The value of building permits issued by municipalities declined in July as construction intentions for industrial buildings lost ground from June’s very high level, Statistics Canada said today.

Towns and cities issued builders $5.3 billion worth of permits in July, down 2.3% from June.

The agency says the value of non-residential permits amounted to $1.9 billion, a 12.7% decline from June that was solely the result of a decrease in industrial permits.

In June, a burst of industrial projects in Alberta sent the value of non-residential permits over the $2.0-billion mark for only the sixth time.

However, construction intentions rose for both commercial and institutional projects.

In the residential sector, the value of permits totalled $3.4 billion, up 4.6% from June as the demand for new housing increased for both single-and multi-family dwellings.

“A new record high in the value of housing permits in Alberta inflated the national figure,” Statistics Canada said. “If Alberta had been excluded from the total, the value of housing permits would have remained virtually unchanged in July.”