New housing build levels set to remain at lowest levels in 70 years

9th March 2013

Responding to Scottish Government statistics showing a rise in the number of new homes started in the year to September 20121, industry body Homes for Scotland today described the news as encouraging but cautioned that the figures indicated the annual build rate would remain at its lowest level since the end of the Second World War.

Chief Executive Philip Hogg said:“Any positive news is clearly welcome but the situation remains, as the Housing Minister herself correctly recognizes, very challenging.

“This is demonstrated by the fact that completions, which remain the ultimate measure of production, have actually fallen over the period in question.

“It is estimated that 450,000 new homes are required to help meet household formation and population growth in Scotland over the next 20 years, but at current build rates this would result in a shortfall of 150,000. This would significantly exacerbate Scotland’s housing crisis and highlights the scale of the challenge facing our sector.”