housing – Page 63 – The NEN – North Edinburgh News

Hi Ho! Work starts on Craigroyston site

Work on one of Scotland’s largest ever housing-led regeneration projects started in North Edinburgh this week and children from Craigroyston Primary School joined city council Housing leader Councillor Cammy Day and community representatives to lend a hand on the old Craigroyston High School site earlier today.

A total of 719 high quality private and affordable homes will be built as part of the Muirhouse and Pennywell area master plan.

The Pennywell development will be delivered by the Council’s 21st Century Homes programme and will lead to 356 homes becoming available for social and mid-market rent over the next six years.

Urban Union will sell the remaining 363 homes privately. Delivered in four phases, the first phase will see 193 homes, of which 108 will be for the Council, being built by the end of 2016.

The project will also deliver a number of community benefits, including jobs and training through apprenticeships and work placements.

An Arts Strategy for the regeneration is being developed and Urban Union recently appointed North Edinburgh Arts to take this forward. Other plans for the area include a play area, park, a community garden and landscaping.

Cllr Day said: “I’m delighted that the work on this development, in partnership with Urban Union, is under way at last and it’s great to see the children from Craigroyston here. They will be here to see the benefits of the area’s regeneration, and may even move into new homes themselves.”

Janice Russell, Director of Urban Union, said: “We are now looking forward to moving on site and progressing with one of Scotland’s largest and most significant homes-led regeneration projects.

“As well as homes, the Pennywell project is also set to deliver a huge range of benefits – including apprenticeships and construction jobs as well as an innovative artworks strategy which will all deliver wider opportunities for the local community.

“Most importantly, we now want to build on the high level of community engagement which has already taken place in the development of the masterplan for the area. There will be opportunities for the community to be involved in finalising the plans for public spaces as well creating a range of community enterprises and partnership working.

“Our track record in Scotland shows we are 100% committed to community engagement and we look forward to developing strong local partnerships which will form the cornerstone of our development street.”

Roy Douglas, chairperson of the Muirhouse and Salvesen Community Council, said: “The local community will be really happy to see that the work on this major project is starting. The development is a vital step forward in the regeneration of this area and will bring vital jobs and low-cost housing.”

Last week, the city council announced that a record amount of affordable homes are being built in Edinburgh, delivering more than 1,200 quality, low-cost places to live in 2013/14.

The Council, working with housing associations and house builders, invested £142m of public and private funding in house building over the past year generating £107m for the local economy, and support for more than 1,900 jobs.

As of March 2014, 1,000 homes were under construction – and building more affordable homes remains a key priority. Councillor Day said: “The fact that this has been another record year for the provision of affordable homes in Edinburgh despite the economic climate is excellent news. Residents have the right to access quality, sustainable housing in their local communities and we are working hard to make this happen.

“However, it’s important that we keep up the momentum and continue to work with partner agencies to provide new housing each year. Demand for housing that people can afford to rent or buy will continue and we are committed to meeting this need, as well as supporting the local economy.”

More support for new home buyers

Scottish Government increases ‘Help to Buy’ funding

An extra £40 million will be invested in a scheme that helps people get on the housing ladder for the first time or move to a new property, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon confirmed yesterday.

The Scottish Government’s Help to Buy (Scotland) initiative has allowed more than 1,100 people to buy a new home since its launch in September 2013.

This latest financial boost brings the overall investment to £275 million – investment that has brought much needed financial support to the Scottish construction sector.

The scheme helps people to buy a new-build house from a participating home builder without having to fund all of the purchase price. The buyer is required to contribute a five per cent deposit, with the Scottish Government taking an equity stake of up to 20 per cent of the value of the property.

The buyer then receives the outstanding sum through a repayment mortgage from a participating lender, repaying the Scottish Government’s equity stake when they can financially afford to do so.

So far 156 house-builders have signed up for the initiative, with six mortgage lenders offering mortgages to buyers wanting to benefit from it.

Ms Sturgeon said: “This additional £40 million funding will allow more people in Scotland to buy their first home and continue to make it easier for ‘second-steppers’ and others to move to a new property.

“Since it launched in September last year, our Help to Buy scheme has already helped over 1000 households into home ownership and this additional funding will benefit even more families.

“It is also bringing much needed economic growth to Scotland by supporting our housing industry and creating employment opportunities. This is alongside our continued commitment to investing in affordable housing for communities across Scotland.”

New Homes for Scotland Chair Sandy Adam said: “A significant proportion of new homes are now sold through Help to Buy, delivering on the Scottish Government’s key objectives of providing more homes, creating more jobs and stimulating the economy.

“Additional investment, such as that announced today, and longer term support assisting developers with investment planning will help the industry to, quite literally, build on the scheme’s initial success and step up production to the levels required to meet housing need across all tenures.

“But this welcome boost for Help to Buy (Scotland) is valuable in another way. Many people in Scotland want to own their own home. Raising aspiration and confidence in this way can only be achieved through initiatives such as this.”

Housing payment cap powers to be transferred

More help for 72,000 Scottish households

Thousands of Scots families can be given more ‘Bedroom Tax’ assistance following discussions between the Westminster and Scottish governments. The UK government has offered to transfer power over the housing payment cap to Holyrood, it was announced yesterday.

Housing help for people on benefits – known as Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) – is currently reserved to Westminster and administered by local authorities in Scotland. This power will now transfer to Scotland, however, and the Scottish Government is now urging Westminster to transfer these powers as soon as possible.

The Scottish Government has already spent up to the previous legal limit in order to mitigate the effects of the ‘Bedroom Tax’. Once the powers are transferred, a total of £50 million can be invested to help the 72,000 households in Scotland who are suffering from the effects.

Welcoming the news, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said:

“We had already set aside the money to be able to help every household in Scotland affected by the ‘Bedroom Tax’ – once we have the powers, we will be able to use it and provide vital assistance to thousands of hard-pressed Scots.

“I am delighted that in future anyone who has been affected by this unfair policy will receive the help they need and would encourage them to contact their Local Authority to apply for assistance through the DHP scheme.

“We will never turn our back on people in need, and I am pleased to finally be able to get on and help people. But the fact is that this decision has taken far too long. We have been pressing since January for Iain Duncan Smith to remove this cap – and at last Westminster has seen sense and have given us what we requested. We will now work to ensure the law is changed as quickly as possible.

“The DHP scheme is the only legal way – under the powers that Scotland currently has – to provide regular financial payments to people on housing benefit. But the only way to get rid of the ‘Bedroom Tax’ for good is through the powers of an independent Scottish Parliament.

“We know that Scots want welfare decisions to be made and taken by the Scottish Parliament. The ‘Bedroom Tax’ has been rejected by people right across Scotland, yet is still being imposed on us by the UK Government.

“With independence we will have the opportunity to create a welfare system that really works for us.”

However the UK Government says that their willingness to transfer the power to set the cap on Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) in Scotland demonstrates a ‘commitment to taking a pragmatic approach to devolution and to engaging intensely with local authorities in Scotland.’

In a letter to Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland Office Minister David Mundell has offered to transfer the power to the Scottish Government through a Section 63 Order which will require the agreement of the UK and Scottish Governments before being approved by both the UK and Scottish Parliaments.

If the Scottish Government chooses to accept this offer, it will have the flexibility to pass on more funding from its existing block grant to local authorities – it will be up to to the Scottish Government and local authorities how they choose to allocate their money.

As things currently stand, DHPs can be used by local authorities across Great Britain to provide additional funding for people in receipt of housing benefit who need extra support. At present each local authority must operate within a formula-based spending cap set by the Department for Work and Pensions. The proposal from the UK Government would mean that the Scottish Government would have the power to set the DHP cap for Scottish local authorities in future.

Mr Mundell said: “I have completed a programme of visits to all Scottish local authorities and believe that transferring this power to the Scottish Government is the correct thing to do.

“The UK Government believes in taking a pragmatic approach to devolution and we believe in a United Kingdom that gives Scotland the best of both worlds. I hope that officials from both governments will now be able to take this forward.”

Doors open at Great Junction Street

Great Junction Street development launched

Port of Leith Housing Association and subsidiary company Persevere Developments Limited’s latest development has been officially opened by Malcolm Chisholm MSP.

The new affordable housing development at Great Junction Street consists of 32 high quality and energy efficient homes – nine one bedroom and 23 two bedroom properties – providing 20 new homes for social rent and 12 for mid market rent.

Located in the centre of a busy shopping street, the ground floor has also been designed as a large commercial space which has been leased to local community group, The Junction, providing health, education and support services to young people.

Malcolm Chisholm, Labour MSP for Edinburgh Northern and Leith, said: “I am delighted to be officially opening this outstanding housing development which has been named as one of the top affordable housing developments in the UK. There is always a desperate need for more affordable homes in this city and I am pleased that once again Port of Leith Housing Association is providing such high quality, energy efficient homes.

“I am very pleased also that the superb The Junction is benefiting from spacious new premises on the ground floor.”

In keeping with the surrounding buildings, the exterior is stone and the properties feature Solar Thermal Heating provided by panels located on the roof.

The main contractor was CCG Limited and the architect was EMA. The £4.23million development was funded by a combination of private finance raised by PoLHA and a Government grant allocated by the City of Edinburgh Council.

Great Junction Street has recently been named as one of the top 50 affordable housing developments in the UK and is also shortlisted for a “Homes for Scotland” award.

Keith Anderson, Chief Executive of Port of Leith Housing Association, said:

“We are extremely pleased to have completed these new homes in what has been a complex and challenging process for us over the past few years. The development, design and construction team should be congratulated for their efforts.

“Working closely with the City of Edinburgh Council and other funders we are able to provide much needed additional high quality, energy efficient and affordable homes in the heart of Leith plus the added bonus of enabling The Junction, which is a highly valued local community project, to locate its services in new modern facilities.”

PoLHA has built the mid market rent homes on behalf of its wholly owned subsidiary company Persevere Developments Ltd (PDL) which was set up in 2011 to enable the Association to offer a wider variety of affordable housing in future.

PoLHA owns over 2700 properties throughout Leith and the wider North Edinburgh area and has plans to deliver 400 more new affordable homes over the next few years through the Association and its subsidiary Persevere Developments Limited.

Pictured: (left to right: Keith Anderson (PoLHA Chief Executive), Jack Hunter (PoLHA Chairman), Great Junction Street tenant Julie Crawford, Malcolm Chisholm MSP and Philip Neaves (Chairman of Persevere Developments Ltd).

Right to Buy no more

Notice period cut to two years

Calls to reduce the timescale for abolishing Right to Buy social housing have been answered by Housing Minister Margaret Burgess during the Stage 1 debate on the Housing (Scotland) Bill. Mrs Burgess announced that the government will amend the notice period for Right to Buy from three to two years after the date the Bill receives Royal Assent.

The Bill, which was introduced to Parliament in November will enhance housing conditions, retain much needed social housing for people in Scotland and safeguard social and private tenants.

The Minister said: “I am grateful to the Infrastructure and Capital Investment (ICI) Committee for its endorsement of the principles in the Housing Bill and for acknowledging that these measures will improve housing in the social, private rented and owner-occupied sectors.

“Increasing the supply of social housing is essential and that is why we want to end the Right to Buy.

“I have now taken on board the ICI Committee’s concerns that the proposed three-year timescale to abolish Right to Buy is too long. Going forward we will reduce the period to two years which will give tenants time to consider their options and find financial advice if they want to exercise their right to buy their home.

“These measures will protect up to 15,500 social houses from sale over a ten-year period and safeguard social housing stock for future generations.

“With 185,000 people on waiting lists for council and housing association houses, we can no longer afford to see the social sector lose out on badly needed homes.”

Other measures in the Bill include:

* establishing a new housing tribunal to consider private rented housing cases.
* introducing regulation of letting agents.
* strengthening the licencing regime for mobile homes sites with permanent residents.
* giving local authorities new discretionary powers to tackle poor housing conditions in the private sector.

Mrs Burgess continued: “This Bill will help us to deliver better outcomes for communities, safeguard the interests of householders and strengthen the quality of Scotland’s housing.

“There is universal support for strengthening regulation of letting agents and for our moves to transfer private rented sector cases from the sheriff to a tribunal.

“Housing is and will remain a priority for this government and through the Housing (Scotland) Bill we will continue to support improvements across the private, private rented and social sectors.”

‘Common sense’ to prevail over mortgage lending

‘Only borrow what you can afford to pay back’. That seems obvious enough now, but during the property boom the sky was the limit and credit was easy – with disastrous consequences. Lessons have been learned, and new rules come into force tomorrow (26 April) to protect borrowers and ensure a ‘common sense approach’ is taken for every lending decision.

The rules – known as the Mortgage Market Review (MMR) – were drawn up by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as a result of the recent financial crisis and are designed to protect consumers from the kind of reckless mortgage lending that would leave them unable to make repayments.

To ensure that people only get a mortgage they can afford, and to prevent a recurrence of the irresponsible lending practices of the recent past, every borrower will now have to prove that they can afford the repayments both now and in the future. The new scheme will include a new affordability check that will see applicants interviewed by a lender and asked about their income and outgoings.

The FCA has produced a short guide that explains the changes, and around half a million copies will be given out to prospective borrowers in branches of high street lenders, mortgage advisers and estate agents.

Martin Wheatley, the FCA’s chief executive, said: “In the past too many people got a mortgage by simply telling their lender they would have no problem repaying their debt, and that was that. Getting a mortgage can be one of the biggest financial decisions people will ever make, so it needs careful consideration. Our new rules will hard-wire common sense into mortgage lending, and the guide we have created will help explain those changes to borrowers.”

The mortgage industry has been busy getting ready for the changes for about 18 months and many firms are using the new approach already, so some borrowers will not notice the difference.

The FCA has also updated its consumer information pages on its website, at: www.fca.org.uk

HEEPS of heat for thousands of city homes

£12M HOME INSULATION SCHEME WILL HELP TACKLE FUEL POVERTY

Up to 3,500 homes in the capital are to be insulated over the next year in a bid to make them cheaper to heat and reduce fuel poverty. Homeowners and private tenants will benefit from an estimated £12m of available funding through the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Efficiency Programme (HEEPS) and funding from the Energy Companies Obligation (ECO).

The £60m fund to help households living in fuel poverty to to make their homes warmer, more environmentally friendly and cheaper to heat was announced by Housing Minister Margaret Burgess earlier this month.

The investment, which is targeted at fuel poor households across Scotland, will be used for the installation of energy efficiency measures such as solid wall, cavity and loft insulation. Around £42 million will be split between the 32 councils while the remaining £18 million will be made available to local authorities to develop larger scale schemes.

Housing and Welfare Minister Margaret Burgess said: “This £60 million investment will help households in fuel poor areas stay warm and reduce their energy bills. In total, the Scottish Government will spend almost a quarter of a billion pounds over a three year period on fuel poverty and energy efficiency.

“Rising energy bills remain a huge concern for this government. Today’s funding will see thousands of homes across Scotland receive new measures like solid wall insulation and help to drive down the number of people living in fuel poverty.

“This funding will be distributed across all of Scotland’s local authorities, including our rural and island areas and will include specific provision for households in rural areas currently finding it difficult to access the measures.

“The investment will also support and sustain the insulation industry in Scotland, generating work and supporting jobs.

“We are doing everything we can within our limited powers to provide a wide range of energy efficiency measures to individual households and to local authorities.

“We are actively working with councils and energy companies to ensure that Scotland continues to get its fair share of funding for efficiency programmes like these.

“Only with the full powers of independence can we fully tackle all the causes of fuel poverty. We made our position clear about how ECO and Warm Homes Discount would be funded in an independent Scotland. These costs would be met by central resources. Based on current arrangements this would reduce energy bills by around five per cent – or around £70 per year.”

Liz Marquis, the director of the Energy Agency which manages the energy efficiency measures in South Ayrshire, said: “The installation of energy efficiency measures such as external wall insulation makes a huge difference to people struggling to pay their fuel bills.

“The continued support from the Scottish Government is vital to help people in properties which are particularly difficult to heat. Combined with effective energy advice and support, these locally-delivered programmes are well proven to remove households from fuel poverty. The funding also stimulates the insulation industry providing valuable jobs and support for our communities.”

In Edinburgh, the city council, working with the Energy Savings Trust and Changeworks, will provide loft and cavity wall insulation to thousands of households across the capital who are at risk of being affected by fuel poverty.

Private homes are, on average, less energy-efficient than Council homes and have poorer energy performance ratings. Council tenants benefit from a comprehensive investment programme which has seen around £30m invested over the last five years in improving the energy efficiency of Council homes.

Housing Convener Cllr Cammy Day said: “The rising cost of heating is hitting poorer households hard. This initiative will make a major contribution to making homes for some of the worst affected households cheaper to heat. This initiative is a major part of the Coalition’s commitment to ensuring that the city’s people are well housed in quality accommodation, whether this is within our own stock or in privately owned homes.”

Householders who would like to know more about this and other Scottish Government funded offers can contact the Scottish Government’s Home Energy Scotland hotline on 0808 808 2282 or visit www.homeenergyscotland.org.