Builders encouraged by record for housing activity

Official figures have shown that the value of new housing output hit a record high in November, despite a slight contraction for the overall construction sector.

Housing output hit a record high in November. Picture: Michael Gillen

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said housing output reached almost £2.64 billion, an all-time high, boosted by a 12.6 per cent surge in private housing work during the three months to November compared with a year earlier.

However, overall construction output fell by 0.2 per cent in November compared with the previous month, with the ONS saying the decline was largely due to a contraction in non-housing repair and maintenance.

Allan Callaghan, managing director of Cruden Homes, said: “It’s encouraging to see private housing up by 12.6 per cent and housing output in general reaching an all-time high.”

He added: “At Cruden, we’ve already secured a strong order book for the year ahead. Sales at our housing developments at King’s View in the south side and Baron’s Vale in the east end of Glasgow have exceeded our expectations, highlighting that high-quality, affordable housing is very much in demand.

“I’m optimistic that if we continue to build resilience into our business models and continue to meet the needs of Scottish home buyers, the outlook for the housing sector will be bright for the year ahead.”

On a rolling three-month basis, construction output dipped by 0.1 per cent, the ONS said, “following a similar pattern for recent months in that construction output is relatively flat”.

Click here to ‘Like’ The Scotsman Business on Facebook