News

“Fundamental change” is required to ensure Scotland’s councils deliver services in the face of ever decreasing funding, according to the local authority watchdog. The Local Government Overview 2019 report by the Accounts Commission warned that while councils are managing to improve

Planning Minister Kevin Stewart blogs about the need for Scottish Parliament to amend the Planning Bill to ensure it supports economic growth. The Financial Memorandum for the Planning Bill has been published. This sets out the estimates of the financial implications of the legislation as it st

Edinburgh-based Miller Homes remains on track to achieve its 2021 target of 4,000 homes per year after its annual accounts revealed a strong financial performance in 2018, a growing workforce and an increase in forward sales. Operating profit at the housebuilder rose 15% to £151.1 million in 2

Merchant Homes has secured planning permission for a proposed new residential development in the coastal village of Inverkip. Langhouse Gardens will be a collection of 32 homes comprising a mix of three-bedroom semi-detached and three and four-bedroom detached homes.

NHS Health Scotland has published a report on events it hosted which explored the link between good housing and health and well-being. Housing has an important influence on health outcomes through the effects of quality, cost, fuel poverty and the role of housing in community life. In Scotland, many

UK Government welfare reform measures are having a significant impact on private landlords and their tenants according to CIH Scotland. In its evidence to the Scottish Parliament’s social security committee, CIH notes that the erosion of Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the benefit cap and the r

The first stage of the expansion of a West Lothian village has taken shape with 55 new affordable homes already making a difference to people’s lives. West Lothian Council leader, Councillor Lawrence Fitzpatrick, marked the milestone for Winchburgh with the official opening of the houses.

Multi-storey tenants in Ayr are getting the chance to have their say on the long-term future of their high-rise properties. South Ayrshire Council’s consultation and engagement exercise ‘Your place, your future’ gives tenants at Riverside Place the chance to choose their preferred

Residents of Tarvit Woodland Park in Cupar have received a substantial boost to their campaign to restore a local children's play park with a £15,000 donation from the Kingdom Group. Bill Banks, Kingdom's group chief executive, visited the group to present the donation.

A vacant retail unit in Kilwinning has been transformed into a modern housing office for North Ayrshire Council. The new facility, which was officially opened on March 15 by North Ayrshire Provost Ian Clarkson, features modern features such as a self-service kiosk which allow rent payments to be mad

Large concentrations of land ownership are having significant impacts on local economies and communities across rural Scotland, according to the Scottish Land Commission. A new report published today titled Investigation into the issues associated with Large Scale and Concentrated Land Ownership in

English housing associations delivered a resilient performance in 2018 but growing exposure to market sales this year poses risks, according to credit ratings agency Moody’s. A new report found that HAs continued to perform well in 2018, as strong turnover offset rising costs, the ongoing rent

The average price of a property in Scotland increased by 1.3% in January 2019 on the previous year, new statistics have found. The latest publication of the monthly UK House Price Index (HPI) shows that the average price of a property in Scotland in January 2019 was £149,036 – an increas

A series of interviews with housing leaders has called attention to the complex challenges facing social housing providers nationwide, with technology and commercial activities to generate profit topping the list of the opportunities and threats facing the sector. The report, published today at the

A landlord in the Republic of Ireland discriminated against a homeless man by telling him that they would not accept Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), a court has ruled. The case marks the first time a discrimination case from the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on the “housing assistance