Builders bullish

House builders are also in confident mood, buying greenfield sites and recycling buildings. Barratt has bought 26 sites within the M25 in the past year, including 23-acres from an Enfield hospital. Its other locations include a waterside plot in Chiswick, two more in Docklands, and sites in Mill Hill, Sutton and Kingston upon Thames. It has also bought two office buildings at Wapping and Tower Bridge to convert into flats.