Barbour ABI Blog

Construction in Motion: 2024 Application Stage Progression

by Ed Griffiths

Our team of data analysts have produced a visualisation that displays the 2024 application stage progression.

In 2024 the Construction industry saw some highs but unfortunately what felt like many more lows.

We saw over 35K detailed planning applications (excluding individual builds), worth £126Bn; this is in decline vs 2023 from a value perspective of -6% and a volume perspective of -3%, which tells us that there were less “big ticket projects” submitted in 2024.

The journey of all 2024 applications can be seen in the visualisation below. It highlights the slow nature of construction in the UK, with many projects sitting awaiting approval or shovels in ground for many months.

Residential and Infrastructure Reliance

Of the applications, Residential (£46.6Bn) and Infrastructure (£42.7Bn) dwarfed all other categories combined (£36.3Bn) highlighting the industry’s reliance on these two super sectors. It is reassuring therefore that the Labour Government has outlined key objectives in both of these areas, however many in the industry remain sceptical about the possibility of realising some of these plans.

Residential remains a key talking point in the press and industry. There were applications valuing £9.2Bn in 2024; however £1.7Bn of these were refused and a further £1.1Bn withdrawn.

Residential applications were twice as likely to be rejected or withdrawn than the average industry project, highlighting the ongoing difficulty housebuilders face.

Given the government’s massive targets for housebuilding, the year-on-year decline of £4.5bn (or -9%) is especially concerning. Although could it be that 2024 was a year of Housebuilders waiting to see what might come?

Looking to 2025 Progression

To confirm the slow industry that the graphic shows: as of the 1st Jan 2025, 60% of applications made in 2024 remain at planning stage – a concern for 2025 and beyond.

So, what is to come in 2025? The team have been hard at work producing our view on the next 3 years in construction across key sectors and regions – if you would like to find out more (or talk data visualisation!) then please get in touch.

About the author

Picture of Ed Griffiths

Ed Griffiths

Ed's background includes a Masters degree in Psychology, which is where his love for research and data stems from. Ed has been working for the last 14 years in the FMCG Industry helping clients and retailers grow their businesses by leveraging data. Ed was also a regular on the presenter circuit, presenting at national and international conferences to help demonstrate the role data can play in organisations day to day activities.

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