The City of Windhoek approved a total of 250 building plans in April, representing a 9.6% m/m increase from the 228 building plans approved in March. In monetary terms, the approvals were valued at N$234.1 million, a 48.1% m/m increase. 199 buildings with a value of N$93.12 million were completed during April, a 1.2% m/m decrease in value terms. Year-to-date building approvals are 65.9% and 15.0% higher in number and value terms, respectively than during the same period in 2020. This increase is however mostly due to stagnant construction activity during the lockdown last year. Year-to-date, the number of completed buildings increased by 44.7% y/y to 495, while the value of these completions rose marginally by 8.3% y/y from N$276.3 million in 2020 to N$299.4 million in 2021. On a twelve-month cumulative basis, 2,608 buildings with the value of N$1.94 billion were approved, an increase of 39.8% y/y in number, and 7.2% y/y in value.
In terms of the number of approvals, additions to properties once again made up the majority of approvals. In April, 166 additions to properties were approved with a value of N$93.0 million while 168 additions worth N$60.0 million were completed during the month. The number of approvals has been ticking up steadily since January. These approvals are however of lower relative value.
New residential units were the second largest contributor to the total number of building plans approved in April, and the largest contributor in value terms. 80 new units worth N$129.5 million were rubber-stamped in April, representing a 49.1% m/m increase from the N$86.9 million worth of approvals in March. On a 12-month cumulative basis, residential units recorded a 108.3% y/y increase in value. 31 new residential units worth N$33.1 million were completed during the month, representing a decrease in value of 36.2% m/m.
Four new commercial units, valued at N$11.6 million, were approved in April, translating to a 65.8% m/m increase. Year-to-date, there have been twelve commercial building approvals valued at N$26.1 million, which is 50.0% lower in number terms and an 89.4% decrease in value terms compared to the same period last year. On a rolling 12-month perspective, the number of commercial and industrial approvals have slowed to 29 units worth N$110.3 million as at April, compared to the 57 approved units worth N$654.2 million over the corresponding period a year ago. No commercial and industrial units were completed in April.
