House construction to fall this year

The Building Materials Federation has predicted construction output this year will be down by up to 10%.

In its annual review, the BMF said the provision of adequate resources to service the planning system was essential to further development.

Last year, a record estimated 50,000 units were constructed in the area of house building.

However, the BMF said the slowdown this year meant that figure would be down by between 5% and 10%.