UK Sees Rise In New Housing Despite Fall In Overall Construction Output

New housing experienced solid growth in March, up 3.8% on the month, despite a 0.7% drop in wider UK construction output, the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) show. In spite of the wider slowdown in the construction sector in March, which was the third consecutive period of negative month-on-month growth, residential property building levels rose by 5.4% on the year and 0.2% on the quarter. The ONS said repair and maintenance was the main drag on construction output, shrinking both month-on-month and quarter-on-quarter by 1.8% and 0.2%, respectively. Read more on the ONS website.