Green road to building more affordable homes

Equal access to quality housing is high on the agenda and a shared ambition, but to build vibrant sustainable, low carbon communities with health and wellbeing at their core is going to be complex and costly for all of us in the Scottish housing sector. As we await the detail of Scotland’s first ever long-term national housing strategy announced earlier this year, there is growing acceptance that we will have to shake up delivery to build better affordable homes at the scale and pace required.

Collaboration and strong partnerships between affordable housing providers and landowners, energy and technology companies, community builders and others will be key in driving up quality and accessibility standards, improving energy efficiencies to tackle fuel poverty and creating places where people will want to live, and will thrive. Going green is a requirement, but how do we do this while ensuring those who need it most, can stay affordably warm during winter?

In Scotland, there are already many great examples of the industry working together in particular areas, and a cross sector industry group bringing together in one place the housing, construction, financial, technology and service skills that will be involved in achieving the government’s goals, where data, knowledge and resource is shared, with input to targets and standards set, could benefit everyone involved. Smaller organisations joining forces with those with deeper pockets to carry out research into new technologies and processes will help to find solutions faster.

As a Scottish housing association in a UK wide placemaking, housing and regeneration group we understand the benefits that come with establishing successful collaborative partnerships. Today, Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association is the result of merger of two smaller organisations. While we are a relatively small part of the whole housing system in Scotland, we also undertake wider area regeneration and aim to create long-term sustainable communities. We see first-hand the advantage of being able to draw on the diverse expertise of our colleagues in Places for People. We benefit in many ways from being part of a large group, not least from the investment made to ensure our carbon reducing measures meet and exceed changing legislative requirements.

Recently we have been working with an East Lothian landowner on a shared a vision for a new community that will integrate with the existing one. The result is Longniddry Village, inspired by the best of East Lothian towns and villages. It includes local traditional architecture and the open space we all crave, and we have integrated older persons homes for social rent into the development. It offers equal access to high standard housing and amenities and is the result of outward looking organisations pulling together and pooling ideas and resource.

I’m very excited that COP26 is happening in Glasgow later this year. I’ve always been passionate about climate change and welcome the fact it is now so high on the agenda for change in our industry. It will mean trialling new technologies, fostering innovation and future gazing to minimise the risks of adopting an approach that is quickly superseded by the next big thing. New housing is one thing, but decarbonising heating in existing homes is by far a bigger challenge. The cost of retrofitting older properties with energy efficiency measures will be challenging for organisations without the capital or liquidity to meet their net zero obligations.

There is no silver bullet to help us achieve the ambitious vision and principles as set out in Scottish Government Housing to 2040 strategy, but by working together, sharing expertise, and forming strong, long-term partnerships we’ll be in a much better position to build homes fit for the future.

Tom Norris, managing director, Places for People Scotland and Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association

Green road to building more affordable homes - Tom Norris

Comments