Output in the construction industry fell 0.6% in the 3 month on 3 month time series; driven mainly by a 0.9% fall in all new work, representing the first 3 month on 3 month fall in construction output since September 2016.

Construction output also fell month-on-month in April 2017, dropping 1.6%; driven by falls in both repair and maintenance, and all new work.

The fall in all new work in April 2017 was somewhat offset by a sizeable rise in infrastructure, which grew by 5.7% compared with March 2017.

Construction output for Quarter 1 (Jan to Mar) 2017 has been revised up, from 0.2% to 1.1%; this will lead to a 0.05 percentage point revision to gross domestic product (GDP), all else equal.

New orders increased by 0.7% in Quarter 1 2017, following 2 quarters of decline. This increase was driven by rises in both private housing and private commercial work.