SNP planning proposals will 'exacerbate the housing crisis', claims stakeholder

SNP plans for planning and development will “exacerbate the housing crisis”, a representative body of house builders has warned.

Homes for Scotland (HfS), which lobbies on behalf of home building companies such as CALA, Barratt, and Persimmon, criticised aspects of the Scottish Government’s draft planning framework, which sets out planning policies for the next few decades.

This includes embedding policies aimed at making key climate goals such as net zero achievable into nationwide planning guidance.

Writing for The Scotsman, Liz Hamilton, the organisation’s head of local and regional planning, said the national planning framework four (NPF4) was “planning for decline” and the actual need for homes was higher than the draft document suggested.

NEWQUAY, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 29: A house within the Nansledan development on October 29, 2021 in Newquay, England. Nansledan is the second development whose architecture and urban planning is championed by HRH The Prince Of Wales. Back in the 1990's the first Duchy of Cornwall development, Poundbury, was built on the outskirts of Dorchester, Dorset. The experimental new town was met with mixed reactions but 30 years on it is has been a great success. This second endeavour built on 540 acres of Duchy farmland is an extension to the Cornish coastal town of Newquay. The Prince's vision is, once again, to combine mixed-income housing with shop, offices and leisure facilities so that the needs of the community are met within walkable neighbourhoods. Over the next 30 years Nansledan will evolve into a large community of more than 4,000 homes centred around a pleasant green space and high street. Nansledan is designed and being built to enhance the quality of life, strengthen community bonds and give people a sense of pride in where they live. Completed buildings draw on traditional regional styles and use local materials and craftsmanship. Holiday letting is banned and it is estimated the 60% of the buyers, so far, are local. (Photo by Hugh Hastings/Getty Images)

Her intervention comes just a week after the Edinburgh Evening News revealed a tenth of all of the Scottish capital's private flats are owned by so-called 'super landlords’, with 15 registered landlords owning around 5,300 homes, around 9 per cent of the private rental sector.

Ms Hamilton said an “incredibly limited view” on what constitutes people with a need for housing – excluding those living with parents or in a shared flat, or families in homes with inadequate bedroom space or lacking private outdoor space – meant the “gap between the housing ‘haves’ and ‘have nots’ is growing”.

Criticising the planned housing numbers provided by local authorities, some of which are below the number of houses built in the past ten years, she said: “This is planning for decline and must be addressed at a national level before NPF4 is adopted.

“Above all, the general public and other stakeholders must be left in no doubt that the actual need and demand for new homes is, in many areas, likely to be significantly higher than these figures suggest.”

She added: “As it is currently drafted, NPF4 is likely to reduce the number of homes being delivered, thereby exacerbating the housing crisis.”

The planning framework is going through a consultation period, set to close at the end of next month.

Planning minister Tom Arthur is set to give evidence on NPF4 at a meeting of the Holyrood local government, housing and planning committee today.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Draft National Planning Framework 4 proposes that land be identified for a minimum of 200,000 new homes to be built over ten years.

“The private sector will play a key role in meeting that target and the Scottish Government will collaborate closely with partners like HfS to deliver more quality homes that meet community needs.

“NPF4 proposals would create quality places by planning housing together with local infrastructure and services, making better use of town and city centres as well as regenerating vacant and derelict land and supporting well-being and net zero ambitions.”

Want to hear more from The Scotsman's politics team? Check out the latest episode of our political podcast, The Steamie.

It's available wherever you get your podcasts, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

A message from the Editor:

Thank you for reading this article. We're more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

If you haven't already, please consider supporting our trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription.