Residential figures camouflage facts
Construction contracts may not have answered calls for more affordable housing
The residential housing figures released by Barbour ABI do not tell the full story according to Michael Dall, lead economist at Barbour ABI.
49% of all construction contract values in October were attributed to the residential sector, totalling £3.7 billion. However, with the residential sector lagging over the last few months, the call for more affordable residential housing may still be unanswered according to Dall.
“Although the residential contract value figure increased in October, the number of units awarded increased by only 2.8%, suggesting that recent schemes are more focused on high value rather than high density, which does not necessarily bode well for those calling to increase housing figures.”
