Official figures released show there has been a marked increase in the number of new homes under construction in Wales.

The final quarter of 2013 saw a 6% increase in both the number of new dwellings started and those completed compared with the same quarter in the previous year. During the quarter a total of 1,305 new dwellings were started and 1,560 were completed.

The quarter also saw a 10% increase in the number of private sector dwellings completed compared with the same period in the previous year with 1,401 private sector homes added to the Welsh housing stock.


Housing Minister Carl Sargeant said: "Building Wales out of the worst economic recession seen for generations is this government’s top priority. These figures demonstrate that our actions are clearly working – with encouraging indications that the house building sector in Wales is outperforming most parts of the UK.

"I am determined to do all I can to tackle the shortage of homes in Wales and that is why I recently announced a revised target of 10,000 new affordable homes during this term of Government.

"The £170m Help to Buy Wales initiative I launched at the start of the year will add to this momentum as it supports the construction of 5,000 new homes across Wales over the next two years."

(CD/MH)