HOMES for Scotland (HFS) has welcomed the publication of the Housing Investment Taskforce report, and called for ‘urgent implementation’ of the list of recommended actions to help address the housing emergency.
The taskforce was set up last year by the Scottish Government to identify actions to unlock commitments to investment in housing.
Fionna Kell, director of policy at Homes for Scotland, said, “With it now over a year since the declaration of a national housing emergency which has seen over half of the Scottish population now living in areas within local housing emergencies, the publication of today’s report and response from the Scottish Government confirming they will take forward the report’s recommendations is to be welcomed.
“The Taskforce’s report rightly recognises the urgent need for bold, co-ordinated and interventionist action to create the appropriate regulatory conditions necessary for housing investment and importantly, delivery across all tenures to thrive. With 693,000 households living in some form of housing need, the report has identified many of the key barriers that the home building sector has flagged consistently, from planning delays and infrastructure costs to regulatory uncertainty fundamentally impacting development capacity.
“It is therefore pleasing to see recommendations to ensure the planning system becomes an enabler for increased supply and more efficient decision timeframes, alongside the call for clear, consistent long-term policy whether this be through the exemptions made to Build to Rent and Mid Market Rent properties in the Housing (Scotland) Bill, or consideration of new finance models for delivering infrastructure.
“We are encouraged by the Taskforce’s emphasis on collaboration and innovation. However, what is now required is the political will to switch rhetoric to delivery and as ever, HFS and its members stand ready to play their part in increasing the supply of high-quality, energy efficient and affordable homes across all tenures to tackle the housing emergency and provide their crucial expertise on how Scotland’s regulatory framework can deliver rather than block the new homes so desperately needed by Scotland’s people.”
