Residential construction skids to near halt

Planned house-starts drop by 75 per cent in one year

By Oliver McIntyre

THE construction of new homes in Málaga province has ground to a near halt, with planned house-starts in 2009 dropping to levels not seen since the 1960s.  According to the Official College of Architects, last year there were a total of 3,152 new house-starts approved in the province.  That's down by 75 per cent from 2008, which posted 13,022, and shows marks a virtual standstill in comparison with the 54,653 new house-starts that were approved in 2003 in the heat of the construction and real estate boom.

"The market has disappeared," according to José Prado, the president of Málaga's Association of Builders and Developers (ACP).  "New homes aren't being bought - the number of marriages has declined and people have no confidence in maintaining their jobs because unemployment has hit all sectors."

When examined on a town-by-town basis, the construction collapse is even more starkly evident.  Traditionally thriving Torremolinos posted a grand total of 14 approved new house-starts in 2009 - down 97 per cent from the previous year.  Other sizeable Costa towns such as Estepona, Marbella and Mijas all posted figures under 100. 

The drastic falloff in construction hit all zones of the province.  On the eastern Costa del Sol - Rincón de la Victoria, Vélez-Málaga, Torrox and Nerja - there were 288 approved house-starts in 2009, down 79 per cent from 2008 (2,382).  Inland towns fared even worse, with figures plummeting 83 per cent, from 2,476 in 2008 to 417 in 2009.

Read more in the January 14 print edition of CDSN

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