Housebuilder Persimmon said it had seen an improved order book and is encouraged by the UK government’s planning reforms.

Net private sales rate per outlet per week improved to 0.67 in the first nine weeks of this year, up 14% on the previous 12 months.

Combined with a 3% increase in the private average selling price to £288,542, the current private forward order book of £1.15 billion is 27% higher year on year.

The company said it is targeting 11,000-11,500 completions in 2025, compared with 10,664 in 2024.

Underlying pre-tax profits rose 10% to £395.1 million.

Chief executive Dean Finch said: “The underlying market fundamentals remain strong and we are encouraged by the further improvement in our sales rates in the early weeks of this year.

“The Government’s welcome planning reforms and pro-housebuilding agenda demands more of the high-quality, affordable homes which are Persimmon’s core strength, providing a positive tailwind.

“With our strong platform in place, we are targeting further growth this year and are confident the business will grow margins, returns and shareholder value over the medium term.”