Councillors yesterday approved plans to deliver 1,441 new affordable homes through the Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2017/18-2021/22 (SHIP), a significant increase in developments from the previous SHIP which identified the development of 672 units by 2020.

The increase comes on the back of a Scottish Government announcement to increase the housing budget in the country to £3 billion and raise the level of funding allocated to each unit.

Midlothian Council has also committed to a third phase of new council housing development and the SHIP has identified 47 sites for affordable housing across a range of tenures:

Councillor Kelly Parry, cabinet member with responsibility for housing, said: “Affordable Housing must be carried out with a balanced approach to ensure the needs of the community are taken into account.

“Since the council began developing new housing a total of 2,414 affordable or subsidised housing options have been delivered in Midlothian, increasing the supply of affordable housing and meeting the needs of our communities.”