Growth in residential construction remains sluggish in Kerry.
THE beginning of 2015 has seen growth in the residential construction sector in Kerry remain sluggish, according to the latest edition of the National Housing Construction Index for January and February 2015.
In Kerry, planning applications have risen by 9% when compared to the same period in 2014, while commencements have fallen by 49%. Nationally, commencements are down 62% in the first two months of 2015 with every county recording a decrease, while applications are up 9%.
The data contained in the National Housing Construction Index is aggregated by consultancy Link2Plans from real time planning and project information in every local authority area, with the latest edition of the National Housing Construction Index tracking every project from January through to February 2015, and comparing it with the same period in 2014.
According to Danny O’Shea Managing Director of Link2Plans; “Commencements are down in every county when compared to the same period last year with an overall national decrease of -62%, however as noted at the time by Link2Plans, 2014 was an exceptional year due to regulatory changes. The introduction of changes to the building regulations in March 2014 caused an unprecedented surge in commencements which was akin a one off stimulus boost. In fact, commencements for the first two months of the 2015 are up over 3% on the same period in 2013 which probably gives a more accurate picture of the steady but slow growth in the sector.”
