UK office, shop and warehouse construction plunges to 11-year low as costs soar

Construction across the office, retail and industrial sectors was down by 21% at the end of the third quarter compared with a year earlier, according to CoStar. Photograph: Peter D Noyce/Alamy

Construction of offices, shops and warehouses in the UK has fallen to the lowest level in more than a decade amid rising build costs and general uncertainty.

All commercial sectors have been hit, with construction across office, retail and industrial sectors down by 21% to 5.85m sq metres (63m sq ft) in the third quarter compared with a year earlier, according to the latest data from CoStar.