Construction output at an all-time high

Construction output reached an all-time high in the first quarter, passing the £25bn mark, according to the latest data from the Department of Trade & Industry.

New build accounted for £13.9bn of output, up 25% year-on-year, while repair, maintenance and improvement (RMI) accounted for £11.4bn, up 16% on Q1 2003.

Of the 10 sectors, eight enjoyed substantial growth: public housing up 46%; private housing and other public both up 41%; private industrial and public housing RMI both up 23%; private commercial and other private RMI both up 18%; and private housing RMI up 17%.

The two black sheep were: other public RMI up 8%; and infrastructure down 8%.

Construction output Q1 2004 (Q1 2003 in brackets)

• Public housing £652m (£448m)
• Private housing £3,998m (£2,826m)
• Infrastructure £1,652m (£1,796m)
• Other public £2,584m (£1,831m)
• Private industrial £986m (£803m)
• Private commercial £4,078m (£3,445m)
• Public housing RMI £2,182m (£1,769m)
• Private housing RMI £3,706m (£3,175m)
• Other public RMI £2,061m (£1,916m)
• Other private RMI £3,535m (£3,006m)
• Total £25,436m (£21,016m)