A report updating councillors on the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) has confirmed that despite the complete shutdown of construction forced by the pandemic lockdown the ambitious new build goal of the Home+ programme is still on track.

The latest update of the SHIP, covering the five years from 2021-26, was approved by the council’s housing and technical resources committee.

Chair of housing and technical resources, Councillor Josh Wilson, said: “It is encouraging to see that along with our partners and the Scottish Government we are continuing to make good progress in the essential business of improving the availability of high quality social housing across South Lanarkshire and to achieve our own target of 1000 additional council homes.

“The SHIP, and indeed our own Home+ programme, have far broader remit and ambition than just the delivery of new builds but in this most challenging of years continuing success in that area is a great indicator of the hard work and commitment of all those involved.”

The SHIP is a five-year rolling plan which links the priorities identified in South Lanarkshire’s Local Housing Strategy (LHS) to a strategic plan for the delivery of additional affordable housing. The SHIP guides the allocation of available Scottish Government investment funding to meet the affordable Housing Supply Target as set out in the LHS and the associated priorities and outcomes.

Executive director of housing and technical services, Daniel Lowe, said: “Delivering one housing development is a complex process requiring a lot of coordination. The Strategic Housing Investment Plan works to help tie together the delivery of multiple housing projects by a range of partners and having that guiding strategic overview is key to delivering success.

“The regular annual update to the SHIP helps us ensure we stay on course in our shared ambition but it is also an important milestone that allows us to look back on the journey to date.

“We were able to present to the committee a report confirming that working together we continue to achieve success.

“The report highlighted the delivery, along with our partners, of a total of 284 additional affordable homes in 2019/20 which includes a mix of 196 units (69%) for general needs and 88 (31%) for particular needs/amenity housing.”

The report also shows:

• Home+ has delivered 503 additional homes with construction work underway on eight sites across South Lanarkshire.
• Of the 889 additional homes delivered or under construction to date, 277 homes (31%) are designed for particular needs, including 102 (11%) barrier free lift access amenity flats designed to meet the needs of older people and wheelchair users.
• The Council’s Open Market Purchase Scheme is helping to meet specific and urgent housing needs, and achieve wider housing quality improvement and regeneration priorities. In 2019/2020, 60 homes were purchased through the scheme and a further 60 are programmed for acquisition during 2020/2021.
• The council and Registered Social Landlord partners have sites with an estimated capacity to deliver up to 3,014 additional homes in the five years to 2026.