CONSTRUCTION output in the north has increased by over 8 per cent on last year according to new figures.
The latest Construction Bulletin covering April, May and June and published by NISRA shows the volume of total output within Northern Ireland increased by 4.1 per cent on the quarter and 8.3 per cent on the same period in 2016. Indeed the second quarter volume was the highest level reported in the last five years. The increase in the overall output was accounted for by a 8 per cent increase in new work and 2.4 per cent increase in repair and maintenance. In the same period there was a 9.3 per cent increase in other work, an 8.7 per cent rise in infrastructure output and a jump in housing output (3 per cent) compared with the previous quarter.
Neal Taylor, audit partner at l business advisory firm Grant Thornton Northern Ireland, said the results were welcome.
“All areas of work increased, resulting in the highest recorded volumes in any quarter during the past five years, which tallies with what our clients in the construction sector are telling us.
“An 8 per cent rise in new work reported over the period was particularly pleasing and followed a steep decline in the first three months of the year, although the general trend continues to be one of increasing output.
“Housing output was 11.8 per cent higher than the same quarter in 2016, but the volumes remain subdued compared to those seen five years ago when it represented the greatest proportion of work carried out in the construction sector.
“Overall infrastructure output, meanwhile, was carried largely by a major rise in new private work which reached almost £100m in volume over the period, more than double any other infrastructure sub-component.”
