Construction recovery set to begin in 2012

One of the world’s largest construction consultancy firms has predicted Ireland’s building industry will start to recover by 2014 — but will remain weak until 2020.

In its annual review of the Irish construction industry, Davis Langdon said the decline in activity had actually slowed. It predicted building output for 2012 would be €7.75bn, 9% less than in 2011. The decline from 2010 to 2011 was 27%.

However, Paul Mitchell, head of Davis Langdon’s Irish operations, said the market is still operating at a “completely unsustainable level”.