Factfile

Planning approvals
The need for Kate Barker's recommendations is plain to see, as planning approvals continue at a low level.

The only bright spot is the high-demand, high-value South-east, where approvals almost reached four figures

New-build completions
Winter weather has done little to hold back build rates, and sales levels held up well too. In south-east England, housebuilders are racing to meet demand and keep pace with planning approvals

Buyer demand
This is the third of our buyer data pages, based on SmartNewHomes' New Homes Demand Index, a monthly monitor of demand for new homes in England and Wales. Below is the average price homeseekers were willing to pay in their region between December and February. Prices tended to fall, with a 14.7% drop in London being the steepest decline. A drop in the demand for apartments was countered by a sharp increase in penthouses.

   NHBC is the standard-setting body and leading warranty and insurance provider for new homes in the UK. Established 65 years ago, its primary purpose is to help raise the standard of new homes and to provide consumer protection for new homebuyers.

NHBC statistics are derived from NHBC registered builders, who build approximately 85% of new homes throught the UK. NHBC provides detailed, up-to-date bulletins on new home construction through its quarterly statistics booklets. For further information visit the website at www.nhbc.co.uk Methodology
The New Homes Demand Index is based on enquiries recorded on the SmartNewHomes.com website and records the price people are willing to pay for new homes, by region and type of property. If willingness to pay is increasing, then clearly demand for new homes is improving and this is likely to lead to higher realised prices and better deals for housebuilders. The Demand Index also tracks migration between regions. By subtracting the number of users based in a region from the number of searches in that region, one gets a net balance that reflects an overall propensity to move out of or into a region.

   SmartNewHomes.com is a registered subsidiary of Smart Media Services, a marketing business working exclusively within the residential property sector. With more than 5,000 new homes from more than 1,600 developments on line, the site represents the largest database of individual new homes on the internet. SmartNewHomes.com currently attracts more than 400,000 visits a month.