New-build house stats revealed

DURING the 12 months upto the end of June last year, some 18,974 homes were built – according to latest figures.

Says Scotland’s chief statistician, the figure represented a ten per cent increase on the 12 months between July 2019 and June 2020 (which registered new-build home completions of 17,223).

In more detail, in the private sector, new-build house completions were up 12 per cent (1,495); in the public sector, up 83 per cent (876 homes); and among housing associations, down 17 per cent (620 homes).

Says the latest quarterly housing statistics, here: “The number of new-build homes started across all sectors increased over the same period, with 21,686 starts – an increase of four per cent (886 homes) on the previous year. Private-led starts rose by 29 per cent (3,810 homes) and local authority starts increased by ten per cent (166 homes), while housing association approvals dropped by 54 per cent (3,090 homes).

“More up-to-date figures published as part of the UK House Price Index show that there have been 11,029 private new-build sales transactions in the 12 months to end October 2021. This is an increase of 16 per cent (1,551 transactions) on the 9,478 transactions recorded in the previous year, to end October 2020.

“Latest social sector new housebuilding figures show that, in the 12 months to end September 2021, 5,598 homes were completed – an increase of 27 per cent (1,194 homes) on the 4,404 social sector homes completed in the previous year, in which activity levels were affected by COVID-19 lockdown measures. Starts, however, fell by 29 per cent (2,014 homes) to 4,935 over the same period, down from 6,949 in the year to end September 2020.

“Separate quarterly statistics on the Affordable Housing Supply programme show that 2,159 affordable homes were completed in the latest quarter, from October to December 2021. This brings the total number of affordable homes completed in the 12 months to end December 2021 to 9,211.

“This is an increase of 35 per cent (2,412 homes) on the 6,799 affordable homes completed in the previous year, with increases in the number of completions for social rent (26 per cent or 1,353 homes), affordable rent (103 per cent or 683 homes) and affordable home ownership (42 per cent or 376 homes).

“A total of 1,892 affordable homes were approved in October to December 2021, bringing the total number of homes approved in the 12 months to end December 2021 to 8,398.”

It continues: “This is a decrease of 17 per cent (1,763 homes) on the 10,161 homes approved in the previous year, with decreases in the number of approvals for social rent (by 20 per cent or 1,576 homes) and affordable rent (by 26 per cent or 311 homes), but an increase in approvals for affordable home ownership (by 13 per cent or 124 homes).

“A total of 1,897 affordable homes were started in October to December 2021, bringing the total number of homes started in the 12 months to end December 2021 to 9,679.

“This is a decrease of four per cent (453 homes) on the 10,132 homes started in the previous year, with decreases in the number of starts for social rent (by ten per cent or 783 homes) and affordable rent (by two per cent or 31 homes), but an increase in the number of starts for affordable home ownership (by 42 per cent or 361 homes).”

Pictured: Hawick housing, Picture credit: Place Design Scotland