Glasgow approves city's £535million housing investment plan for next five years

Glasgow City Council today (12 January) approved the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) for the city, with the plan outlining how the supply of affordable housing can be increased to meet Glasgow's housing needs and growth ambitions for the 2023/24 - 2027/28 period.

(Image by Katie Lamb)

It is expected that the SHIP will deliver investment of over £535million that will see almost 6,500 new homes built during that time.

The SHIP aims to deliver on the vision and strategic priorities set out in Glasgow's Housing Strategy, which include: contributing towards housing supply targets; increasing the supply of larger (four plus bedrooms) affordable homes; delivering accessible housing options and supporting people to live independently in their homes; targeting acquisitions to increase affordable housing options and address issues within private sector housing and tenements; and prioritising low and zero carbon homes with low-cost heating systems ahead of the Scottish Government target for zero emissions heating systems in new homes from 2024.

Glasgow's SHIP also directs the city's Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), which has four main areas of focus: meeting particular housing needs; tackling child poverty and mitigating the cost-of-living crisis; preventing and reducing homelessness; and meeting the housing needs of people displaced by the war in Ukraine and living in Glasgow as a result.

Specific targets within the AHSP include the aim that 10% of all new homes in developments of 20 units and above will be wheelchair readily adaptable; and 60 new family-sized homes with four or more bedrooms are built each year.

As is normal practice, the SHIP was developed through consultation with the council's housing partners, including housing associations, private developers, the voluntary sector, Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership and other organisations.  

Challenges to the delivery of the SHIP have been identified, notably the impact of Brexit, the pandemic, inflation and the war in Ukraine, which have led to rises in labour and materials costs - the average works cost per square metre increased by 23% between 2020/21 and 2021/22.

Councillor Kenny McLean, City Convener for Housing at Glasgow City Council, said: "The Strategic Housing Investment Plan for Glasgow is key to how meet housing needs in the city over the next five years. The Plan will help us deliver thousands of new homes while addressing a range of economic, environmental and social issues."