Constraints on supply will "intensify" need for new housing

Builders cutting down on the supply of housing will only increase the need for new properties, according to one expert.

The self build sector could benefit from the drought of new housing as more people look to combat the lack of new homes by building their own.

A spokesperson for the Home Builders Federation said developers have been hit hard by the current economic downturn but there is demand for "a significant number of houses in this country".

The current constraint on supply is only going to "intensify" that need in the future.

According to last month's National House-Building Council's statistics, the number of applications from residential propertydevelopers looking to build new homes was down by over half during the third quarter.

A total of 23,185 applications were received in the combined private and public sectors during the three months leading up to the end of September.