Scotland’s housing crisis was thrown into the spotlight yesterday as long-term plans to tackle the same problem south of the border were announced by the UK government, industry body Homes for Scotland has said.

Set out the details of the housing White Paper in a statement to MPs, communities and local government secretary, Sajid Javid, said at least 250,000 new homes are needed each year to keep pace with demand.

The White Paper outlined measures including:

With the total number of new homes being built in Scotland each year still 40 per cent down on pre-recession levels whilst the country’s population has grown to its highest ever level, Homes for Scotland chief executive, Nicola Barclay, said a similar long-term plan is required north of the border.

Ms Barclay said: “As Sajid Javid said, the root cause of the housing shortage is the simple fact that not enough homes have been built, and that applies equally in Scotland.

“We need to move away from thinking of housing policy in terms of election cycles and narrowly focusing on ‘affordable housing’ and instead look at the requirements for all tenures over the next 15-20 years. This is exactly the message I gave to our own cabinet secretary Angela Constance at a meeting earlier today.

“We also need to be brave about the issues that are holding housing back, like the availability of land and the provision of infrastructure, or we will never have enough homes to meet the diverse needs and aspirations of those living in Scotland.”