Eight out of every ten new homes started in the province of Alicante in the first quarter of this year are built in the regions of Vega Baja (44%) or Las Marinas (36%). This is certified by the data provided by the Official College of Quantity Surveyors, Technical Architects and Building Engineers of Alicante. Both areas, which concentrate a large foreign population, are already close to the figures prior to the pandemic.
La Vega Baja continues to be the area with the highest number of homes started, continuing a growth trend that started in the third quarter of 2021. With 890 homes in the quarter, it increases by 36% compared to the fourth quarter of 2022 and 69% compared to the figures of a year ago. With 2,596 homes started in the last 12 months, it reaches 96% of the figure for the first quarter of 2020, with which the area is practically at pre-pandemic levels.
Las Marinas, which includes municipalities such as Dénia, Xàbia, Altea or Benidorm, is the other area that stands out for its growth, concentrating 36% of the housing starts in the province. In the first quarter, 718 homes have been started, which represents an increase of 80% compared to the previous quarter and a significant 162% more than the same period in 2022.
In contrast, the Alicante area has suffered a 35% drop compared to the last quarter of 2022, with 283 homes started, and a 31% decrease compared to the first quarter of 2022. Regarding the Elx area, the 72 homes started in the quarter represent a modest improvement within a low volume of activity, since they increased by 20% compared to the first quarter of 2022 and by 167% over the previous quarter. The 529 homes started in the last 12 months are only 65% of the same data as in the first quarter of 2020, which places the area with the worst data in terms of the recovery of activity from before the pandemic.
With regard to the inland regions, after positive data in the last quarter, they return to more modest figures with 54 housing starts this quarter, which practically repeat the 55 in the first quarter of 2022. It is noteworthy that this area is moving in volumes 19% higher than those of the fourth quarter of 2020.
Regarding the figures by municipality, Orihuela stands out with 525 homes started in the quarter and Benidorm, which is in second place with 288 homes. This figure stands out because last quarter no housing was started in the municipality, and in the first quarter of 2022 only one. In third place is Dénia with 173, in fourth Sant Joan with 170 and in fifth Finestrat with 125. In sixth place Torrevieja with 118 and Alicante falls back to seventh position, with 85.
As a whole, these are figures "that we can describe as excellent", according to the president of the Official College of Quantity Surveyors, Technical Architects and Building Engineers of Alicante, Carlos Casas. The global figure "represents a growth of 22% over the 1,651 homes last quarter, which were already the highest figure since the start of the pandemic, and a considerable 52% over the 1,325 in the first quarter of 2022. Very positive data for the sector”.
This growth has led to a 12% increase in the number of homes started in the last 12 months, which went from 5,768 in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 6,460 in the current one. It stands at 90% of the 2019 figure, recovering 9 points and 692 homes in a single quarter, the largest increase since the start of the pandemic.
Global data from last year showed a slowdown in growth, as the number of housing starts in the previous 12 months went from 5,618 to 5,768. “This could be due to the uncertainty caused by the war in Ukraine and the rise in inflation. But these new data reveal that confidence is recovering, probably because the most negative forecasts that were made a year ago have not come true”, says Casas.
