From: Wayne Rogerson,
Joint MD, CENSolutions Ltd

We read with interest the recent piece in The Glazine about the Government’s report on new housebuilding. It made for grim reading and we’d like to offer another perspective. We’re not suggesting the report was wrong, but it’s interesting to see how different credible reports provide divergent views of the landscape. This report from the NHBC for example proffers a far more positive outlook - http://bit.ly/2Z4tuQs.

The report cites that the number of new homes registered were up 3% in Q1 compared with the same period last year. It also points out the huge effect that the affordable and rental housing sector is having on new housebuilding, compared with the private sector. The latter may be lagging, but the former is 36% ahead compared with this time last year.

Our anecdotal evidence would support the NHBC report too – as the largest quality certification supplier in the insulated glass and window industry, CENSolutions, in co-operation with ER Certification, look after the certification needs of some of the UK’s largest New Build fabricators. Our customers are all extremely busy in this sector, to the point where they are close to capacity and are looking at making, or have already made, investments into increasing capacity. This is positive news as they’re creating new jobs through organic business growth, all at a time when there is perceived uncertainty due to Brexit.

Also, most of us don’t have to drive very far to find a new housing development in progress, they seem to be springing up all over the place!

There are all sorts of reasons for differing reports on the same market sector – each will pick up on slightly different facets for example, so it’s not that one is wrong and one is right, but the media does seem to err on the side of pessimism. Nothing sells papers like a bit of scare mongering. If interest rates go down, it’s a disaster. If they go up, it’s still a disaster. While we appreciate the need to be realistic, sometimes a little optimism can go a long way and I honestly believe the UK will be fine on all counts. We work hard as a nation and whatever happens with Brexit or with the highs and lows in different sectors, we’ll come out the other side even stronger.