Housebuilding starts jump 23% to nearly double 2009’s low-point

The number of new housebuilding starts in Q1 was 9% lower than in the same period a year earlier, according to the latest numbers from the Office of National Statistics.

It appears that developers are capitalising on the build-up of confidence in London's prime resi market, with reports of a massive boost in the number of units awaiting planning consent.

The quantity of new homes being built in England will hit 167,000 in 2018 - 55% more than 2013's 108,000 - according to the latest set of forecasts from Savills, but is still a good way off the requirement…