Increasing and accelerating housing supply, tackling homelessness, ending rough sleeping and progressing Scotland’s 20-year housing plan are key priorities for Housing Minister Paul McLennan.
On his first public visit as Housing Minister, Mr McLennan visited the Letham Mains housing development in Haddington and saw first-hand how Scottish Government funding is supporting local councils and housing associations to deliver energy-efficient homes that meet the needs of communities across Scotland.
Outlining his priorities, Mr McLennan said: “My aim is for everyone to have a warm, safe, affordable home that meets their needs and these 37 new social rented homes in Haddington by East Lothian Council, supported by £2.2 million of Scottish Government funding, will make a real and lasting difference to the lives of the new residents.
“Housing to 2040 sets out the vision for what we want Scotland’s homes and communities to look like. That includes ensuring people have access to green space and essential services, and putting an end to fuel poverty and homelessness.
“Scotland has led the way in delivering affordable housing across the UK, with more than 118,000 homes delivered since 2007 and we are committed to delivering on our target of 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which at least 70% will be available for social rent and 10% will be in our remote, rural and island communities.
“I am well aware of the global issues affecting construction which are impacting housing delivery. I am confident, however, that with the continued support of our partners we can achieve our shared goal of delivering more affordable homes for the people of Scotland.
“Scotland has the strongest rights for homeless households in the UK and we are looking to strengthen these further – taking steps to reduce stays in temporary accommodation, eradicate rough sleeping and prevent homelessness from happening in the first place.
“We are also taking steps to make the right to an adequate home a reality, tackle high rents and increase stability for those in the private rented sector and give local authorities the tools they need to improve access to housing in their local areas.
“I look forward to working with all partners in the coming months as we redouble our efforts to support a robust and strong housing system for now and the future.”
East Lothian Council’s Cabinet Spokesperson for Housing and Property Maintenance, Councillor Andy Forrest, said: “I was pleased to welcome the Housing Minister to this latest phase of the wider development at Letham Mains, which is providing 800 much-needed new homes for this area including affordable housing and, of course, the new Letham Mains Primary School.
“Letham also includes a local centre, community facilities and transport links. This site forms part of the council’s general commitment to build almost 2,000 new affordable homes between now and the financial year 2026/27.
“East Lothian Council is fully committed to preventing and tackling homelessness and welcomes continued engagement with the Scottish Government, and now with our new Minister, to jointly address housing issues and pressures specific to East Lothian.”
Tommy Stirling, Production Director for Taylor Wimpey East Scotland adds: “We are pleased to have had the opportunity to meet the new Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, during his visit to Letham Mains.
“We are proud of our long and established relationship with East Lothian Council, which has and continues to deliver much-needed affordable homes locally at Letham Mains, Haddington. This visit was a great opportunity for the Minister to see first-hand the high-quality affordable homes that we are building.”
Housing to 2040 is Scotland’s long-term strategy for housing. It was developed following extensive engagement with the housing sector, wider stakeholders and the public, and sets out a vision for what th eScottish Government wants Scotland’s homes and communities to look like by the end of 2040.
GRANTON Information Centre welfare rights advisers Elvira and Pui-Kei will be delivering an advice and information session tomorrow at Royston Wardieburn Community Centre.
Come along if you have any questions about debt/benefits or housing!
Living standards will be improved for thousands of residents in Edinburgh after Councillors agreed a £173 million spending package to upgrade and build new homes.
At a meeting of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work committee on Thursday (9 March), decisions made during February’s budget meeting were built upon to agree a comprehensive spending programme for the year ahead.
Under the plans for the 2023/24 Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital Programme an extra £50m will be invested compared to last year. This will continue the city’s pipeline of new builds and ramp up capital investment into existing homes, including innovative energy efficiency upgrades.
The council is one of the first local authorities in Scotland to pilot a ‘whole house retrofit’ approach and this will be adopted fully in 2023.
This will focus on improvements to the fabric of buildings and energy performance including design and development work for at least four multi-storey blocks.
Retrofitting will not only help with issues like damp but help to lower tenants’ fuel costs and support Edinburgh’s net zero carbon by 2030 commitment, with largescale rewiring, roof replacements, new kitchens, bathrooms, windows, and doors due to be identified.
The spending programme is also set to involve improvements to common areas and stairwells, adapting homes in response to people’s health needs and transforming derelict sites and void properties into much needed new homes for tenants and people experiencing homelessness.
Councillor Jane Meagher, Convener of the Housing, Homelessness and Fair Work Committee, said: “More than 3,000 older homes all over the city are set to benefit from improvements – making them greener, safer, and more accessible for generations to come. Our capital housing programme is about spending money where it is most needed so that we can help as many residents as possible live well in safe, warm homes.
“That means making council homes more energy efficient which will help to drive down bills. It means building brand new homes in response to the huge demand we’re seeing, and we need to keep listening to our tenants so that we can invest in those areas which will make the biggest difference to people’s lives.
“Post-pandemic, Brexit and in the face of a cost-of-living crisis and war in Ukraine, it remains a challenging time for residents, for council budgets and for construction at large. Like everyone else we’ve seen our running costs rise, but we must remain committed to tackling Edinburgh’s twin housing and homelessness crises. We also need to improve the standard of the housing we provide.
“I’m proud that, despite many pressures, we’ve had agreement from the Chamber to invest so substantially this year. As we move forward, we’ll need to continue to work with partners and make our case to the Scottish Government to maximise funding opportunities and keep our longer-term plans on track.”
The capital budget is prepared annually, following consultation with tenants and regular review of the council’s Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Strategy. It is shaped by tenants’ and elected member priorities, the most pressing maintenance and improvements needed to keep homes modern and safe, statutory requirements and the commitments outlined in the council’s Business Plan.
Guidance setting out private rented sector landlords’ responsibilities for ensuring their property meets updated standards has been published.
From 1 March next year, all private rented properties will be required to have central heating, a kitchen with adequate space and facilities to prepare and store food, and common areas that are safe to use and properly maintained.
Properties will also need a circuit breaker device that reduces the risk of electrocution and fire. Existing requirements for safe gas and electrical systems will be extended to other types of fuel. Similar standards are already in place in the social rented sector.
The guidance also covers the action landlords must already take to prevent damp and mould.
Housing Secretary Shona Robison said: “Landlords have one year to meet our updated Repairing Standard, which will improve the condition of private rented property, make homes safer and ensure consistency between the social and private rented sectors.
“The majority of private landlords will already be meeting these standards. The guidance published today will help landlords better understand their responsibilities and ensure those who do need to carry out works can do so in advance of the 1 March 2024 deadline.
“All rented homes are required to meet standards that ensure they are free from damp and mould, and this guidance will help us to ensure this happens in the private rented sector.”
Harbour Homes is working with Cairn Housing Association to create 306 homes at Granton Harbour (Plot S), which are due to welcome their first tenants in autumn 2023. There will be 96 affordable properties for Harbour Homes to provide social housing and 130 Harbour Lettings homes for mid market rent. The remaining 80 properties will be social rent homes for Cairn Housing Association.
A seven-bedroom independent living home and office space with an adjoining one-bedroom flat are also being built for Dean and Cauvin Young People’s Trust to support people in the care system. Dean and Cauvin provide accommodation for young people (from ages 15-21) as well as supporting their transition to living independently.
Pamela Kidd (left), Chief Executive at Dean and Cauvin and Harbour Group Chief Executive Heather Kiteley (right).
Following a visit to the site Heather Kiteley, Group Chief Executive of Harbour (formerly Port of Leith Housing Association), said: “This development is going to offer so much to the local community in Granton and continue our dedication to providing affordable homes in Edinburgh.
“The progress that has been made at this site is great to see and I can’t wait to see the finished high-quality homes.”
Jason MacGilp, Cairn Housing Association Chief Executive, commented: “It is great to see the progress of this important development and we are looking forward to its completion this year.
“Our thanks go to the contractor team at CCG for their hard work on this high-quality scheme. Cairn are delighted to be working in partnership with Harbour Homes and with the City of Edinburgh Council to make a positive contribution to meeting housing needs and the wider regeneration of the waterfront.”
Young adults who visited the site and will be moving into Dean and Cauvin’s unit said: “We’re looking forward to fewer stairs, better beds, having double glazing and having better showers. Excited to be the first group of people to be staying there. Great that it’s next to the seaside!”
Staff from Dean and Cauvin commented: “There will be nicer conditions for staff and it will be good to have a nicer sleep-in room for staff.
“The new office being on the ground floor will mean it is closer to the main living space so everyone can stay connected. It should feel much more like a home. Bigger windows will allow in more light and fresh air.
“We’re most excited about having a laundry room and a nice dining area for everyone to eat together and socialise. It’ll be nice to have a purpose-built space just for us.”
(PICTURED – TOP L-R) Meg Deasley (Director of Property Services, Cairn), Rachel Fraser (Development Officer, Harbour Homes), Jason MacGilp (Chief Executive, Cairn), Heather Kiteley (Harbour Group Chief Executive), Gordon Cameron (Director of Group Operations, Harbour) and Susan Wilson (Development and Regeneration Manager, Cairn).
LAR Housing Trust’s impressive redevelopment of a formerly empty building in Niddrie, Edinburgh, into six two-bedroom flats for people with specialist housing needs has been shortlisted in this year’s Finders International 12th Scottish Empty Homes Awards.
The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership announced that the project, which was by LAR in partnership with City of Edinburgh Council and Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, is a finalist for the ‘best retrofit of an empty home’ award.
In its submission, LAR said its development of the building which had been empty for seven years “will make a significant and life-changing impact for its tenants, some of whom have been hospitalised for two decades.”
The awards celebrate the impactful and transformative empty homes work undertaken across Scotland, recent statistics revealed almost 43,000 homes are lying empty and bringing even some of these back into use, can be a cost-effective way to help ease pressure on supply challenges.
Award winners will be announced on Wednesday 1st March 2023 at the 12th Scottish Empty Homes Conference, which will be held at the Engine Shed in Stirling, as well as being streamed online for digital participants.
Shaheena Din, National Project Manager, Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, said: “It has been incredibly difficult for the Advisory Group to choose finalists for this year’s awards as the quality of entries is very high, and we thank all those who took the time to submit nominations.
“The nominations demonstrate how empty homes work often involves creative problem solving and has a real impact on issues related to housing and the strengthening of communities.
“We look forward to showcasing the work of outstanding projects and individuals across the Scottish housing sector at the awards next month. Well done to our finalists and we look forward to announcing the winners in March.”
Public Sector Development Manager for Empty Homes, Muhammad Uddin from Finders International, who are the awards sponsor for the conference, said: “We are really impressed by the calibre of entries and shortlisting the nominations was not an easy task.
“It just demonstrates the level of innovation and initiative in the Scottish empty homes sector and we are proud to be involved in the awards.”
Finalists and winners will be presented with wooden plaques handmade by social enterprise Clydesdale Community Initiatives (CCI) at the conference.
Tickets for the 12th Scottish Empty Homes Conference are available via Eventbrite:
Finders International are the gold sponsor of the conference, with Auction House Scotland, Fraser & Fraser and Brodies LLP as silver sponsors, and Online Property Auctions as bronze sponsor.
East Renfrewshire is the mainland authority with the highest growth at 17.7%
2022 makes history with the largest number of high-value homes sold
Edinburgh one of six areas with values increased by 10% or more
Scott Jack, Regional Development Director at Walker Fraser Steele, comments:“If we step back for a moment and look at 2022 overall, it has been a record year for housing transactions in Scotland – all the more significant if we consider the performance of house prices over the last couple of years which have seemingly inexorably climbed.
“When we consider the rise in prices since the start of lockdowns back in March 2020, the average house price over that period has risen £41,700 (or 22.7 per cent). If we look at consumer prices measured by the CPIH over the same period, house prices have comfortably outperformed price growth elsewhere.
“Our data looks at the entire market which includes the significant volume of cash purchases north of the border and supports the view expressed in the RICS Residential Market Survey for December and January which indicated that prices are generally remaining resilient in Scotland. A frequent observation is that there remains a lack of suitable properties coming on to the market, which creates competition for those that are available, which helps in turn support current price levels.
“If we focus specifically on December, we can see the impact of the rising cost of borrowing. The average house price in Scotland continued to rise during December, although the increase was a modest £63. Average prices have now reached £225,520, which is some £14,800 – or 7.0% – higher than a year earlier. This sets another new record average price for Scotland, the tenth to occur in 2022.”
Table 1. Average House Prices in Scotland for the period December 2021 – December 2022 (The prices are end-month smoothed over a 3 month period) (Link to source Excel)
Commentary: John Tindale, Acadia Senior Housing Analyst:
The December housing market
Average house prices in Scotland continued to rise during December, although the increase was a very modest £63. Average prices have now reached £225,520, which is some £14,800 – or 7.0% – higher than a year earlier. This sets another new record average price for Scotland, the tenth to occur in 2022.
Indeed, if we look at the change in values since the start of the pandemic in March 2020 – when the average house price in Scotland was £183,853 – there has been an increase of some £41,700 or 22.7% to the end of December 2022. This compares favourably with the increase in consumer prices of 15.4%, measured by CPIH, over the same period. Property prices have thus risen in real terms over the last nearly three years.
Looking at the first six months of the monthly rates of change in house prices in Table 1 on page 3, the total amounts to 5.3%, which contrasts with the 1.5% increase in monthly rates during the second half of 2022.
This is a clear demonstration of the cooling in the housing market that has taken place over the last six months. However, what we can also see is that, with the exception of August 2022, the movement in prices has remained positive, which indicates that demand for properties still exists – even if it has softened from the levels seen earlier in the year.
As we show on page 7, sales of high value properties have continued throughout 2022, at a pace which exceeds that of 2021 – which year had itself set new record levels, almost 90% higher than the total number of high-value properties sold in 2019.
The RICS Residential Market Survey for December and January both indicated that prices are generally remaining resilient in Scotland, which contrasts with negative movements to the south in England. A frequent comment among surveyors in Scotland is that there is a lack of properties coming on to the market, which creates competition for those that are available, generally maintaining existing price levels. We wait with considerable interest to see what 2023 has in store.
Annual change
The average house price in Scotland in December 2022 has increased by some £14,800 – or 7.0% – over the last twelve months. This annual rate of growth has marginally decreased from November’s revised 7.1%, but only by the smallest of margins. In fact, prices in December increased by just £63 in the month, but an increase is an increase, and somewhat remarkably this rise established yet another record average house price – £225,520 – for the tenth month this calendar year.
In December 2022, 29 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland saw their average prices rise above the levels of twelve months earlier, the same number as in November. The three areas where values fell over the year were, in descending order, Aberdeen City (-5.4%), Scottish Borders (-3.0%) and Stirling (-0.7%).
Aberdeen City has now fallen by nine places over the year to 24th in terms of its ranking of average prices compared to the other 31 local authorities in Scotland. This month in Aberdeen City, flats have experienced the largest fall in value, from an average £120k in December 2021 to £105k one year later.
The area with the highest annual increase in average house prices in December 2022 was the Shetland Islands, where average values have increased by 19.5% over the year. In the Shetland Islands, detached property values have seen the highest rise over the year, from £190k in December 2021 to £240k twelve months later, but this is based on a relatively small number of transactions.
On the mainland, the highest annual increase was in East Renfrewshire, up by 17.7%. This increase has been assisted by the sale of a £2.3 million detached property in Giffnock, some nine miles to the south of Glasgow. The property is the most expensive home to have been sold in East Renfrewshire in the last five years.
On a weight-adjusted basis, which incorporates both the change in prices and the number of transactions involved, there are five local authority areas in December which accounted for 51% of the £14,800 increase in Scotland’s average house price over the year. The five areas in descending order of influence are: – Edinburgh (25%); Glasgow (11%); East Renfrewshire (5%); North Lanarkshire (5%); and South Lanarkshire (5%).
Monthly change
In December 2022, Scotland’s average house price rose in the month by just £63, or 0.0% This follows November’s rise in prices of some £1,100, but it does at least remain positive.
In December 2022, 17 of the 32 Local Authority areas in Scotland experienced rising prices in the month, which is the same number as in November. Of the 17 local authorities with price increases, 8 are in the top 16 areas when ranked by price, with 9 being in the lower half of the market. The distribution of those with price rises is therefore evenly matched between the higher- and lower-priced areas in Scotland.
The area with the largest increase in average prices on the mainland in December was Moray, up by 4.9%. This month, the increase in the average price in Moray was helped by the sale of a six-bedroom detached home, set in eight acres of land, located some 1.5 miles to the west of Elgin. It sold for £1.1 million which is the second most expensive property in Moray in 2022. It had previously been sold in June 2010 for £800k, which works out at an annual compound gain of 2.6%, over the period.
Peak Prices
Each month, in Table 2 above, the local authority areas which have reached a new record in their average house prices are highlighted in light blue. In December, there are 6 such authorities, down from the 8 in November. Scotland itself has also set a new record average house price of £225,520 in the month.
Scotland transactions of £750k or higher
Table 3. The number of transactions by month in Scotland greater than or equal to £750k, January 2015 – December 2022 (Link to source Excel)
Table 3 shows the number of transactions per month in Scotland which are equal to or greater than £750k. The threshold of £750k has been selected as it is the breakpoint at which the highest rate of LBTT becomes payable.
There were 114 such transactions recorded by Ros during the month, with 70 relating to December 2022, 34 to November 2022 and a further 10 from earlier months, increasing the number registered to date in 2022 to 1,198.
This total already exceeds that of 2021, with a further 30 or so properties likely to be added to the total next month. Thus 2022 has proven to be the year with the largest number of high value sales in Scotland’s housing history.
Indeed, on the relatively safe assumption that a further 10 sales will be added to the December 2022 total, we can say that such sales in 2022 exceeded those in each month of 2021, except for March and June.
It may be recalled that March 2021 was the last month in which the LBTT tax-holiday applied in Scotland – which explains the higher number of sales that occurred in that month. Similarly, June 2021 was the last month of the SDLT tax-holiday in England – which wouldn’t have saved money for those buying a property in Scotland, but may have acted as an incentive for those moving to Scotland from England, so as to maximise the value of the home being sold.
Table 4 (next) provides a listing of the local authority areas ranked by the number of sales in excess of or equal to £750,000 for the years from 2018 – 2022.
Transactions analysis
Figure 2 below shows the monthly transaction count for purchases during the period from January 2007 to December 2022, based on Ros (Registers of Scotland) figures for the Date of Entry (December 2022 totals are based on Ros Application dates).
The graph starts in 2007, which was something of an exception, with close to 150,000 domestic property sales in the calendar year. The 2007 sales total is the largest of the last 18 years, although the period from 2004 to 2006 came close, with an average 139,000 sales on an annual basis.
However, during 2008 the banking industry began to suffer its credit crisis, with home loans becoming difficult to obtain, especially for first time buyers. Accordingly, the number of housing transactions fell to approximately 70,000 per year over the period from 2009 to 2012.
Normality was slowly restored from 2013, with sales rising to a yearly average of 87,500 over the period from 2013 to 2015, rising to an average 102,000 sales per annum from 2016 to 2019.
The effect of the Covid pandemic – which started in March 2020 – can be clearly seen on the graph. Housing transactions in April 2020 plummeted with the arrival of the pandemic, to be followed by a slow rise in sales as confidence began to return. Then followed a period when sales exceeded previous levels, from September 2020, as lifestyle changes and the LBTT tax-holiday pushed up demand – especially for properties with space to allow for working from home.
Figure 2. The number of sales per month recorded by Ros based on entry date from 2007 – 2022 (Link to source Excel)
In Figure 2, three peaks can be seen after March 2020: in October 2020 (pent-up demand from the low transaction levels earlier in 2020) and March and June 2021 (LBTT and SDLT tax-holidays encouraging sales in both Scotland and England). In the first eleven months of 2022, transaction levels have averaged 8,563 sales per month, which closely matches the average 8,610 sales per month recorded in the first eleven months of 2019 – the last full year prior to Covid.
Heat Map
The heat map below shows the rate of house price growth for the 12 months ending December 2022. As reported above, 29 of the 32 local authority areas in Scotland have seen a rise in their average property values over the last year, the three exceptions being Aberdeen City, the Scottish Borders and Stirling. The highest increase on the mainland over the twelve months to December 2022 was in East Renfrewshire at 17.7%. 6 of the 32 local authority areas had price growth of 10.0% or higher – four fewer than in November 2022.
Maximalism, eye-catching colours and unbridled joy are key themes adorning the inside of David Wilson Homes’ newly launched show home at Cammo Meadows in the north-west of Edinburgh.
As the region’s only three-storey show home, the three-bedroom Ashworth from the five-star housebuilder showcases multifunctional rooms fit for modern family living, designed by leading interior specialists Show Business.
A palette of bold, energetic colours has been used throughout the home, invoking feelings of cheerfulness and happiness – acknowledging a key interior trend for joyful, uplifting and mood boosting spaces recently identified by Wunderman Thompson in its annual trend report.
And with various paint brands proclaiming shades of red as their 2023 “colour of the year”, including Pantone’s Viva Magenta, a deep rose shade was selected for the ground-floor family dining room, working as both a grounding neutral and a touch of drama, complemented by a calming teal shade on the opposite wall. Relaxed textures create a laid-back feel to the room, including wood, soft accessories and fur throws.
Interior showhome photography of The Ashworth at David Wilson Homes Cammo Meadows development in Edinburgh
Alix Riding, creative account manager at Show Business said:“Personality is key when it comes to styling a three-storey home, due to the vast amount of space.
“In this particular home we injected some fun and humour into the rooms with styling pieces such as artwork featuring jumping dogs and children’s artwork, as well as canvasses covered with splashes of paint to add a playful element.
“Pulling colours from wallpapers is a good guide when choosing cushion colours, and don’t be afraid to mix and match different patterns as this adds to the theme of fun and playful.”
Interior showhome photography of The Ashworth at David Wilson Homes Cammo Meadows development in Edinburgh
Upstairs, subtle touches of maximalist wallpaper make a statement, including animal print in the family bathroom and striped wallpaper on the stairwell. To demonstrate the flexible nature of a three-storey house, the first-floor lounge with Juliet balcony takes an escapist “getaway” style to invoke a sense of calm above the hustle and bustle of family life downstairs.
On the top storey of the house is the main bedroom with en-suite, which features smooth velvets and panelled walls to create a well curated, smart feel with a wow factor.
Interior showhome photography of The Ashworth at David Wilson Homes Cammo Meadows development in Edinburgh
Anne Ross, sales director at David Wilson Homes East Scotland, part of Barratt Developments Scotland, said:“We’re really excited to reveal the east of Scotland’s first ever three-storey show home at Cammo Meadows, featuring three uniquely designed floors created for modern family living and with the latest design trends in mind.
“The house sits within a lovely community in the north-west of Edinburgh, less than ten minutes to the beach and just six miles to the city centre.”
House hunters are welcome to tour the show home at Cammo Meadows to get a feel for the property first-hand, as well as discover the surrounding area. A mix of three and four-bedroom homes are available, with David Wilson Homes offering incentives including up to £30,000 towards a mortgage, deposit or moving and running costs.
Modern building methods and materials also mean owners of new build homes can enjoy savings of up to £2,600 per year on energy bills, according to the HBF “Watt a Save” report published October 2022.
A new report by the Scottish Housing Regulator highlights that some councils are finding it increasingly difficult to fully meet their statutory duties on homelessness, particularly providing temporary accommodation to people experiencing homelessness.
The report highlights that councils are making considerable efforts in very challenging circumstances to deliver effective services and some have had success in moving toward an approach with rapid rehousing at its centre.
The Regulator also found that there is an emerging risk of systemic failure in their homelessness services.
The report sets out three main strategic challenges facing councils in providing services to people experiencing homelessness: dealing with the number of people in temporary accommodation; maintaining an adequate supply of temporary accommodation; and ensuring homeless people have sufficient access to permanent housing.
John Jellema, Assistant Director Of Regulation, said: “Some councils are finding it increasingly difficult to meet these challenges, and so to fully meet their statutory duties. This includes difficulties in ensuring that people with particular equality characteristics – such as single women and children – have temporary accommodation options that meet their needs.
“There are actions councils can and should take to respond to these challenges, and there are other improvements to services they can make. All councils should continue best efforts to meet their statutory obligations.
“The Scottish Government has put in place a wide range of policy actions aimed at achieving the goal of ending homelessness in Scotland. Having said that, the Scottish Government may need to consider what further urgent measures it can take to support councils to respond to the immediate challenges they face in delivering services for people who are homeless.”
Shelter Scotland has responded to yesterday’s report by the Scottish Housing Regulator, outlining the emerging risk of systematic failure within local authority homelessness services, particularly in securing temporary and permanent accommodation.
The report supports Shelter Scotland’s continued messaging that Scotland is in a housing emergency, and that the supply of more social homes must be prioritised by the Scottish Government.
It shows that councils are making considerable efforts in very challenging circumstances to provide homelessness services, however, are finding it increasingly difficult to meet their statutory duties in the provision of temporary and permanent accommodation.
The report highlights three major strategic challenges councils are facing: dealing with the significant numbers of people currently in temporary accommodation; maintaining a sufficient supply of appropriate temporary accommodation; and ensuring access to the number of permanent homes that are needed.
The report calls on the Scottish Government to consider what further urgent measures it can take to support councils to respond to the challenges they face in delivering services for people who are homeless.
It also notes that some households do not always receive a service that meets their specific needs, further demonstrating that the system is broken and biased.
In its Scottish Housing Emergency Action Plan last year, Shelter Scotland outlined three key priorities as the most critical to tackle the housing emergency: buy and build 38,500 social homes by 2026, fully fund local authority homelessness services and guarantee the right to a permanent home for every household.
Shelter Scotland Director, Alison Watson, said: “The Scottish Government know how to fix homelessness and the wider housing emergency in Scotland.
“As indicated in this report, an adequate supply of permanent, affordable housing provided by councils and RSLs is vital in ending homelessness.
“Over the years they have been presented with endless evidence and testimony that investing in social housing ends homelessness, tackles child poverty and is crucial in fighting the housing emergency. Yet, they are choosing to look the other way as thousands of families continue to struggle.
“If ever there was a clearer message from the sector that the time to act is now, this is it. The Scottish Government must recognise that its choices to ignore the housing emergency will have devasting consequences for the fight against homelessness.”
A major milestone has been reached on a flagship, net zero carbon housing development in Edinburgh as the first homes are now under construction.
Located on Waterfront Avenue in Granton, ‘Plot D1’ will comprise over 70 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments alongside several commercial units. The apartments will be rented as social housing owned and managed by The City of Edinburgh Council or to households on low to middle incomes at a ‘mid-market’ rate that is lower than private rental rates.
The development will form a significant part of the ongoing £1.3bn regeneration of Granton’s waterfront and will set a roadmap for the future of net zero carbon housing delivery in Scotland.
This is the first of three confirmed pilot projects being delivered by The Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) – a programme providing an innovative approach to building affordable net zero carbon homes at scale.
The Scottish Government-backed programme has engaged a community of research and development experts to show how affordable net zero carbon homes can be created at scale across the six local authorities within the Edinburgh and Southeast City Deal Region.
Glasgow-based contractor and manufacturer CCG (Scotland) is leading construction of the ’Plot D1’ site on behalf of The City of Edinburgh Council alongside a design team of architects, engineers, and energy consultants.
The firm is leveraging the Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) concept of offsite manufacturing on the pilot project. Standardised panels have been manufactured in CCG’s factory, transported to site, and positioned with the use of two cranes. This has resulted in a much quicker and efficient build, with one storey a week being completed on the Granton site.
This innovative combination of techniques will be evaluated by the EHD programme and will inform the development of a blueprint for procurement, quality standards, and cost that can be used across the sector to create affordable net zero communities.
The homes are designed to reach as close to net zero carbon as possible, with the aim of lowering energy demands, eliminating carbon emissions, and improving the living environment for residents. Renewable technologies such as a communal Air Source Heat Pump System and the use of solar PV panels will combine with the home’s enhanced building fabric to achieve the net zero standard of performance.
City of Edinburgh Council Leader, Cammy Day, said: “The future of housebuilding is happening here in Edinburgh, where we are proud to lead the biggest and most innovative net zero carbon development in the country.
“The pilot itself is helping to create and support jobs in green industries like offsite sustainable manufacturing. This is exciting to see and something our wider regeneration of Granton will build on.
“What we are doing with our partners at the Granton Waterfront is truly trailblazing and will see the community become a test bed for future innovation, skills development and much needed employment opportunities – all while pioneering 75 new net zero carbon affordable homes.”
Calum Murray, CCG (Scotland) Director and EHD Board Member, said:“CCG are pioneers for offsite manufacturing in Scotland. We operate from one of the UK’s most advanced facilities and use technological procedures to create homes in a controlled setting that are inherently designed to deliver an enhanced quality standard and minimise heat loss.
“For Granton D1, we will then integrate our entirely renewable energy system onsite. This uses several measures developed in partnership with Carbon Futures that combine with this improved standard of build to achieve our net zero target.
“The EHD programme is key to helping us to reach that target and this milestone at Granton D1 will be one of many along the way. It will be an exciting journey and one in which we are delighted to be playing our part alongside the Council and our trusted partners.”
Ainslie McLaughlin, Chair of the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator Programme Project Board, said:“The homes are quickly taking shape thanks to the offsite manufacture of key components.
“The productivity gains and speed of construction delivered by offsite MMC make it an important solution in the delivery of net zero carbon homes, especially to meet the demand for affordable housing. Scotland has both the capability and resources to scale this up, there is real opportunity here.”
The programme is delivered by multiple stakeholders including partners from The City of Edinburgh Council, Offsite Solutions Scotland, Edinburgh Napier University, the University of Edinburgh, Scottish Futures Trust, and Built Environment – Smarter Transformation (BE-ST) and is funded by the Scottish Government’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme and The City of Edinburgh Council.
