Almost 23,000 new-build houses September 2021-22

ALMOST 23,000 new-build homes (across all sectors, including housing associations and the private sector) were completed in Scotland during the 12 months up to the end of September last year – according to quarterly statistics on housebuilding and affordable housing supply issued by Scotland’s chief statistician.

Says the Scottish Government, here, the exact figure of 22,905 represents an increase of ten per cent (2,023 homes) on the 20,882 completions during the previous year, and the highest annual figure to end September since 2008.

Increases were seen across private-led new-build completions (seven per cent or 1,000 homes), local authority new-build completions (42 per cent or 840 homes), and housing association new-build completions (five per cent or 183 homes).

Meanwhile, the number of new-build homes started across all sectors decreased by 12 per cent (2,580 homes), with 19,227 starts in the year to end September 2022, down from 21,807 starts during the previous year, and 24 per cent (6,047 homes) below the 25,283 homes started in the pre-pandemic year to end September 2019.

Private-led new-build starts decreased by 11 per cent (1,774 homes) and housing association new-build approvals dropped by 27 per cent (817 homes), whilst local authority new-build starts increased slightly by one per cent (11 homes).

Say other findings:

Separate figures published as part of the UK House Price Index show a total of 12,395 private new-build sales transactions in Scotland in the year to end October 2022, up 11 per cent (1,228 transactions) on the 11,167 transactions recorded in the year to end October 2021.

Latest social sector new housebuilding figures for the year to end December 2022 show an increase of ten per cent (600 homes) to 6,673 completions, with local authority completions rising by seven per cent (166 homes) to 2,415 and housing association completions up by 11 per cent (434 homes) to 4,258.

However social sector starts fell by 23 per cent (1,175 homes) to 3,832, with local authority starts increasing by two per cent (38 homes) to 1,879 but with housing association approvals decreasing by 38 per cent (1,213 homes) to 1,953.

Separate quarterly statistics on the Affordable Housing Supply programme show there were a total of 2,566 affordable homes completed in the latest quarter October to December 2022.

This brings the total number of affordable homes completed in the 12 months to end December 2022 to 9,727, a slight increase of one per cent (111 homes) on the 9,616 homes completed in the previous year.

There were increases in the number of completions for social rent by 18 per cent (1,254 homes); however, other affordable rent completions decreased by 35 per cent (538 homes), and affordable home ownership completions fell by 47 per cent (605 homes).

Meanwhile there were 1,299 ‘affordable homes’ approved in the latest quarter October to December 2022, which brings the total number of affordable homes approved in the 12 months to end December 2022 to 6,554, a decrease of 22 per cent (1,860 homes) on the 8,414 homes approved in the previous year, and the lowest annual figure to end December since 2013.

There were decreases in the latest year in the number of approvals for social rent (by 21 per cent, or 1,352 homes), other ‘affordable’ rent (by five per cent, or 48 homes), and ‘affordable’ home ownership (by 41 per cent, or 460 homes).

There were 1,235 ‘affordable homes’ started in the latest quarter October to December 2022, which brings the total number of affordable homes started in the 12 months to end December 2022 to 7,502, a decrease of 24 per cent (2,398 homes) on the 9,900 started in the previous year, and the lowest annual figure to end December since 2015.

There were decreases in the latest year in the number of starts for social rent (by 19 per cent, or 1,382 homes), other ‘affordable’ rent (by 33 per cent, or 446 homes), and ‘affordable’ home ownership (by 46 per cent, or 570 homes).

Adds the Scottish Government: “Quarterly affordable housing supply statistics are used to inform progress against Scottish Government affordable housing delivery targets, in which the ambition is to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, of which at least 70 per cent will be for social rent and ten per cent will be in remote, rural and island communities.

“There have been a total of 7,493 completions so far against the 110,000 target, across the period 23 March 2022 to 31 December 2022, consisting of 6,172 (82 per cent) homes for social rent, 764 (ten per cent) for other ‘affordable’ rent, and 557 (seven per cent) for ‘affordable’ home ownership.

“Figures on the remote, rural and island communities element of the target are planned to be reported on as part of future annual affordable housing supply out-turn reports, although we are considering whether it is feasible for these figures to be reported on a quarterly basis in addition to this.”

Picture credit: Place Design Scotland

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