New homes registrations rise by a third

THE city's property market has received a boost after it emerged that the number of new homes being registered is up more than 30 per cent on last year.

The National House-Building Council said the number of registrations for new homes rose to 220 for the three months to February, compared with 168 for the same period last year.

Across Scotland, registrations were up 161 per cent to 967 for February alone when compared with the same month last year, and more than double the figure recorded for January.

Malcolm MacLeod, NHBC director for Scotland, said: "As we move into a new building season, conditions seem to be gradually improving. Registration increases in both the public and private sectors indicate cautious optimism throughout Scotland's homebuilding industry.

"There is a sense of the property sector working together to do all it can to ensure recovery which must be allowed to continue."