Opinion

For the next edition of Our Housing Heritage, journalist and digital history specialist Chris Holme shares the story of how First World War servicemen came to reside in the rural village of Longniddry. Unlikely as it sounds, the Longniddry Piggery provided Britain’s first purpose-built homes f

As the Scottish Government share details of what its new disability benefits will look and feel like for those who interact with the new benefit system, cabinet secretary for social security and older people Shirley-Anne Somerville explains how a series of policy position papers will set o

Catherine Ashford from the UK homelessness charity, Crisis, will be taking part in a panel discussion later today at the annual Scottish homelessness conference, Safe As Houses. A few years ago, Crisis commissioned The FrameWorks Institute to conduct in-depth research to understand attitudes towards

Stewart Dalgarno discusses the achievements so far at the mid-way point of the Advanced Industrialised Methods for the Construction of Homes (AIMCH) project. In 2019 the annual housebuilding target was missed by 138,978. The UK Government wants 300,000 new homes built a year — a number not hit

Kevin Stewart MSP, minister for local government and housing, has written a guest blog to mark five years of Warmer Homes Scotland and the key milestone of assisting 20,000 customers. When the Warmer Homes Scotland scheme was launched in September 2015, the ambitions of the Scottish Government

The Everyone Home Collective launches its second route map, 'Scotland’s Ambition to End Destitution and Protect Human Rights' at Homeless Network Scotland’s ‘Safe As Houses’ conference this week. Sabir Zazai, chief executive of the Scottish Refugee Council, discusses the urge

Throughout history, pandemics have changed our approach to the built environment. Abigail Brownlow explains how Wemyss Properties has responded to new demands from today's homebuyers. The news that the iconic Changing Rooms is making a return to our screens after a 16-year break follows a resurgence

Addressing the issue of homelessness amongst migrant groups across Scotland is crucial for ending homelessness across the country, writes Jon Sparkes. Over this summer it was hard to ignore the stories in the news about individuals making perilous journeys over to the UK to seek safety here. In

With commitment from all parties, fuel poverty in electrically heated multi-dwelling units can be addressed today: at minimal cost, writes David Stern. In her excellent article on the Scottish Housing News website this week (13 October 2020), Sandra Brydon (director, Home Group Scotland) highlighted

Safe as Houses is the title of Homeless Network Scotland’s annual conference for 2020. The online event will explore what is needed to build forward from the past eight months to make sure that homelessness services – and people directly affected – are not left carrying the ca

Youth homelessness is almost invisible to the public therefore only true radical change can bring it to an end for good, writes Homeless Action Scotland.

Liz Mallon looks at the important role first time buyers need to play in the changing new homes property market. Recent research carried out by Savills shows that the Scottish new homes market has seen a steady recovery since the market re-opened in the summer, and properties in Glasgow and Edinburg

The ‘perfect storm’ that is looming large this winter could have devastating consequences for millions across the UK, as Sandra Brydon explains. Presently, there’s so much uncertainty as to whether or not we’ll be facing another lockdown this winter. If we do face a second wa

While considering whether Edinburgh can meet its pledge to be a zero-carbon city by 2030, Stephen Tucker takes a broader look at how to achieve zero-carbon at scale from a planning and design perspective. It seems like every day the world is being forced to deal with a new crisis. But long term, the

From attic apartments to south-facing family kitchens, daylight is central to how we live in, and use our homes. Hazel Davies examines how architects seek to maximise natural light in properties. The importance of light has been understood by architects and housebuilders for centuries. The Georgians