The time for procrastination on Edinburgh’s Local Development Plan is over, according to trade body Homes for Scotland (HFS) which today urged councillors preparing to meet tomorrow (Thursday 14 May 2015) to move ahead with submitting the draft to the Scottish Government for examination in order to start addressing the city’s housing shortage and avoid further delays.

And with statistics for the first quarter of 2015 showing that house prices in Edinburgh rose by over 21% and rents increased by nearly 8% compared to a year ago, the impact on those looking for a home in Scotland’s capital, as well as the city’s ability to attract the skilled workers on whom its future success depends, is all too clear.

The industry call follows ongoing council delays to the plan on how Edinburgh’s housing needs should be met over the next ten years.  It also comes as the city awaits decisions by Scottish Ministers on proposals for 750 homes – just a small proportion of the 20,000+ homes that need to be built by 2024 according to the strategic plan for South East Scotland.

HFS believes the current draft plan falls short by over 6,500 homes but says that the Council, whose existing plan is now out of date, must move forward to avoid remaining vulnerable to “planning by appeal” – where decisions are made by Government-appointed reporters on the basis of national rather than local policies.

Emphasising that such an approach is no more popular with the development industry than it is with the general public, due to the need for certainty in business planning and investment, the organisation’s Director of Planning Nicola Barclay (above right) said:

“Edinburgh Council has had two attempts at drawing up its plan and has ignored the industry’s concerns over both the scale of the housing shortage and whether the sites it has identified for new homes can be developed within the timeframes required.

“Whilst Homes for Scotland strongly believes that the huge shortfall in housing numbers is not being addressed by the draft plan, we are extremely concerned that further delay will only exacerbate house price inflation and the shortage of homes of all tenures across the city.

“The most positive thing the council can do at this stage is to send the plan onwards and allow the independent examination process to begin."

The Scottish Government’s National Planning Framework is clear that authorities in South East Scotland should be making concerted efforts to ensure housing needs are being met and Communities Minister Alex Neil has himself been vocal on the delays to Edinburgh’s plan.

Notes to editors:

1.   The Registers of Scotland Quarterly House Price Statistics show the City of Edinburgh recording the highest average for the fourth quarter of 2014-15 compared to the same period in the previous year at £260,647 – a rise of 21.4 per cent.

2.   The Citylets Q1 2015 Report  records a continuing rise in Edinburgh rents with the average up 7.7% on last year to £913 per month