ALMOST 1,000 housebuilding industry stakeholders will gather in Edinburgh today for the Homes for Scotland Annual Lunch & Awards.
With the event marking the 25th anniversary of the trade body – and taking place a year after the Scottish Parliament declared a national housing emergency – guests will hear chief executive Jane Wood highlight the legacy that the sector has been creating over the last quarter-of-a-century.
She will remark on the lives that have been enhanced as a result of the more than half a million homes delivered since 2000 and also note her appreciation for the ‘resilience, flex and adaptability’ that the housebuilding industry has shown in the face severe challenges including the global financial crisis and Covid.
Jane Wood will also announce details of a public campaign set to launch in September as well as publication of a new report developed in partnership with NHBC which brings together 25 key facts relating to housing delivery in Scotland.
Speaking in advance of the event, she said, “Twelve months on from a national housing emergency being declared, it is crystal clear that business as usual is not acceptable. Things can and must change if we are to ensure Scotland’s social wellbeing and economic success.
“Delivering the homes that meet the needs of everyone that lives here and that they can afford is absolutely fundamental to this and in pursuing the First Minister’s ambition of eradicating child poverty. To achieve this, I strongly believe it is incumbent on HFS and the wider sector to inform, educate and, if you like, story tell from within and across civic society.
“That is why I am so excited about the public campaign called ‘Homes Build Futures’ that we will be launching in September. By utilising new voices and extending our reach more broadly than ever before, we can challenge public thinking and mobilise consumers to be advocates for more homes, demanding this of their politicians in the run up to next year’s Scottish Parliament election.”
NHBC chief executive Steve Wood added, “At NHBC we are passionate about the power of robust, relevant data to help shape a better housing future. To do this effectively, we must ensure the information we rely on is clear and current and that it reflects the real-world challenges facing house builders.
“In partnership with Homes for Scotland, our new report brings together a wide range of metrics and trends across demographic factors, public attitudes and housing characteristics. It is designed to serve as a useful reference point for policymakers, partners and anyone with an interest in tackling Scotland’s undersupply of housing.
“By presenting these insights in one accessible report, we hope to support better decision-making, spark new thinking and help drive forward the policies and actions needed to deliver more homes in Scotland.”
