Spain: Housing permits growth jumps in February
The Spanish Board of Architects (Colegio de Arquitectos TĂ©cnicos) granted 8,305 new construction permits in February, according to data published by the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento). The figure was the highest in seven months, and well above both the 6,545 permits approved in February of last year and the 6,694 permits approved in January. On an annual basis, permits rose 26.9% in February, which was considerably above the 7.4% increase recorded in January.
The moving three-month sum of permits totaled 21,095 in February, which represented a 19.3% increase from the same period last year. The figure followed the 13.6% expansion recorded in January. However, the current number of permits represents a mere fraction of the 268,266 permits that were granted during the July–September 2006 peak.