New home permits fall

A SLUMP in apartment approvals saw home building permits fall 9.4 per cent in August, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

The latest Building Approvals report showed permits to build houses fell by 1.9 per cent from a month earlier, but it was a 17.2 per cent drop in apartments approvals that contributed most to the total decline.

The value of buildings approved also fell 9.5 per cent in August after a 6.9 per cent rise in July, again, dragged down by the decrease in apartments being approved.