HOUSEBUILDERS have called on the Scottish Government to work with them to ensure the delivery of all types of housing after fresh figures showed a drop in the number of new homes getting underway.
Nicola Barclay, Chief Executive of trade body Homes for Scotland, said that she was "deeply concerned" by statistics which revealed the number of new builds being started fell by five per cent to 16,870 in 2016.
She warned that Scotland will continue to face a housing crisis unless ground is broken on more sites, even though the number of social sector homes with funding approved is increasing.
The Scottish Government's quarterly figures show that the fall in the number of house builds being started was down to a slump in the private sector, where the number of fresh units dropped by 14 per cent to 11,816 last year.
In comparison, starts in social sector housing increased by 24 per cent to 5,054, while the number of affordable homes being approved by planning committees rose by 20 per cent to 8,840.
Ms Barclay said: “Whilst it is good to see an increase in social sector funding and consequent activity, we must recognise that this equates to only a third of homes built, and we therefore need an all-tenure approach to delivery if we are to meet the wide range of housing needs and demands of people across Scotland.
“I am deeply concerned by today’s figures which confirm the views of my members that it has never been more difficult to start sites and get much needed homes out of the ground.
"Obviously this continuing flat-lining of total supply is bad news in relation to the jobs and investment builders bring to our economy, but unfortunately those worst affected are the young people and growing families struggling to get on the housing ladder."
She added: “Not only is the lack of an adequate housing supply across all tenures stifling ambition and aspiration, it is also continuing to pressurise house prices and rents as well as threatening Scotland’s future success and social well-being.”
Adam Lang, Head of Communications and Policy at homeless charity Shelter Scotland also called for more homes to enter the pipeline.
He said: “While we welcome the increase in the number of new homes being approved, these need to quickly translate into affordable homes being built.
“We will only start to meaningfully tackle Scotland's housing crisis if we can deliver a real step change in affordable housing supply. Crucially this must include a large proportion that are available for social rent at a cost people can actually afford.”
The quarterly housing statistics were published as Housing Minister Kevin Stewart confirmed £70 million funding for the Scottish Government’s Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) scheme, which helps first-time buyers and priority groups buy a property.
It is hoped that this will enable a further 1,700 people to buy a home.
Speaking at the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland annual conference in Glasgow, Mr Stewart said: “Ensuring access to good quality and affordable housing is a key priority for the Scottish Government, therefore it is encouraging that 20 per cent more properties were approved and started last year.
“As part of our efforts to increase affordable housing supply, we are determined to give targeted help to those seeking to move into home ownership.
"Over the past decade our OMSE scheme has helped more than 8,700 people on low to moderate incomes to buy a home. I am delighted that the 2017/18 scheme will welcome new applications from April.
“Alongside our commitment to deliver 50,000 more affordable homes over the next five years – with 35,000 available for social rent – this will all contribute to increasing the availability of affordable homes across Scotland.”
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