Spain: Housing permits hit nine-month high in April

In April, the Spanish Board of Architects (Colegio de Arquitectos Tecnicos) granted 4,497 new construction permits, according to data published by the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Fomento). The figure was above the 3,064 permits approved in March and marked the most permits granted since July 2014. On an annual basis, permits expanded 50.9% in April, which contrasted notably the 13.6% decline recorded in the previous month.

As a result of the monthly figure, the moving three-month sum of permits totaled 11,761 in April, which represented a 28.0% increase over the same period last year. The figure followed March’s 22.8% expansion and marked the highest point since 2006. However, the current number of permits represents a mere fraction of the 268,266 permits that were granted during the July–September 2006 peak.