Opinion

Liz Hamilton, senior land and planning manager at AS Homes Scotland, highlights the current housing crisis and the need for change within Scotland's planning system to support the delivery of new homes. We’ve recently seen Scotland’s largest cities - Edinburgh and Glasgow - declare housi

John Rodger discusses the challenges faced by the housebuilding sector in Scotland, following the closure of Stewart Milne, recent cutbacks by other firms, highlighting the need for innovative funding solutions from both the UK and Scottish governments to prevent a housing crisis. Last month’s

Recent episodes of the Scottish Housing News Podcast that touched on the Reidvale transfer saga have raised questions about the role of housing association shareholders. Glasgow & West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) director David Bookbinder clears things up. Two recent SHN pod

Craig McLaren and Susan Rintoul set out the findings of the National Planning Improvement Champion’s call for ideas and outline how it is shaping the way we measure the success of planning.

Right There CEO Janet Haugh marks the homelessness charity's 200th anniversary with a look at the charity's journey and today's wider issues of homelessness and the housing crisis. Scotland’s housing crisis is intensifying. Three local authority areas have now declared themselves to be in a ho

Kai Jackson, an associate at tenant engagement expert TPAS, discusses a new study designed to understand the barriers faced by people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The study aims to promote fair and inclusive services, exploring ways to improve the participation of tenants from ethnic minority

On the day that Independent Age launches its new research report on how to improve the lives of older renters, Scotland policy and public affairs manager Debbie Horne writes exclusively for Scottish Housing News about the charity's call for greater protections. Today at Independent Age we launch our

Jimmy Black and Kieran Findlay spent 45 minutes of the SHN podcast discussing just about everything important in Scottish housing with the hugely experienced Craig Stirrat, Group CEO of Grampian Housing Association. Jimmy picks out the bits he found most fascinating... Council house stock transfer?

With a consultation now underway about a similar post-Grenfell Building Safety Levy to one introduced to impose a levy on certain new builds in England, Ledingham Chalmers LLP partner David Scott looks at what might happen north of the border. After the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, the UK Gover

Jocelyne Fleming, policy and public affairs officer for the CIOB in Scotland, argues that draft cladding legislation has highlighted Scotland’s wider built environment safety challenge. Everyone deserves a safe place to sleep at night.

Never mind what you think about it, the rejection by shareholders of Places for People’s bid for Reidvale Housing Association throws up some big issues.

Marcus Di Rollo examines the impacts of the Scottish Government's rent cap on investors, developers, and tenants, and explores the upcoming challenges and potential changes in rent control policies. The Scottish Government’s rent cap divides opinion. On one hand, it has arguably protected

Claire Campbell explains why legislation is needed to address the scourge of mould in rented properties. In December 2022, I wrote about the sad death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak in Rochdale in December 2020 as a result of his exposure to damp and mould in his family’s rented property, and str

Link housing officer Adelle Burnett reflects on her route into housing.

Grampian Housing Association CEO Craig Stirrat offers his thoughts on the forthcoming release of the next Scottish House Condition Survey (2022). With the (pre) announcement that the 2022 Scottish House Condition Survey (SHCS) is due by the end of February 2024, the paraphrase, “Houston, we ha