Consultation on the Future of the Scottish Planning System - Shelter Scotland's Response

The planning system plays a vital part in the delivery of affordable housing. Affordable housing supply completions for the year to end December 2016 were 6,741 – a reduction of 6 per cent compared to the previous year. The Scottish Government has committed to building 50,000 affordable homes between May 2016 to May 2021. Yet, research by Shelter Scotland, the Chartered Institute for Housing (CIH) Scotland and the Scottish Federation of Housing Association (SFHA) found that Scotland needs to build a minimum of 12,000 new affordable homes a year to tackle the current housing crisis across Scotland.

Clearly, Scotland’s need for good quality affordable housing is currently not being met. Shelter Scotland therefore welcomes the Scottish Government’s focus on a much-needed reform of the planning system. Ensuring that the planning system is adequately geared up to facilitate the delivery of good quality affordable housing across Scotland needs to be a vital aim of this reform.