This year has seen the second highest number of new home registrations in a decade, according to newly released figures.
The National House Building Council (NHBC) has revealed that 154,698 new homes were registered to be built in the 2017/18 financial year.
While this represents a 2% decrease on the record 157,805 registrations seen in 2016/17, it is still the second highest number of registrations in 10 years.
The NHBC’s figures show 116,451 new homes were registered in the private sector and 38,247 homes were registered in the affordable sector.
This compares to 117,987 private sector homes and 39,818 affordable homes registered in 2016/17.
Six out of the 12 UK regions experienced growth in 2017/18, with the most notable increases in the North West (+21%), East Midlands (+12%) and Wales (+11%).
The new figures revealed a slower start to 2018, with 36,637 new homes registered in the first three months of the year, compared to 42,405 in the same period last year.
The NHBC suggested this was the result of bad weather which affected progress on building sites.
Commenting on these figures, NHBC chief executive Steve Wood said: ‘New home registration figures for the last financial year have reached the second highest level in a decade, despite a challenging start to 2018, with freezing weather conditions affecting building sites up and down the country.
‘Business confidence in both the private and affordable sectors remains high with clear routes to continued growth in 2018, and NHBC will continue to help support house builders to build the high quality new homes that people across the UK need.’
