<p>Housebuilding starts are set to rise 20.9% this year, according to the Construction Products Association’s (CPA) construction industry summer forecast.</p> <p>According to CPA’s predictions, starts will then rise by 9% in 2022. This is despite the government’s planned ending of the stamp duty holiday at the end of September and changes to the Help to Buy scheme, the organisation said.</p> <p>It added that the forecasts were supported by housebuilders’ continuing reports of strong housing demand and house price inflation.</p> <p>“The outlook is particularly strong for houses outside major cities, owing to shifts in working patterns, and is likely to remain so for the next six to nine months at least according to housebuilders,” CPA said.</p> <p>Meanwhile, private housing output in 2021 is predicted to rise 16% to £35.5 billion against 2020 and increase 8% to £38.4 billion in 2022. This is above the pre-pandemic output of £38.1 billion in 2019.</p> <p>But, commenting on the CPA’s latest forecast, its economics director Noble Francis highlighted ongoing material shortages and corresponding price increases, which remained a “key constraint” as well as the availability of skilled labour.</p> <p><span>He said: “The sharp recovery for both UK construction and also in places such as the US, …