Builders Merchants Journal – BMJ Publishing to Builders Merchants and the UK merchanting industry for more than 95 years
Housing gloom continues as NHBC reports falling start levels
Actual private housing starts registered only 6,890 last month, according to the National House Building Council, a fall of 56% compared with May 2007.
The number of public sector starts was also down, from 4,306 to 2,699.
The figures come in the wake of the gloomy re-forecasts by the Construction Products Association last week which predict that private starts this year will fall 27%.
Meanwhile, bankers Goldman Sachs are predicting three years of downturn for the sector in the light of continuing City unease about housebuilders.
