Governmental intervention in the debate regarding new homes last year offered encouragement to the construction industry, according to the National Self Build & Renovation Centre.

Tim Doherty, managing director at the organisation, stated in recent days that new goals for carbon neutrality, relaxations in domestic planning regulations and defined annual targets all provided the sector with a more positive outlook.

Nevertheless, he stated that the likelihood of delivering enough suitable and affordable housing over the coming years is "diminishing".

Mr Doherty added that a great number of housebuilders are currently "on stop" across the country.

In related news, the Federation of Master Builders' recent State of Trade Survey suggested that four out of ten respondents report a drop in enquiries and that this downturn has affected the majority of regions.

However, this is not the case with Scotland, as regions north of the border posted the strongest results from the poll.