SCOTLAND is to establish a new national housing agency to speed up and enable the delivery of all house types in the country, first minister John Swinney has announced.
The executive agency will be called ‘More Homes Scotland’ and is expected to start operating from 2027-28 and be fully functional in 2028-29, subject to the outcome of the Scottish Parliament election.
The initiative will focus on a number of key areas – large-scale affordable housing projects; rural and island housing; acquiring, preparing and releasing land; enabling infrastructure work to unlock stalled sites; and closer working with the Scottish National Investment Bank to make best use of private finance.
A process to co-design the functions and operating model of the new agency will be led by the Scottish Government’s cabinet secretary for housing in partnership with local authorities, and the Scottish National Investment Bank over the coming months – with an update expected to be provided to the Scottish Parliament in March.
The first minister made the announcement on a visit to a housing development in Wallyford, East Lothian alongside housing secretary Màiri McAllan. The 90-home site, developed by Wheatley Homes, includes mid-market and social rented homes.
John Swinney said, “Since 2007, the Scottish Government has supported the delivery of 141,000 affordable homes in Scotland, including 101,000 for social rent – proportionately far more than other parts of the UK. We have helped thousands of families to have a warm, safe and affordable place to call home.
“However, Scotland is facing a housing emergency. We recognise the difficulty that many Scots – in particular young Scots - have finding a home they can afford to rent or buy.
“We have firm foundations and have recently stepped up our efforts. The 2026-27 draft Scottish Budget includes the single largest funding allocation to affordable housing since records began in 1989. We have committed to invest up to £4.9 billion over the next four years, backed by a record £4.1 billion of public investment, helping to deliver 36,000 affordable homes and providing a place to live for around 24,000 children. This is providing record funding and more multi-year certainty than ever before
“This, along with other policy measures, has given confidence to the investment community. However, we must have a public sector delivery model that can rise to our enhanced ambitions.
“A new national agency will mean less duplication, greater expertise, increased efficiencies, and making our substantial investment go further. It will also provide enhanced support to our local authority partners and we will work in partnership with the Scottish National Investment Bank to attract more commercial investment.
“It is a new body that will offer simplicity, scale and speed – boosting delivery, and maximising savings, as part of our commitment to a decade of public sector modernisation and reform.
“More Homes Scotland will meet the needs of this time. It will deliver – for a new generation of Scots – new homes more quickly, more affordably, in more liveable, climate friendly communities.”
Scottish National Investment Bank chief executive, David Ritchie, added, “The bank has invested more than £130 million in housing to date, with a robust pipeline of more potential housing investments. We welcome More Homes Scotland being established to bring momentum in finding housing solutions.
“As a mission-led investor, the Bank makes commercial investments that drive long-term societal and economic growth for Scotland. Our ‘Place’ mission is focused on improving communities, and a good home is a key tenet of that. Working with private investors and homebuilders we have developed innovative approaches to unlock finance, getting much-needed homes built across Scotland.”
Jane Wood, chief executive of Homes for Scotland, said, “With it now approaching two years since a national housing emergency was declared, this is an important and much-needed intervention from the Scottish Government which we have long called for. We applaud the first minister and cabinet secretary for housing on this bold move which seeks to introduce simplicity, scale and speed.
“There is clearly much detail to be worked through but the impact of this announcement and the Scottish Government’s restated commitment to an all-tenure approach should not be underestimated in terms of its potential to stimulate both private sector confidence and investment. In order to make sure that the ambitions of the Scottish Government are achieved, it is now essential that commercial insight and all-tenure expertise feed directly into the design phase. Homes for Scotland is ready to play its full role in this on behalf of members who together deliver the vast majority of all new homes built in Scotland.”
RICS described the move as a positive step towards strengthening housing delivery in Scotland. The creation of a single body focused on coordinating and accelerating delivery to tackle the housing emergency reflects a key recommendation in the organisation’s manifesto – Surveying Scotland.
Robert Toomey, senior public affairs manager at RICS Scotland, said, “Bringing greater alignment across land, funding and delivery has the potential to improve outcomes across all tenures. Surveyors play a critical role in unlocking sites, assuring quality and supporting viable development, and RICS looks forward to engaging constructively to help ensure the new agency delivers homes at pace while maintaining high standards.”
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) said plans to accelerate delivery of homes must be supported by increased public funding.
SFHA chief executive Richard Meade commented, “It is welcome that the first minister’s announcement has recognised social and affordable housing as a key driver of both economic growth and tackling poverty. Whilst we await further details on the proposals for a new housing agency, we do appreciate the Scottish Government’s willingness to explore reforms which can accelerate the delivery of the safe, warm and affordable homes Scotland needs to end the housing emergency.
“It is crucial, however, that any reforms to delivery are underpinned by significantly increased public funding – beyond what has already been announced in the Scottish budget and spending review. We know from the research, that over the course of the next parliament, meeting Scotland’s housing need will require annual public investment of £1.6bn to deliver the 15,693 social and affordable homes we must build each year. Any new housing agency must work in partnership with Scotland’s housing associations and co-operatives and be laser-focused in our shared mission to deliver the secure, warm and affordable homes everyone deserves.”
