Housebuilding volumes could drop by around 35% this year, according to a forecast by planning consultant Barton Willmore.

The firm, which modelled the impact on current housebuilding output if the coronavirus provokes an equally severe recession to that experienced after the 2008 global financial crisis, predicted that the number of homes completed could fall to 160,000 this year from in excess of 240,000 in 2019/20.

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