Social & environmental

The social and environmental benefits of home building are many and far-reaching:

• A home is a long-term place of residence providing the safety and security necessary for people to develop their potential.  Ensuring all Scots have access to a quality range of housing options is therefore essential to our country's well-being and success.
  
  
• With every new home built supporting four jobs and every nine built one apprenticeship, home building promotes employment and help protects vital skills.

• At 260,000, ONS figures show that 25% of 20 to 34-year-olds in Scotland live with their parents.  This represents a 12.5% increase in numbers since 2007.
  
  
• New homes in Scotland are built to some of the highest technical standards in Europe and already emit 70% less carbon compared to 1990 levels.  Highly energy efficient, they have an important role to play in the fight against fuel poverty.  Indeed, research has found that those who live in new build homes could save more than £1,400 on energy bills compared to those in older homes.
  
  
• In a country where less than 2% of land is classified as "urban", the majority of new homes are built on previously used land.  Indeed, residential development is the most common use for vacant and derelict land, accounting for 30% of that brought into use during 2013.
  
  
• One of the largest planters of trees, the home building industry also uses Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems to deal with the effects of climate change and create attractive open spaces around developments.
  
  
• Bio-diverse landscapes, new schools, sports and community facilities, roads, cycle paths, water, sewage and utility infrastructure are among the many physical benefits which accrue to our communities directly from home building activity.