Trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS) has appointed Nicola Barclay as director of planning with responsibility for ensuring that the organisation’s planning function is utilised to the maximum benefit of members and helps enable the development of homes of all tenures across the country.

Describing the performance of Scotland’s planning system as an ongoing industry frustration at a time when housing output levels have dropped by over 40 per cent since 2007, Barclay intends to work collaboratively with government at all levels to find solutions to the crucial issues which continue to hamper delivery, not least an effective land supply and the time taken to determine applications.

Nicola Barclay said: “I want to ensure that the home building industry is at the forefront of helping to get much needed new homes delivered on the ground and to see the planning system facilitate this goal.

“This is absolutely vital given the housing crisis that continues to engulf Scotland, whether housing for social/private rent or sale. This is having a severe impact, particularly on the lives of our young people and growing families.

“We need to have enough homes of the right types in the right locations to meet Scotland’s diverse housing needs. I therefore look forward to working closely with members who are innovative, solution-focused and energised to help develop practical models for delivery alongside our public sector colleagues.”

As well as seeing Barclay join HFS’s 23-strong board of leading industry figures, the appointment also marks her return to the organisation where she was previously principal planning advisor before spending the last two and a half years at the Scottish Futures Trust developing strategies to assist the public sector dispose of surplus property assets in order to realise maximum benefits for the public purse.