A residential development in Shawfair, south of Edinburgh has been rescued from collapsed developer, Stewart Milne to be successfully delivered by independent property developer, Dundas Estates.
Dundas has recently completed the purchase of a site on the well-established Shawfair development six miles south of the city, which boasts excellent road and rail links into the heart of the capital, as well accessibility to the airport and nearby motorway network.
Construction will shortly commence to build 59 homes, the properties will consist of a mix of 3 to 6 bed homes. By stepping into the project, Dundas has committed to delivering high-spec homes that exceed industry standards – with the aim of delivering the first homes by late autumn 2024.
As a new neighbourhood on the edge of the city, Shawfair offers a mix of local retail and community health facilities, as well as 3km of cycle paths that easily connect homeowners to the train station, schools and Park & Ride.
Craig Fairfoull, Sales & Marketing Director at Dundas, said: “We appreciate there may have been unexpected challenges and uncertainties faced by prospective homeowners engaged with the previous developer.
“However, our primary goal is to make the transition as smooth as possible, and we urge those who had reservations with Stewart Milne for one of these plots to contact us immediately.
“We aim to deliver these much-needed homes in the coming months, allowing prospective buyers to finally move into the homes they have been looking forward to.”
The development will see Dundas complete various house types that remain similar in style and specification to the previous developer, including terraced, semi and larger detached homes.
Dundas was supported through the acquisition of the site by solicitors Anderson Strathern.
Dundas Estates are an award-winning and independent Scottish homebuilder, prides itself on crafting homes that enhance the well-being of its valued customers. It emphasises creating inclusive communities and strives to simplify, enrich, and add enjoyment to the home-buying experience.
Dundas is asking potential buyers who may have reserved a plot with the previous developer to contact them at sales@dundas.co.uk to speak to a member of the sales team to discuss options further.
Today (Tuesday 9 July), the Regulator of Social Housing published regulatory judgements for five social housing landlords in England.
Bristol City Council, Guildford Borough Council, Octavia Housing and Sheffield City Council have each failed to meet RSH’s new consumer standards, which were introduced on 1 April 2024 as part of a series of changes to its role, intended to drive landlords to deliver long-term improvements for tenants.
Cambridge City Council has not met RSH’s rent standard and as a result overcharged around 3,600 tenants.
Following investigations into each landlord, RSH found that:
Bristol City Council could not evidence that it is meeting carbon monoxide safety requirements for over 22,000 homes (out of 26,700 total homes). It also reported 1,900 open damp and mould cases, more than 16,000 overdue repairs and 3,000 overdue fire safety actions. In addition, the council does not have up-to-date data about the condition of tenants’ homes.
Guildford Borough Council has around 1,700 homes without an up-to-date electrical condition report (out of 5,200 total homes), and it could not provide evidence that it has completed around 1,300 fire safety actions. In addition, it has not collected Tenant Satisfaction Measures from tenants, which all social landlords are required to do.
Octavia Housing currently has 1,200 overdue fire safety remedial actions across its 5,000 homes. It was unable to provide evidence that it is meeting other health and safety requirements and it does not hold complete and accurate records for safety inspections.
Sheffield City Council had around 10,000 outstanding repairs across its 38,500 homes and, between January and April 2024, more than 90% of disrepair cases were outstanding for extended periods. RSH also found evidence that the council does not have an accurate record of the condition of tenants’ homes.
Cambridge City Council has previously overcharged around 3,600 tenants (half the total number) as a result of rent-setting errors over a prolonged period. The overcharge is estimated to be around £3.2 million.
All of the landlords are working to address these issues and put things right for their tenants, and RSH is working with the landlords proactively as they do this.
Bristol City Council, Guildford Borough Council, Octavia Housing and Sheffield City Council have each been given a C3 grading by RSH, which means there are serious failings and they need to make significant improvements. This is the first time RSH has published consumer gradings for social landlords, following the changes to its role in April 2024. RSH does not give gradings in relation to the rent standard.
Kate Dodsworth, Chief of Regulatory Engagement at RSH, said: “Landlords must provide safe and decent homes for tenants, have an effective complaints process, and put things right when there are problems. The judgements we published today show that each of these landlords have issues which they need to address promptly.
“All landlords need to make sure they deliver the outcomes in our standards and inform us when there are material issues. Our new approach to regulation, which started in April, gives us new tools to scrutinise landlords’ performance and, where there are issues, drive them to deliver long-term improvements for the benefit of tenants.”
The judgements are a result of RSH’s responsive engagement. This is where RSH investigates information that is referred by landlords, tenants and other stakeholders.
Separately, RSH is also carrying out planned inspections of all large social landlords (those with over 1,000 homes) over a four-year cycle. RSH expects to publish the outcomes of the first inspections later in summer 2024.
University of Edinburgh invests further £1 million through Social and Sustainable Capital to enable UK charities and social enterprises to provide homes for service users
The University of Edinburgh has announced further investment of £1 million in a social housing fund. Managed by Social and Sustainable Capital, the SASH II fund loans charities and social enterprises the finance to purchase residential properties, which are then leased to people at risk of homelessness.
The University hopes to build on the success of its previous £1 million investment in the first Social and Sustainable Housing Fund (SASH I), which raised £64.5 million and supported 20 social impact organisations across the UK.
SASH II aims to continue the success of the first fund, helping more organisations to provide decent homes for vulnerable people.
Over £35 million has been committed to date, with The Scottish National Investment Bank investing £15 million for allocation to Scottish organisations.
Life-changing impact across Scotland
The Scottish organisations supported by the SASH I portfolio were Simon Community Scotland, the Positive Steps Partnership and the social enterprise Homes for Good Glasgow.
Using a £5 million loan from SASH I, Simon Community Scotland purchased 15 properties across Edinburgh, providing affordable accommodation for up to 30 vulnerable adults at risk of homelessness.
This has been life-changing for Greig, a tenant of the Simon Community Scotland Homes scheme in Edinburgh. He said, “Having a new home has changed my life in so much of a great way. I’ve got so much freedom to go out walking, to do my artwork – and I feel it’s helping with my mental health as well.
Dundee’s Positive Steps Partnership, is a charity helping ex-offenders and adults suffering drug addiction to transition from prison release to independent living. The £1.8 million investment from SASH I enables the Positive Steps Partnership to purchase 30 properties across Dundee for its service users.
Homes for Good Glasgow is an award-winning social enterprise, using the £3.5 million loan from SASH I to purchase 47 properties in Glasgow and Ayrshire, providing quality rented accommodation for people living with mental health issues, family breakdown and recovery from drug dependency.
Investing for social good
Announced in 2019, the University’s Social Investment Fund has invested £8 million in funds that deliver a social benefit alongside a traditional financial return.
Dave Gorman, Director of Social Responsibility and Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh said, “As values-driven institutions with commitments to social and civic responsibility, universities can use their finances to address social issues, whilst generating a return on investment.
“That has been the mission of our Social Investment Fund. We are delighted to support SASH II, having seen the positive impact that affordable housing can bring to vulnerable people here in our city and across Scotland.“
Mark Bickford, CEO of Social and Sustainable Capital said, “We are looking forward to building on the success of SASH I with fantastic, people-first organisations – all delivering significant social impact.
“We’re pleased to receive further investment from the University of Edinburgh, which demonstrates the potential of universities as social impact investors.
Alongside the University and the Scottish National Investment Bank, investors in SASH II include Better Society Capital, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Church of England’s Social Impact Investment Programme, Ceniarth, and Ogelsby Charitable Trust.
Leading UK homebuilder, Miller Homes is launching a brand-new development in Edinburgh this Saturday (22 June), bringing 152 homes, including 39 affordable, to a popular residential area just south of the bustling capital.
Edgelaw View will comprise a mix of two-bedroom apartments, three-bedroom townhouses and three and four-bedroom family homes, providing buyers of all ages and stages in Edinburgh with plenty of choice when it comes to new build homes. The development follows the success of Edgelaw, Miller Homes’ 2019 development in the area, and aims to meet the demand for energy efficient homes within easy reach of Edinburgh.
In a move towards helping buyers live sustainably and reduce energy costs, each Miller home at the new Edgelaw View development will come with solar panels and the development will feature electric vehicle charging points.
Speaking about the upcoming launch, Regional Sales Director for Miller Homes Scotland East, Neil Gaffney said: “We’re excited to start selling homes at Edgelaw View and make our return to the area after the huge success of Edgelaw.
“The new development has something for a wide range of buyers, whether they’re looking to get a foot on the property ladder, upsize to a larger home, or downsize to a convenient location near Edinburgh. Given the demand for new homes near the city centre, we’re expecting a big uptake on the styles released for sale this weekend so would encourage buyers considering a move to register their interest now.”
The first homes at Edgelaw View, which are currently being built, will be ready to move into later this year, and buyers will get the chance to explore Miller Homes’ only townhouse showhome in Scotland when it opens early 2025.
Edgelaw View is being sold from Miller Homes’ Carberry Grange development, located off Whitecraig Road, Whitecraig, East Lothian EH21 8PG.
To be kept up to date with the latest news on Edgelaw View, or to find out more about the upcoming development, visit www.millerhomes.co.uk.
Help for first-time buyers across the country on low to medium incomes
A scheme to help first time buyers and certain priority groups step on to the property ladder has reopened for applications.
The Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) scheme is available across Scotland to first-time buyers on low or medium incomes who cannot afford the full price of a home.
Successful applicants will be able to buy a home without having to purchase it in full, usually between 60% and 90% of the property’s value, with the Scottish Government owning the remaining share.
Social Justice Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Taking the first step on to the property ladder can be difficult for some, especially during the cost of living crisis where we have seen inflation and interest rates push house prices up.
“We recognise that and by reopening the OMSE scheme we are giving help to as many people as possible to own an affordable home by creating a level playing field with other buyers.
“I would encourage anyone who is either a first-time buyer or in one of the priority groups to consider applying through the scheme.”
On Thursday, (6th June), the Scottish Minister for Housing, Paul McLennan, visited Longniddry Village, an award-winning development from Places for People and Cruden Homes in association with Wemyss and March Estates.
Located on the East Lothian coast, the development’s current success represents the value and positive influence of multi-tenure communities in Scotland.
During the Minister’s visit, he met representatives from the development and discussed how working together on mixed-tenure developments like Longniddry Village enables the creation of thriving communities and provides solutions to Scotland’s housing crisis, where 110,000 households are currently on the waitlist for social housing.
In research recently commissioned by Places for People, three-quarters of Scotland respondents believe new developments should be multi-tenure and over 80% believe they should offer community facilities, such as cafes, restaurants, and shared social spaces.*
Named ‘Large Development of the Year’ at the Homes for Scotland Awards 2023, Longniddry Village comprises affordable housing as well as homes for private sale. This not only appeals to a range of prospective buyers, from first-time buyers to downsizers but also helps to support Scotland’s vision for everyone across the country to have a safe, warm, and affordable home that meets their needs.
The Minister’s visit involved a tour of Longniddry Village, where he saw the first phase of the development, which showed the delivery of outright sale, affordable rented housing, and older living properties.
This was followed by a tour of the ambitious conversion of the historic Longniddry Steading where a number of the commercial space are nearing completion, followed by the second phase of residential development, where he could see Longniddry Village’s mid-market rent offering and plans for other sales tenures.
Places for People understand placemaking and have successfully delivered mixed-tenure communities of blended development before, such as Tornagrain in the Scottish Highlands. The organisation understands that by focusing on this way of building it can remove the stigma of social housing and act as another way to address the housing crisis.
Colin Jack, Production Director for Places for People comments:“It was wonderful to show the Scottish Minister for Housing around Longniddry Village, where he could see our progress and witness the growing and friendly mixed-tenure community, who are enjoying their new homes in this idyllic setting.
“However, our main topic of discussion remained on the current housing crisis, and how we can work collaboratively to deliver the new homes required. With an overwhelming number of households on the waiting list for social housing, we need to find solutions that can support developers to build at the scale and pace required to address our housing shortages.
“At Places for People, we are committed to building new homes as we see it as our responsibility and will look to deliver 2,500 new affordable homes across Scotland in the next five years. As a social enterprise, all our profits are recycled back into the organisation, so we can focus on helping those struggling the most to meet their living needs.”
Housing Minister Paul McLennan said: “The new mid rent homes at Longniddry Village will play a valuable role in boosting Scotland’s affordable housing supply.
“Everyone deserves a warm and safe place to call home and these high-quality, energy efficient properties will help to meet the needs of the local community for generations to come.”
PICTURED: L-R: Martin Andrews, Factor at Wemyss & March Estates; Housing Minister, Paul McLennan; Colin Jack, Production Director at Places for People; Fraser Lynes, Managing Director at Cruden Homes; Edward Taylor, Taylor Urbanism)
Citra Living, part of Lloyds Banking Group, is to bring 87 new, high-quality homes to the rental market in Edinburgh following its latest deal with Barratt Developments.
Citra, which owns and operates a growing portfolio of more than 2,000 homes across the UK, has acquired 66 apartments and 21 colony-style houses from the UK’s largest housebuilder at its Heron Bank scheme in the north of the city.
The deal sees Citra take on a range of one, two and three-bed homes at the 115-home development which is nearing completion in the city’s Bonnington area. The homes are a short walk to the many shops, cafes and restaurants of Leith and the open spaces of a number of local parks, including the Royal Botanical Gardens.
The first phase of homes will be available to rent from next month.
Heron Bank is located on South Fort Street near the Water of Leith and represents the successful regeneration of a previously disused steel works and builder’s yard. The former brownfield site is also less than two miles from Edinburgh city centre, including the capital’s UNESCO-recognised Old and New Towns and nationally connected Waverley train station.
The acquisition is part of the strategic partnership formed between Citra and Barratt Developments in 2021 with the aim of improving access to high quality homes for UK renters. To date, the partnership has contracted to deliver more than 1,500 homes across the UK, with this latest deal following Citra’s acquisition of 156 new family homes at Barratt’s Winnycroft scheme near Gloucester last month.
Andy Hutchinson, chief executive officer of Citra Living, said: “Our focus continues to be bringing forward high quality new homes and delivering a positive rental experience in places where people want to live.
“Brownfield regeneration has a huge part to play in the UK’s housing mix, and this scheme highlights how new life can be breathed into a disused site to grow the residential offering in what is already a thriving and well-connected area.
“It’s pleasing to see the continued success of our partnership with Barratt, which has consistently created high-quality homes for our customers. Anticipating our first customers arriving this summer, we look forward to the new residential community at Heron Bank taking shape.”
Alison Condie, managing director at Barratt Developments East Scotland, said: “Barratt Developments is proud to be continuing its partnership with Citra Living by providing much-needed rented accommodation in one of Edinburgh’s most vibrant areas.
“With current conditions in the market, it’s more important than ever that we look at a spectrum of options when it comes to the development of homes. By transforming brownfield sites such as Heron Bank, we’re unlocking land that would otherwise lie dormant, providing further investment into the Leith community.”
Midlothian becomes fifth local authority with average property prices above £300,000
Average Scottish house price now £223,525, up 1.4% on February, up 1.9% annually
Scott Jack, Regional Development Director at Walker Fraser Steele, comments: “In March, average property prices in Scotland increased by 1.4%, or almost £3,000, following a five month decline.
“This was a far stronger performance than that witnessed in the English and Welsh markets. Scotland’s average house price is currently just over £223,500, which is about £300 less than its high price from June 2023.
“This significant turnaround speaks volumes about the negligible movement we have seen in recent months.
“Four authorities—Midlothian, Argyll and Bute, Falkirk, and Inverclyde—achieved new heights in terms of their regional average values and the total number of local authorities reporting rising prices was twenty-one, the highest since May of last year – another clear and welcome sign that the market is beginning to stabilize.
“Of particular note is the 1.5% increase for Midlothian which made it the fifth local authority with average property prices above £300,000.
“It’s too early to assume the cost of living pressures are abating but mortgage pricing has been keen over the last couple of months as lenders fight for borrowers. With a general election due this year, we know housing is a key issue for voters and we may yet see some further promises made to buyers and owners before a vote later this year. That would give further impetus to this positive trajectory.”
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Housing market commentary
After falling for five months in a row, average house prices picked up in March by 1.4%, some £3,000, and a positive outcome compared to markets in England and Wales. Scotland’s average house price now stands a little above £223,500, that is within £300 of its peak level reached in June 2023. The seemingly marked turn-round speaks volumes about the narrow tramlines within which the market has moved over the past year.
Figure 1. Weakness in prices appears to have ended
Scotland’s brief flirtation with annual price falls last December has been short-lived. The market swung firmly back into positive territory in March, climbing by more than £4,000 and 1.9% from a year earlier, as Figure 1 shows. This is the strongest performance in more than a year and compares favourably with that seen south of the border over recent months.
Table 1. Average prices in Scotland for Mar 2023 – Mar 2024
Local Authority prices
Table 2. How prices in March 2024 compare
Twenty one local authorities experienced rising prices in the month – the highest number since May last year and a further sign that the housing market is stabilising. Higher values helped four authorities – Midlothian, Argyll and Bute, Falkirk and Inverclyde – to reach new peaks.
The five most expensive local authorities all reported higher prices in March, albeit marginally so in the case of East Lothian. A 1.5% increase for Midlothian made it the fifth local authority with average property prices above £300,000.
Figure 2. How prices have changed between March 2023 and March 2004, by local authority
As can be seen from the heat map, in March the vast majority of local authorities (24) reported stronger prices than a year ago, the highest number since February 2023.
Inverclyde reported a double-digit percentage increase in prices over the year for the second month in a row. That said, we would not read too much into these figures, distorted as they are by a period of price weakness the year earlier.
Transactions analysis
Figure 3. Monthly sales over the most recent year compared with a year earlier
The housing market has been lacklustre over much of the past year. For 2023 as a whole, sales totalled 91,600 properties, which is 12% down on 2022 and not much above the Covid-induced lows of 2020.
But the headwinds have eased over the past few months, helped by more attractive mortgage pricing and easing cost-of-living pressures. As can be seen in Figure 3, monthly sales are no longer lagging materially below year-earlier levels.
A positive shift in market sentiment helped lift sales in January marginally above those in January 2023 and sales for both February and March appear to be closely tracking year-earlier levels. Sales of property in the capital and of properties worth more than £750,000 already appear to be modestly outpacing the corresponding 2023 numbers.
For the time being, it is hard to know whether this is just a degree of stability returning to the market or a more significant recovery story.
Sales are still down on pre-Covid levels and market confidence is likely to be sensitive to changing market expectations of interest rates and political uncertainties.
However, without doubt analysts’ expectations of significant price falls across Scotland, Wales and England in 2024 have fallen away over the past few months and forecasts have been revised upwards to suggest Scotland may see modest price growth over the year.
While there remain uncertainties around interest rates and mortgage pricing, there is a general sense that the worst is behind us. The pent-up demand that built up over 2023 and into 2024 is beginning to come through and that should be reflected in prices.
There may also be a move by the UK government to help support first-time buyers in the run-up to the General Election which could add further momentum.
Level of opposition falls from 41% to 20% if new homes affordable for local people
Support for new homes on brownfield land 20 points higher than for those elsewhere
This polling supports CPRE’s campaign for the redefinition of ‘affordable’ housing in line with local incomes and its calls for a brownfield-first national housebuilding policy.
New polling by YouGov, commissioned by CPRE, the countryside charity, has revealed that half of people who object to new housing in their local area would support them if the homes were affordable to people on average local incomes.
Whereas 41% said they did not want to see the construction of more homes close to where they live, that proportion fell to 20% if those homes were locally affordable.
So-called ‘affordable’ housing, which can currently cost anything up to 80% of market rates, is usually anything but. CPRE is calling on the government to redefine the term in housing policy and link it directly to local incomes.
The results of the poll, carried out by YouGov, show that this change would encourage many people to support developments to which they would previously have objected.
The poll also showed an increase in support for new homes from 50% to 71% if they were built on brownfield land. There are enough ‘shovel-ready’ brownfield sites in England for 1.2 million new homes.
Building them could provide people with genuinely affordable housing – close to where they already live, work and go to school – and protect the countryside at the same time.
This is a major endorsement of the brownfield-first house building policy, which is critical to reducing the need to build on Green Belt land that could otherwise support nature restoration and other environmental benefits such as flood defences.
Developments in the Green Belt have been shown to underdeliver on affordability, while research published by CPRE in 2023 showed social homes accounted for less than 5% of those built on Green Belt land.
“The Green Belt is the countryside next door for 30 million people in the UK. It should be improved and protected to help us tackle the major environmental challenges we face, not covered with large, car-dependent ‘executive’ homes that local people neither want nor can afford.
CPRE chief executive Roger Mortlock said: ‘The results of this poll tell us that people want new homes to be affordable for local people and built on brownfield sites. Both are possible with enough political will and we want to see all parties make strong pledges to deliver that.
‘We need to move away from the idea that people in the countryside are against development. They want the same things as everyone else: housing on a scale and at a cost that’s appropriate for their local community that respects environmental limits.
“Land is this country in a finite resource and our countryside is working harder than ever to meet the multiple environmental and social challenges we face.
“For new housing we should prioritise inner-city brownfield development, urban densification and regeneration of towns, delivering the homes we need today while safeguarding the countryside for future generations to enjoy.’
