MORE SME housebuilders are required if growth in Scotland’s housing industry is to be continued.
That’s the view of trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS), after housing completions in 2018 exceeded 20,000 for the first time in a decade.
In a new report (Small Scale Home Builders: Increasing Supply) published following a year-long project, HFS explains how smaller firms were impacted by the financial crisis and have been slower to recover than larger businesses.
HFS chief executive Nicola Barclay said, “Despite the strong demand for housing that exists, smaller builders are delivering some 2000 fewer homes per annum than before 2008. Encouraging more into the market is crucial, not just in terms of volume but particularly in relation to increasing diversity of product, creating local employment opportunities and sustaining more rural communities. Smaller companies generally have fewer resources and limited routes to finance which make the challenges of home building all the more difficult to overcome.
“Thanks to their insight, and working alongside other key stakeholders such as the Scottish Government and Heads of Planning Scotland, this report identifies solutions and prioritises the action required to support and grow the small scale home builder sector.”
