Category Archives: Building Plans

A total of 134 building plans were approved by the City of Windhoek in February. This is a decline in the number of plans approved on a monthly basis when compared to the 153 building plans approved in January. In monetary terms, the approvals were valued at N$78 million, a significant decrease of N$191.3 million compared to last month. 214 Buildings with a value of N$60.1 million were completed during February. The year to date value of approved building plans currently stands at N$347.2 million, 19.9% higher than the corresponding period in 2017. On a twelve-month cumulative basis, 1,979 building plans were approved, an increase of 16.8%, worth approximately N$2.25 billion.

The largest portion of building plan approvals was once again made up of additions to properties, from both a number and value perspective. Year to date 237 additions to properties were approved with a value of NS273.3 million, 65.0% more in value terms, and 51 more than the number of additions observed in the corresponding period in 2017.

New residential units were the second largest contributor to building plans approved with 41 residential units approved year-to-date, four more than the corresponding period in 2017. However, in monetary terms, N$56.3 million worth of residential plans were approved, 31.8% lower than the first two months of 2017.

The number of new commercial units approved so far in 2018 amounted to 9, valued at N$17.6 million. This compares to 8 units valued at N$41.5 million approved over the same period in 2017. On average over the last 20 years, 9.8 commercial units valued at N$52.2 million were approved in the first two months of the year (this figure is not inflation adjusted).

From a 12-month cumulative perspective, 1,979 building plans have been approved by February, an increase of 16.8% when compared to the corresponding period in 2017. This increase is positive news, as building plans approved is a leading indicator of economic activity in the country and implies that the Namibian economy is starting to show signs of recovery. The recent announcement by Moody’s to keep South Africa’s credit rating at investment grade has provided the South African Reserve Bank with space to reduce interest rates. The SARB’s 28 March MPC meeting saw the first rate cut of the year with the possibility of further cuts as the year progresses. This lower cost of debt will bring some relief to businesses and consumers alike.

A total of 153 building plans were approved in January, representing a 32% m/m increase from the 116 building plans approved in December. In value terms, approvals increased by N$170 million from December’s N$100 million to N$269 million in January. January 2018 is getting off to a slower start in terms of the 153 plans approved, compared to January 2017 in which 171 building plans got the nod. In value terms however, January 2018 fared slightly better than January 2017, approving N$10 million more plans than the N$259 million approved in January 2017.  For completions, the y/y statistic paint a rather skewed picture given that the increases are calculated off a rather low base. Looking from a rolling 12-month perspective, a 50% increase in the number of completions is more reflective of the state of building plan completions which equates to 640 worth N$674 million.

Additions to existing properties made up the largest portion of the total building plan approvals in terms of both number and value. For the month of January 129 building plans were approved worth N$233 million, 49% more in value terms than in January 2017, although the number of plans approved dropped by almost 10%.

New residential units were the second largest contributor to the total building plans approved in January. Approvals for new residential units for January 2018 were 32% lower than they were in January 2017. 17 new units worth N$25 million were approved in January 2018, representing a 60% decline from the N$62 million approved in the first month of 2017.

The number of new commercial units approved in January amounted to 7, valued at N$12 milion. Almost the same number of approvals in January 2017 were worth N$40 million. On a rolling 12-month cumulative basis, the number of approvals contracted by 35% y/y, a trend that has been on the decline since March 2016.

The 12-month cumulative number of building plans approved ticked up slightly in January with a 4.6% y/y increase. A total 1,903 building plans to the value of N$ 2.2 billion were approved and represents an increase in value terms of 4.7% y/y. The number of building plans approved, on a cumulative 12-month basis, has been on the decline for the greater part of 2017. Depressed consumer and business confidence are pronounced by economic indicators such as building plans statistics. Consumers and institutions are currently under pressure and this is further amplified by the slowdown in the extension of credit to the private sector. There is optimism that rests squarely on interest rates that might offer some respite to the consumers and corporates alike. Inflation has moderated well within the SARB’s target band and the new political landscape provides for greater market sentiment and belief that SA will not be downgraded by Moody’s. Coupled with the need to kickstart a much-desired economic recovery might just set the scene for interest rates to be cut in SA and thus affording BoN the opportunity to follow suit.

A total of 116 building plans were approved in December and represents a 50.6% m/m decline from the 235 building plans approved in November. In value terms approvals decreased by over N$70 million, registering approvals worth N$100 million in December. The 2017 calendar year saw the City of Windhoek approve 1,923 building plans which is an improvement on the 1,761 approved in 2016. In value terms 2017 was a better year than 2016 as well, with cumulative approvals amounting to N$2.19 billion. In value terms 2017 approvals exceeded 2016 approvals by N$219 million, an 11.1% y/y increase. of the number of building plans completed in 2017 amounted to 532, with 86 of those plans completed in December. This is a 25.5% y/y increase from the 424 building plans completed in 2016. N$591 million was spent on completions in 2017 which is only a 0.7% increase from the N$587 million worth of completions done in 2016.

Additions to existing properties perennially make up most of the total building plan approvals and 2017 was no exception. Cumulatively 1,583 additions were rendered to properties in 2017, an 11.6% y/y improvement on the 1,418 additions in 2016. The 2017 calendar year also registered a 15.8% y/y increase in terms of value with regards to additions. N$1,071 billion was spent this year in comparison to N$925 million the previous year.

New residential units were the second largest contributor to the total building plans approved in 2017. 290 new residential units were approved in 2017, 26 units or a 9.8% y/y increase in new residential approvals. In value terms, N$422 million worth of new residential units were approved, a 25.1% increase on the previous year.

The number of commercial and industrial building plans approved in 2017 amounted to 50 units, worth N$697 million. Although there is a 36.7% decrease in the number of approvals compared to 79 recorded in 2016, it is offset by a N$215 million increase or 44.6% y/y rise in the value of commercial unit approvals that provides for some optimism. While 2017 registered better for commercial and industrial units than in 2017, this does in large have to be credited to one sizable project approved in May 2017 valued at over N$500 million. The inclusion of this building plan does provide a relatively skewed view of the strides made in 2017 and if it were to be stripped out, 2017 would rather show a contraction compared to 2016.

The 12-month cumulative number of building plans approved closed off 2017 positively with a 9.2% y/y increase. A total 1,923 building plans were approved in 2017 valued at N$ 2.2 billion. Though 2017 was an improvement on 2016, the number of approvals have been tapering off since its peak in 2013. Weaker consumer and business confidence was evident in the slowdown in private sector credit extension and various other high frequency indicators. As at November 2017, the rolling 12-month private sector credit issuance stood at N$3.8 billion with consumers taking up more than 90% and the remaining 10% issued to corporates to the value of N$468 million. This viewed in conjunction with the depressed level of new commercial and industrial units approved shows that business has not taken up capital projects that would aid in economic recovery, which is so direly needed. This was exacerbated by the tumultuous year that the construction sector faced with the slow payment if invoices, derailing many projects and leading to widespread retrenchments.