Why we need an ALL-tenure approach

In order to make our country a better place in which to live, work and invest, it’s essential that we have enough homes of all tenures in the right locations to meet the diverse housing needs and aspirations of our growing population.  This is fundamental to achieving the fairer society we all want to see.

Providing more affordable housing is obviously a key part of addressing Scotland's overall chronic undersupply of homes.  However, given the significant direct contribution the private sector makes to affordable housing delivery (estimated to be worth £46.8m last year) with planning policies requiring a percentage of homes on new sites to be specifically allocated for this purpose, this can only be achieved through an ALL-tenure approach.

Furthermore, a singular focus on just one tenure paints only part of the picture of our country's housing need.  What about the majority of Scots who still want to own their own home?  Or those who want the flexibility of renting in the private sector?

This is why we are calling on the next Scottish Government to manage a return to at least pre-recession levels of building by the end of the next parliamentary term, which would mean at least 100,000 new homes of ALL tenures based on an annual average growth rate of ten per cent.

We believe this is an ambitious but achievable target and have set out in our manifesto the action which needs to be taken to make it happen. Click here for details.