The number of permits for new dwellings dropped by 12.7 per cent in the third quarter of this year from the same period last year, the NSO said on Tuesday.
It said 384 building permits for a total of 1,827 new dwellings were approved. When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2022, the number of building permits decreased by 13.9 per cent while the number of approved new dwellings decreased by 12.7 per cent. The average number of new dwellings per building permit stood at 4.8.
The majority of new dwellings approved during the third quarter of 2023 were apartments (1,337), followed by penthouses (276), maisonettes (141), terraced houses (61) and other residential units (12). “Other” dwellings incuded bungalows, farmhouses and villas.
When compared to the corresponding quarter of 2022, the number of new dwellings approved in Malta decreased by 6.5 per cent while those in Gozo decreased by 35.5 per cent.
The highest number of approved new dwellings will be built in St Paul's Bay (222), followed by Mosta (110), Birkirkara (107), Qormi (85) and Sliema (82).