Henry Boot “quietly confident” about prospects for 2013

In a trading update for January 1 to May 10, the Sheffield-based company said that it continues to trade in line with expectations at this early stage of the year.

The group said that provided that activity continues at current levels, it remains “quietly confident” about prospects for the company in 2013.

The statement added: “We have concluded several transactions in the period.

“We have also received good levels of interest and achieved anticipated pricing on the sites disposed of, and are continuing to witness relative price stability with, optimistically, some upside potential.”

Henry Boot said that the housing market “continues to improve across the country although there are still significant areas, particularly in the north, where the market remains challenging”.

It said it is too soon to determine whether the Budget announcements relating to the wider availability of mortgages for first time buyers now, and all parties next year, will have a significant impact on the land market.

But the group said that the Coalition Government has tried to alleviate mortgage difficulties for first time buyers which, in turn, should increase the confidence of the national house builders.