304 homes were built in Xàbia during 2021
The College of Quantity Surveyors and Architects takes stock
Monday 24th January 2022 – VICENTE BOLUFER with Mike Smith
Construction in the province of Alicante during 2021 was assessed as “very positive” in a statement issued by the Official College of Quantity Surveyors, Technical Architects and Building Engineers of Alicante because, for the first time since the pandemic began, more homes have been registered than the last pre-pandemic year. However, the annual calculation is still 21% lower than that of 2019.
The statement has been based on the data on endorsements for homes started by the Official Association of Quantity Surveyors, Technical Architects and Building Engineers of Alicante for the fourth quarter of 2021, which they have published on their website.
In the last quarter of 2021, 1,564 homes were started in the province, compared to 1,463 homes in the same period of 2019.
2021 has ended with 5,618 homes started in Alicante, of which 304 were built in Xàbia, which represents an increase of 12% over the 5,026 of 2020. “This increase compared to 2020 is very important if we take into account that 40% of the homes started in 2020 were started in the first quarter, that is, before the start of the pandemic. In this way, the number of homes started in the previous 12 months increased for the third consecutive quarter, after six consecutive quarters of decreases”, commented Carlos Casas, president of COAATIEA.
These figures mark the growing trend in the sector, but the annual calculation is still 21% below the year 2019 in which 7,143 homes were started. “The activity would be halfway through the necessary path to recover the level of two years ago, since from the lowest level in annual terms (4,136 homes in the first quarter of 2021) there has been an increase of 1,482 homes, and to reach the of 2019, 1,525 would be missing”, Casas remarked.
Activity distributed by comarcas
In regional terms, the activity has been fairly evenly distributed due to the weakness of Vega Baja, which had led in recent years. In 2021, the Alicante area accounts for 29.7% of construction that has been started, Vega Baja 27.5% and Las Marinas (Alta and Baja) 25.5%. Since 2009, it is the first time that Vega Baja is not the area in which more homes are started in the province, as it is surpassed by the Alicante area; in 2013 this region, which includes Torrevieja, Pilar de la Orihuela, Orihuela and Almoradí, accounted for 76.3% of the total.
“In this 2021 the place with the best performance has been the Alicante area, which has grown by 29% compared to 2020; with 1,666 homes started, which exceeds pre-pandemic levels, since in 2019 there were 1,538 homes and in 2018, 1,471. However, the fact that this area is already at the highest levels of activity in recent years makes it necessary to take with caution the possibility that it will continue to grow during 2022”, commented the president of the Association. In the fourth quarter, the Alicante area registered 765 housing starts, 46% of the annual total, quadrupling the 149 started in the fourth quarter of 2020.
La Vega Baja has grown this quarter, exceeding the figure for 2020 (1,455 homes) by 6%. By far it is the area that is furthest from recovering pre-pandemic levels, since the figure for 2021 is 47% of the 2,937 homes in 2019 and 55% of the 3,464 in 2018. Despite the drop, does not stop growing, and this, added to the possibility that Alicante’s growth will slow down, makes it especially important that the upward trend continue next year
Las Marinas end the year with growth compared to 2020. The 1,431 homes increase the 1,261 of 2020 by 13.5%, the second highest growth rate only behind the Alicante area. Unlike the latter, in the fourth quarter it has shown weakness, since the 253 homes represent a drop both with respect to the 362 in the third quarter and the 580 in the fourth quarter of 2020, which was especially good. All in all, the trend continues to be positive though, because as indicated, the year ends with growth, and the final figure is 13% of the 1,638 homes in 2019, which, although it gives room for growth in 2022, is less than that of the Vega Baja.
The municipality of Alicante is undoubtedly the one with the highest growth with 1,026 homes in 2021, which is more than double the 441 of San Juan, which ranks second. These two positions show the strength of the Alicante area, which has not been limited to the capital. In third place is Elche with 376 homes, Orihuela in fourth with 371, and Dénia in fifth with 345. Torrevieja is in sixth place with 321 homes, Pilar de la Horadada in seventh with 309, Xàbia in eighth with 304, in Santa Pola ninth with 292 and in tenth place and further Finestrat with 198.
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