House-building in Peterborough is defying the national recession with over 1,000 new homes being completed last year (2008/09) and another 1,100 under construction at the start of the current year.

Last year's 1,049 house completions exceed the 2007/08 total of 999 homes and are the second highest annual total - behind the 1,265 built in 2006/07 - for any of the past 18 years.

The figures are good news for people on reduced income because 412 of the total new homes were mostly built for housing associations to be offered at affordable rents. This total was around double the figure for each of the previous two years and 25% higher than the 327 affordable home completions for the entire five years from 2001/02 to 2005/06.

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At the end of March another 412 'affordable' homes were under construction, with a further 366 having planning permission but not yet under construction.

Councillor Piers Croft, Peterborough City Council's Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning and Growth, welcomed the figures as another sign of Peterborough's underlying economic resilience.

He said: "Under government plans Peterborough is expected to provide at least 25,000 new homes in the 20-year period from 2001 to 2021. Despite the recession, we are doing our best to fulfil Peterborough's potential by encouraging growth across the whole economy.

"Providing new homes for a growing population is an important element in our overall growth aspirations. However, we are also working on plans to deliver the whole package encompassing jobs, shopping, leisure and community facilities and an improved transport infrastructure."

However, Peterborough is not immune to the recession and there are also signs of caution among developers. The number of outstanding permissions is actually 605 lower than the same time in 2008 and planning permissions on 131 homes actually lapsed in 2008 - the highest number for several years.

(CD/JM)