So allegedly construction workers are now being bid out of Poland back into Ireland, the cranes are rising everywhere.
Nama is on track to deliver thousands of new homes, and commercial property markets are booming, primed for new development (see http://www.irishtimes.com/business/commercial-property/nama-set-to-dispose-of-ready-to-go-housing-sites-around-dublin-1.2234668)
Indices of construction activity are up in value, officially, q/q and y/y, while volume of activity is up y/y.
PMIs are signalling massive increases in building.
But the latest Building Information Index shows that the value of construction projects launched in 1Q 2015 was down EUR333 million or -20% on 1Q 2014, declining to EUR1.359 billion. In five out of seven escorts covered by the report there have been declines in activity, led by residential building sector that posted a decline of EUR174 million to EUR600 million in 1Q 2015. Good news, applications for new build are up 42% y/y in terms of value (including price and cost effects). Not surprisingly (down to price and development costs inflation), residential sector value of new applications is up 91%, while commercial is up 59%.
As they say, if we ain't building more and better, at least we are building more expensively...
