Consultation launched on unlocking development
Views are being sought on measures to speed up the delivery of new homes as part of the Scottish Government’s response to the housing emergency.
The measures would help accelerate building on sites allocated for development or which have planning permission. They include fiscal incentives to discourage delays and initiatives to fine tune the system to work better for SME housebuilders.
The 2026-27 draft Scottish Budget includes record funding of £926 million for the affordable housing supply programme and a national housing agency, More Homes Scotland, is being set up to help meet the housing need.
Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said: “Since 2007, the Scottish Government has supported the delivery of 141,000 affordable homes, including 101,000 for social rent.
“But we know that Scotland urgently needs more homes and planning permission is already in place for a significant amount of housing land. We need to encourage construction to start or re-commence on those sites.
“This consultation seeks views on how incentives, clearer expectations and – where appropriate – stronger interventions could help local authorities, developers, landowners and communities undertake and complete more housing developments, more quickly. It builds on existing work to tackle stalled housing sites, support public sector led development, and strengthen planning capacity across Scotland.”
The Accelerating Home Building in Scotland consultation is open for responses until 30 April.
