The Brick Development Association, representing brick manufacturers in the UK, welcomed the Chancellor’s target for new homes, announced in the budget today, stating with confidence that the brick industry is ready.
The number of additional homes delivered in the last financial year – at 217,350 – is 12% up on the previous year, with brick deliveries also rising at 12% over the same period, suggesting that supply and demand are in balance.
Today’s speech presented an ambition to deliver an annual total of 300,000 additional homes each year by the mid 2020s – approximately eight years from now. This represents a 38% increase. Brick manufacturing output is increasing year on year with growing investment in plant and equipment. The brick industry is unusually adaptable and in the last eight years delivery output has risen 38.5%.
Supplying a very volatile housing market is never easy for manufacturing suppliers, but the brick industry has proved itself particularly able to scale up demand as required and is currently well able to meet demand from new house building.
“We are pleased at the focus on housebuilding in the budget” commented Tom Farmer of the BDA. “It is time for the country to face up to the economic and practical challenges and actually build enough homes for the people that live and work in the UK. I am delighted to be working in an industry that is keeping pace with this fast-moving sector and which is ready to gear up to meet increased demand.”
