But latest Savills data shows total commercial development activity slowed slightly in March

Projects

Development activity in the retail and leisure sector reach a record high in March, data from property agent Savills shows.

Savill’s monthly survey data showed a net balance of 32% of respondents reporting a rise in retail and leisure activity, the highest score the survey has reported for the sector since 2003.

Total development activity slowed slightly in March.

A net balance of 31% of survey respondents reported increasing activity, down from 36% in February.

Simon Collett, head of building and project consultancy at Savills, said:“The all time survey high in private retail and leisure activity indicates that developer confidence has started to move beyond the core office and industrial markets.â€

The survey also showed that developers remained optimistic about the future with a net balance of 30% saying they expected growth over the next three months. This compared with a net balance of 35% of respondents who said the same thing in February.

All three of the regions (London, the South East and the rest of the UK) reported a growth in activity in March, as they have done every month for the past 19 months.