Link Group Ltd has confirmed its plans to build 3,200 new affordable homes over the next five years.

Responding to the Scottish Government’s call for 50,000 new affordable homes (including 35,000 for social rent), Link has almost doubled its proposed development programme expenditure to £401 million.

Building on its success of completing 332 new homes in 2016/17 (254 for social rent, 87 for mid market rent and 39 for shared equity) and 200 in each of the previous six years, Link aims to invest more than £226m (net of subsidy and sales income) to deliver an unprecedented 3,200 new homes.

Two thirds of these new homes which will be for social rent, thus making a significant contribution to tackling the country’s affordable housing requirement.

Link will also continue to maximise the supply of housing accessible to people with disabilities. This year it delivered 25 homes, with a further 214 to be built over the next five years, designed to exemplar space and accessibility standards to meet both current and future needs.

Roy Stirrat, Link Group chairman, said: “The approved development programme highlights our commitment to maintaining our track record of developing high quality affordable housing for those most in need. We continue to be very successful in securing grant funding for new projects and, with the benefit of improved benchmark funding levels, social housing development continues to be the mainstay of our development programme.

“We are committed not only to building new homes, but also to improving the lives of the people who live there. We will continue to develop services and projects which help people into jobs, increase digital skills, improve neighbourhoods and ensure people feel safe and supported so that they can reach their full potential.”