Housebuilding offers "immense" opportunities for growth and could help the UK avoid another recession, according to the Berkeley Group.<br> <br> Releasing a report from Ernst and Young which shows the potential impact of housebuilding on the economy, Berkeley revealed that in 2012 it added more than £2.6 billion to the country's economic activity, a 25% rise on its performance in 2011. This equates to a contribution of more than £1 billion to the UK's GDP. The firm also supported 16,000 jobs last year, creating 4.5 jobs per home built.<br> <br> Over the five years from 2008 to 2012, Berkeley contributed £1.1 billion in UK tax, building 13,000 new homes and creating £245 million in section 106 agreements. This year, it plans to deliver homes for more than 10,000 people.<br> <br> "If one company can achieve this just think of the potential at a national level," said Rob Perrins, Berkeley's md.