House building takes big tumble

The number of new homes being built in the West Midlands has plummeted by more than half in a year, new figures reveal today.

Data from the National Home Building Council shows the number of houses started in the region has fallen from 3,822 in the third quarter of 2007 to 1,548 in the same period this year – a drop of 60 per cent. In Staffordshire, the number has fallen by 78 per cent from 937 to 203, while in Shropshire it has sunk by 39 per cent from 402 to 247.

Nationally, the number of properties which have been started has fallen to 23,111 compared with 50,150.