Extra £3.5m to help city housing plans

HOUSING minister Alex Neil today announced an extra £3.5 million of funding for Edinburgh to speed up the construction of affordable homes.

The cash is part of a 45m package for housing associations across Scotland, which is expected to accelerate the building of up to 800 new low-cost homes.

Mr Neil said: "This government is putting in place a range of measures to increase the supply of affordable homes, support jobs and increase economic activity.

"Today's funding will be targeted at accelerating construction starts and will enable at least 800 new homes to go on site earlier than planned this year."

He said it would inject renewed confidence into Scotland's building industry and help to tackle homelessness.

He went on: "There is a pressing need to adopt fresh thinking and new ideas to support increased housing supply.

"Over the next month, I will be travelling across Scotland to meet homeowners, tenants, elected officials and housing association staff to hear first-hand about their experiences of the housing system."