Planning and Architecture

Planning partners are working together to help deliver homes that are needed

June 9, 2025 by planningarchitecture No Comments | Category Housing & Infrastructure, Planning, SG Housing, Uncategorized

Planning partners are working together to help deliver homes that are needed

Addressing the housing emergency requires a collective effort, with the planning system playing a key role in finding solutions. Planners and industry partners have collaborated to drive forward a solutions-focused approach to address the challenges in developing new homes and to accelerate their delivery.

Following the declaration of the housing emergency, in November 2024 Ivan McKee Minister for Public Finance launched the Planning and the Housing Emergency Delivery Plan. A priority action in this Plan was the creation of a Housing Planning Hub to provide coordinated support for housing delivery and to accelerate development of houses where they had stalled.

A Short Life Working Group (SLWG) was established involving the Scottish Government, Heads of Planning Scotland, Homes for Scotland, Scottish Property Federation and Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. The focus of the SLWG has been to clearly identify and overcome barriers to delivery, build consensus around practical actions required, and demonstrate forward momentum to speed up delivery.

114 sites were identified and following review, action is being focused on approximately 11,000 homes. This includes strategic actions, which will benefit multiple sites, on matters such as flexibility on affordable housing provision, flooding, specialist expertise, market viability, education and transport (road and rail). It also involves bringing together relevant interests to look at solutions for individual sites. The work will create learning to aid stakeholders into the future.

The Working Group recognised that action was required across a range of organisations and agencies, including SEPA, Scottish Water, Nature Scot and Transport Scotland as well as from local planning authorities and the housebuilding industry. Connections were made with the Scottish Government’s Housing Investment Taskforce as well as Scottish Futures Trust and Scottish National Investment Bank.
This work will inform the strategic direction and priorities of the National Planning Hub. The Hub is offering planning authorities support to bring in capacity and expertise, support for brokerage for stalled sites, building professional skills and capacity, and supporting efficiency and practice.

SWLG members have prepared a Progress Report for Ministers, that provides further detail on work being progressed and which is being circulated to their members and relevant wider stakeholders. The report is available by contacting DirectorPAR@gov.scot

Public Finance Minister Ivan McKee said:

“Planning is crucial to the First Minister’s priorities for delivery – helping us to deliver the good quality, new homes necessary to tackle poverty, while supporting economic growth through the housebuilding industry by making our communities more attractive and sustainable places in which to live and do business.

“The Scottish Government is focused on working with partner organisations to identify how our planning system can help to provide solutions to the housing emergency.”

The SLWG provided the following statements:

Kevin Murphy, Director of Planning, Homes for Scotland

“At a time of unprecedented housing need, it is important that all stakeholders pull together to identify solutions. Homes for Scotland welcomed the opportunity to be part of the short life working group to help unlock all-tenure housing sites across Scotland to facilitate the delivery of more homes. More homes will make the biggest contribution to addressing the housing emergency so the group’s work to remove barriers to delivery is essential.”

Fraser Carlin, Executive Committee, Heads of Planning Scotland

“Planning Authorities across Scotland process and deliver permissions for housing sites all year round and the work of the SLWG has allowed a range of public and private organisations to identify and focus on the factors that are blocking the development of sites.

“It is clear that infrastructure provision, construction costs, identifying new sources of investment and providing a supply of housing across all tenures are the priorities for action to address the Housing Emergency for all stakeholders.”

Sally Thomas, Chief Executive, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

“SFHA has welcomed the opportunity to work with the Scottish Government and partners on this short-life working group to explore and find solutions to the reasons why housing developments may stall.

“Tackling such challenges head-on will support delivery, as well as strengthen relationships across a range of stakeholders which, working together, can continue making significant progress on stalled sites across Scotland.”

Jonathan Guthrie, Director for Strategic Partnerships, Robertson Group, Scottish Property Federation

“SPF have welcomed engaging with the Scottish Government and key stakeholders as part of the Short Life Working Group on stalled housing sites. The constructive and collaborative approach to planning in the stalled sites work will provide an assured platform for investment in the development and delivery of new housing in various communities across Scotland.”

Tags: creating places, Development Management, development planning, housing, planning

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