More than 16,000 new homes were registered to be built by the UK’s builders and developers at before the end of 2019, according to the National Housebuilding Council.

NHBC’s latest figures, for November, show a 7 per cent increase in planned new homes compared to a year earlier.

Of the 16,175 newly registered properties, 10,662 were in the private sector, up from 11,036 in 2018, and 5,513 in the affordable and rental sector, an increase from 4,122.

The West Midlands (+53 per cent), London (+34 per cent) and the Eastern region (+30 per cent) were the fastest growing regions over the latest three-month period.

Registrations refer to the process of a builder registering a new plot/home to be built in the coming months or weeks, to be covered by NHBC’s ten-year Buildmark warranty. 

Commenting on the latest figures, NHBC chief executive Steve Wood says: “It is good to report resilience in new home numbers, which should give some confidence going into the New Year.

“As ever, construction quality is central to everything NHBC does. We will keep working with the sector to help improve new home quality for the benefit of consumers.”

NHBC is a warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK and its registration statistics are a lead indicator for the new homes market.