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More retirement homes were registered to be built in the UK in the first six months of this year than the whole of the previous year, according to new figures released by National House Building Council (NHBC).
Builders registered a total of 2,337 properties specifically designed for the elderly in the first six months of 2015 – outstripping the total 1,919 which were registered for the whole of 2014.
The growth in retirement homes comes as NHBC reported that more than 41,000 new homes were registered in the UK during the last three months – an increase of 12% on the same period last year.
In total, 41,268 new homes (30,462 private sector; 10,806 public sector) were registered, compared to 36,986 (27,388 private sector; 9,598 public sector) registered during Q2 last year.
The figures show that northern regions are helping to power growth in the new housing sector with the North West & Merseyside reporting a massive 74% increase in new homes registered in the rolling quarter from April to June 2015 – up from 2,243 last year to 3,911.
While London and the South East continue to drive new housing growth in terms of volume of homes registered, there was a slight two per cent drop in the numbers of new homes registered in the capital over the rolling quarter. The South East saw a drop of 16%.
The public sector is also showing encouraging signs of a revival with a 13% increase in affordable homes registered in the whole of the UK over the last three months from 9,598 in Q2 2014 to 10,806 in Q2 2015.
NHBC Chief Executive Mike Quinton said: “We are very encouraged to see an increase in the number of retirement homes being registered. It is widely acknowledged that the UK has a shortage of homes for the elderly, which is having a knock on effect on the rest of the housing market.
“Our figures show that 2015 is shaping up to be an encouraging year for new housing growth with new housing registrations up 12 per cent on the second quarter of last year.
“However, we have made clear that while all signs of growth are to be welcomed, the UK is still building way below the volumes of homes that we need. There is a long way to go before our housing crisis is over.”
