Figures released by the order of Engineers of Beirut & Tripoli show that the number of construction permits reached 5.813 in the first four months of 2014, constituting a rise of 3.2% from 5.633 in the same period of last year and compared to a 0.7% increase in the first four months of 2013. Mount Lebanon accounted for 43.1% of the number of construction permits in the covered period, followed by South Lebanon with 16.9%, Nabatieh with 12.9%, the North with 12.4%, the Bekaa with 9.6% and Beirut with 5.1%.
Further, the surface area of construction permits issued in the first four months reached 4.6 million square meters (sqm), constituting an increase of 10.7% from the same period of last year and compared to decreases of 12.2% in the first four months of 2013 and 9.7% in the same period of 2012. Mount Lebanon accounted for 2 million sqm or 44.2% of total construction permits in the covered period. It was followed by the North with 867,085 sqm (18.7%), South Lebanon with 532,861 sqm (11.5%), Beirut with 465,851 sqm (10.1%), Nabatieh with 371.147 sqm (8%) and the Bekaa with 346.332 sqm (7.5%).
In parallel, cement deliveries totaled 1.2 million tons in the first quarter of 2014 and rose by 7.3% annually relative to an increase of 13.7% in the same quarter last year and a drop of 4.2% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2012.
Lebanon This Week – Byblos Bank
26 May