459 applications submitted in July 2009 compared to 1402 in July 2007

Planning applications by housebuilders for new developments have stabilised in recent months, albeit at a low level, according to the latest data released by Glenigan. An estimated 459 planning applications for new private housing schemes were submitted during July. The average number of planning applications fell from 1291 in 2007 to 902 in 2008, to 494 for January to July 2009.

The numbers of applications submitted in each month of 2009 were:

January: 539
February: 485
March: 542
April: 475
May: 447
June: 513
July: est. 459

Allan Wilén, Glenigan’s Economic Director, commented, "The flow of new planning applications has steadied in recent months, but remains a far cry from the number of applications seen a couple of years ago. The latest data demonstrate that housebuilders remain focused upon building out existing schemes and still have a large pool of sites with planning approval upon which to draw as the market gradually improves. Whilst some housebuilders are now looking to add to their landbanks, the latest data suggests that there will be no rush to bring forward acquired sites for development."