Figures show that the north-west recorded a faster rate of growth in the housebuilding sector over the past five years than any other region in England.
Paragon Bank reported the statistics, which cover the five-year period to March 2020, ending just as the UK was entering full lockdown for the first time during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They reveal a double-digit compound annual growth rate of 10.3% per year since 2015, equivalent to a 63% total increase in new-build homes completed.
Other regions near the top of the chart include the West Midlands (57%), the south-east (52%) and the Yorkshire & Humber region (50%).
Robert Orr, managing director of Paragon Bank’s Development Finance division, said: “The development of new homes across all English regions has increased over the past five years, providing much-needed properties in towns and cities throughout the country.”
Building a future for north-west steel
Housebuilding is a major market for steel. According to the OECD, half of all steel used worldwide is in construction, putting building ahead of transport, machinery and metal products.
In the UK, construction of all kinds – residential/commercial, industrial/utilities and transport/infrastructure – is key to the ongoing success of the steel sector.
Following the events of 2020, UK economic activity has taken a significant hit. But as we move towards the new year and high hopes of an effective vaccine by the spring, it’s hopeful that the economy will rebound strongly too.
North-west steel suppliers are ready to provide the materials needed to build new homes, lay new rail tracks, and generally get things back to normal in the region and nationwide.
A north-west steel supplier for convenience and COVID compliance
At James Dunkerley Steel we work hard to make things easier for our customers. That’s why we have always offered daily deliveries of steel to locations across the north-west and Yorkshire, since long before COVID-19 emerged.
If you are working through the various lockdowns and tier systems, this means we can keep you supplied with the structural steel you need, for as long as the regulations and restrictions allow it.
And as conditions improve during the coming months, our direct deliveries of steel in the north-west and Yorkshire will become less about compliance and more about convenience, allowing the builders of the regions to help get UK industry and economic activity back into the black.
