Social housing starts still sparse

摘要

The outlook for social housing in 2009 is uncertain. The value of underlying planning approvals fell by 24 per cent during 2008 and has weakened further since January. The decline in the value of approvals appears to have had an immediate impact on project starts during the first four months of 2009 and will continue to limit work opportunities. rnThe National House Building Council has also recorded a drop in the number of applications for social sector homes, which were 6 per cent down on 2007.. rnIn contrast, the Department for Communities and Local Government recorded a 20 per cent rise in the number of English social housing starts last year, although starts appeared to lose momentum during the final three months of 2008.