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Building sector set for growth 20.01.04construction worker on siteNorthern Ireland's construction industry looks set for growth in the year ahead, according to a
survey.
The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Construction Market Survey reveals the highest
levels of confidence among surveyors since 2000. Jim Sammon, the head of RICS Northern Ireland's Construction Industry Group, says that with positive trends in a number of sectors, confidence among surveyors had increased in spite of an overall decline in activity.

"It's very good news because workloads have been falling for three consecutive quarters and this is the first sign of a return to growth," he said. "Our own RICS economists believe it will take a more sustained turnaround to underpin higher longer term investment. "But surveyor confidence levels are at their highest for three years, and we hope that this will translate into increased work levels in the construction industry in the coming year."

There was a decline in the construction of private housing during the third quarter of 2003, but in the private commercial sector, Northern Ireland posted its biggest increase for three years. In general, construction activity fell during the fourth quarter of 2003, held back by a lull in private housing and infrastructure, although the pace of decline was less than in the previous quarter.

The encouraging news is that, following a quiet spell, there now seems to have been an increase in appointments for design teams. That suggests that the amount of activity in the construction sector should start to pick up considerably over the next 12 months.