LONDON, January 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Growth in the construction sector is showing signs of a slowdown according to a report released today (22 January 2015).
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While 2014 saw an increase, with the sector expanding by 2.8 per cent on the previous year, when compared to the 25.2 per cent rise in 2013, it is clear that the pace of growth has slowed.
The report from Barbour ABI, which is a chosen provider of construction data to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Government, cites the slowdown in growth in the residential sector as one of the major reasons for this, which after a rapid rise in 2013 has tailed off.
Michael Dall, lead economist for Barbour ABI, explains: "Comparing contract values in 2014 against 2013, there is an increase of 2.8 per cent. While this is still an improvement, when you contrast this percentage change against 2013 versus 2012 where there was a 25.2 per cent increase, and 2012 versus 2011 where there was a 29.1 per cent rise, it's clear that the rate of growth is much more moderate.
"The prominence of the housing sector in the industry is one of the key contributors to this drop off. Over the past couple of years, we've seen housing projects dominate - in 2014 for example, the market represented just over a third of all contract value. So, while buoyancy in the residential sector helped to drive growth in 2013, our reliance on this sector meant that as the rate of growth slowed in housing in 2014, it had a significant impact on the industry's UK wide performance.
"A decline in the infrastructure sector is also having a substantial effect. With an election looming and political uncertainty increasing, 2014 has seen fewer big budget projects awarded. In fact, infrastructure has seen a 29.7 per cent fall in contracts, compared with 18.8 per cent growth in 2013, and looking further ahead, there's also fewer schemes in the pipeline."
The figures from the Barbour ABI Economic & Construction Market Review also show London's continued prominence, with the Capital accounting for 24 per cent of the total value of UK construction contracts in 2014. This is closely followed by the South East at 12 per cent and Scotland at 11 per cent. The North West, which has featured heavily in pre-election discussions, came in fourth at 10 per cent, with the region attracting significant investment via the implementation of a Smart Motorway scheme worth £184 million.
Report highlights:
About Barbour ABI:
Barbour ABI is a leading provider of construction intelligence services. With a team of in-house research specialists and a dedicated lead economist, it provides commercially relevant insight and unique analysis of trends and developments within the building and construction industry.
Barbour ABI is the chosen provider of industry data and indicators for Government bodies including the Office for National Statistics and the UK Government's Construction and Infrastructure Pipeline, which outlines future construction and infrastructure projects where public funding is agreed. Barbour ABI also provides data for independent organisations, such as the Construction Products Association.
Barbour ABI is part of global events-led marketing services and communications company UBM, and is headquartered in Cheshire Oaks, Cheshire.
For more information, go to http://www.barbour-abi.com or follow us on Twitter @BarbourABI for all the latest construction data news.
About UBM:
UBM helps businesses do business, bringing the world's buyers and sellers together at events and online, as well as producing and distributing news and specialist content. Its 5,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organised into expert teams which serve commercial and professional communities, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently.
For more information, go to http://www.ubm.com or follow us on Twitter at @UBM_plc for all the latest UBM corporate news.
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