According to the latest quarterly construction market survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors 15% more surveyors across the country said that they expect workloads to grow over the coming 12 months but this follows what was a horrendous year for the sector.
This upturn is reflected in the small increase in reported workloads in the final three months of 2012. Over this period, a net balance of 6% more respondents indicated that activity had increased, with the most substantial gains being seen in infrastructure, which has been the focus of so much government attention, and private commercial development.
Significantly, despite the introduction of the Funding for Lending Scheme, some 89% of surveyors believe that financial constraints are holding the industry back with around two thirds citing insufficient demand. Not surprisingly, over half also claim that weather conditions have hampered a recovery in the sector.
Elsewhere, input costs continue to climb with 15% more respondents reporting rises rather than falls. Prices have now been moving upwards since the beginning of 2010 and have been significantly outpacing output costs for five years.
Across the country, London and the South East and the North of England saw overall workloads rise by the biggest margin, while Northern Ireland and Scotland saw activity continue to drop by significant margins.
