Countryside orders jump
HOUSEBUILDER Countryside said its forward order book swelled by 86 per cent to a record £197m in the last six months thanks to the UK recovery, but warned that the General Election was causing a slowdown in planning approvals.
The private equity-backed firm completed 949 homes in the period to 31 March, up 18 per cent on the same time last year and said it was on track to double its annual output to between 3,500 and 4,000 homes this year. Revenue increased by 58 per cent to £252.2m.