Glasgow's Strategic Housing Investment Programme for next five years unveiled

The plans, which will now be submitted to the Scottish Government, include the council working with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to deliver up to 7,200 additional affordable homes, the majority of which will be new-build properties for social rent.  The priorities in the plan include increasing the supply of larger family housing, wheelchair adaptable homes and meeting the needs of older households. 

The plans also include supporting Registered Social Landlords to acquire 550 properties that could be used to provide housing for homeless households.

The details have been laid out in Glasgow's Strategic Housing Investment Programme (SHIP), which will be submitted to the Scottish Government to secure investment in new affordable housing in the city during the next five years.

The grant required to deliver the plan is estimated to be in the region of £1.139Billion.

In addition, the council has identified 37 sites across the city which have the potential to deliver a further 4,320 new homes.  The additional development opportunities include the potential for the Council to work with RSLs to repurpose a number of vacant city centre properties for housing, which could deliver over 800 new homes.

While local authorities are required to annually update and submit a five-year SHIP to Government, this is Glasgow's first since declaring a housing emergency in November 2023. The plans also take into account rising construction costs for homes, which have soared by over half since 2018, as well as as the reduction in funding allocation to support councils and RSLs to build affordable housing.

Councillor Ruairi Kelly, Convener for Housing, Development, and Land Use at Glasgow City Council,said: "The Housing Emergency is one of the biggest pressures our city faces and building more affordable homes is an absolute priority now and in the years ahead.

"The SHIP reflects the reality of the perfect storm of rising costs, rising demands, budget pressures and changing demographics. But it is also realistic about what can be achieved in Glasgow and the difference thousands of new homes would make to our citizens.

"We've strong partnerships with social landlords and right across the sector to meet all of our housing needs, including innovative approaches from acquiring existing properties to repurposing vacant office space. We're committed to working with colleagues in Government to unlock the investment, deliver on our potential and meet the needs of our city."

As part of the SHIP process, the council engaged with housing associations and social landlords, as well as the construction sector to gather views on key issues and challenges, as well as approaches to investment and delivering more affordable housing. The ongoing consultation with key partners on our response to housing and homelessness pressures has also informed the programme.

It is expected that around 80% of the affordable homes built in this period will be for social rent.

The SHIP includes a requirement that 10% of all new homes in affordable housing developments are wheelchair-ready adaptable and that 40 new large family homes - four or more bedrooms for families of six or more people - be built each year.

Councillor Kelly added: "We know that inflationary pressures caused by multiple reasons outwith our control have increased the costs of house building by well over 50% in recent years. And that meeting our targets will be challenge. But our needs are very real, as are the targets we have set and the investment needed to deliver on them. This is investment not just in housing but in reducing homelessness and the number of families in temporary accommodation. It's about addressing child poverty, building new communities, meeting our sustainability targets, population changes and stimulating Scotland's economy."