Featured Region: Northern Ireland

2013 has brought better fortunes for Northern Ireland, with new project starts increasing for the first time since 2009, up by 16% over the year. The region weathered the initial impact of the credit crunch due to consistent government spending, with new project starts peaking in 2009. While this government stimulus has since declined, the flow of contract awards suggests that major capital investment into roads will continue to drive workloads in Northern Ireland.

While government cuts remain a downward pressure, the on-going weakness in the wider economy has equally been a drag on construction output in recent years.  However, it appears that Northern Ireland is now emerging from the trough of this downturn and the value of underlying project starts are expected to improve from here on.

The final quarter of the year saw expansion take hold, with the underlying value of project starts more than doubling relative to a year earlier. Growth normalised in the first quarter of 2014, at 9%. Growth in new starts is expected to slow through 2014 as high levels of civil engineering project starts are not maintained, though work on these existing projects will drive improvements in construction output.

Northern Ireland consists of the following Counties: Co. Antrim, Co. Armagh, Co. Down, Co. Fermanagh, Co. Londonderry, Co. Tyrone.