
than the value recorded in
October 2013, an indication
of further growth in the
fourth quarter.
• The total value of new
UK construction contracts
awarded in October was
£6 billion based on a
three-month rolling average, 5.9% up on September and a 6.1% increase
on the value recorded in
October 2013
• The number of construction projects within the
UK in October was up
5% from September and
1.9% higher than October
2013
• Residential had the highest proportion of contracts awarded by value
in October with 30% of
the UK total +