RM report says UK buildings on the rise
The number of planned building developments in the UK has risen to the highest levels since October 2008, according to the latest figures from Royal Mail’s Building Barometer.
The Building Barometer uses Royal Mail’s database of postcodes allocated to planned new buildings to paint an overall picture of construction trends across the UK.
The number of planned building developments in the UK rose by an impressive 34% between April and May of this year, the barometer has revealed. June’s figures show further increase, as well as a 37% rise year on year.
These latest figures indicate a turning point for the construction industry, after a consistent drop in developments over the last two years. There was a 25% year on year drop between June 2007 and 2008, and a 55% fall between June 2008 and 2009.
Numbers are consistently positive across the UK, with East Anglia in particular showing a significant increase. New building developments in this area have doubled year on year, with 2,058 registered in June 2010 compared to 1,002 in 2009.
Royal Mail’s address data plays an important role in the building development process, especially for those companies that deliver materials to building sites. Further down the line, accurate address data allows businesses to communicate directly with new homeowners and for them in turn to order goods and services, either online, by telephone or via a catalogue, where a valid postcode is vital to completing the order.
Royal Mail manages the UK’s most complete and up to date address and postcode database. Its Postcode Address File (PAF®) contains all 28m UK residential and business delivery addresses and postcodes. It also has information on over 1.3m business names.
Steve Rooney, acting head of the Address Management Unit, Royal Mail, said: “Our postcode database holds the details of all proposed and current delivery addresses in the UK, and also provides a comprehensive view of the trends in building developments. These addresses offer up a wide range of opportunities for a host of UK industries and government services wishing to reach and communicate with new customers. The latest figures certainly indicate a positive trend in the construction industry at the start of the current financial year”
Nick Hardy from TSH Architects added: “At TSH Architects we’ve certainly seen a notable rise in enquiries over the past couple of months, and this is currently showing no signs of slowing down. Looking at the latest Building Barometer figures, this upturn seems to be taking place throughout the UK rather than focussing on London, which is very positive news for everyone involved in the construction industry.”
