Housing
The City Region Deal reflects the joint commitment of city region partners and the Scottish Government to deliver the regional housing programme, transforming regional housing supply and driving economic and inclusive growth across Scotland.
The regional housing programme aims to accelerate the delivery of affordable housing and housing across all tenures, enable the development of seven major strategic housing sites and drive efficiencies across the public sector estate.
Collaboratively regional partners and Government will work together on the following areas:
SUPPORTING GREATER USE OF OFFSITE CONSTRUCTION TO DELIVER AFFORDABLE HOMES
City Region Partners are collaborating on the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator (EHD) Project to develop a new business model for the delivery of new affordable net zero homes.
Based on collaborative procurement, whole-life costings, pipeline coordination and greater use of modern methods of construction (MMC), the programme aims to transform the productivity and performance of affordable housing and to enable the move towards homes built to net zero carbon standards.
Latest Position: Information on the Edinburgh Home Demonstrator project including the current pilot projects can be found here.
An expanded affordable housing programme
An expanded affordable housing programme will build on the committed additional £125 million between 2018/19-2020/21, with a commitment to maximise certainty over future public funding levels for the regional housing programme.
Latest Position: Strategic Housing Investment Plans were developed by partner authorities in 2018 to outline investment priorities over the next five years. A regional affordable housing profile will be developed from this with Scottish Government to ensure greater certainty for funding levels for affordable housing.
risk sharing guarantees
Developing risk sharing guarantees on a site-by-site basis will support local authority borrowing and share the financing risk of infrastructure delivery required across strategic sites, starting with Winchburgh in 2019, where West Lothian Council has agreed guarantees for up to £150m of infrastructure investment with the Scottish Government. These will be repaid by developer contributions as set out in a complementary tripartite agreement between West Lothian Council, the lead developer and the Scottish Government.
Latest Position: The Winchburgh tripartite agreement was signed on 17 January 2019.
Delivering Seven Strategic Sites
Seven strategic sites have been identified in the region’s Strategic Development Plan as key areas of change and growth (Blindwells, Calderwood, Dunfermline, Edinburgh’s Waterfront, Shawfair, Tweedbank and Winchburgh).
Business cases will be developed within the 15-year period of the City Region Deal, of which Winchburgh is likely to be the first. Taken together these sites will deliver over 41,000 new homes, create 7,800 jobs and contribute over £10 billion to the wider economy. The Scottish Government and city region commit to work together on each of these strategic housing sites recognising the long-term nature of these proposals with most new homes being delivered over a 15-year period. The Scottish Government will commit at least £50 million to support this.
Latest Position: Business cases for the seven strategic sites are at different stages of development. Winchburgh was the first project to be announced on 17 January 2019, followed by Dunfermline on 4 June 2021.
An increased supply of good quality low cost market rent housing
This is an essential requirement for meeting the housing needs of key workers and those on low to middle incomes who cannot access home ownership and are not a priority for social rent.
The Scottish Government has provided a funding package of £16.1 million capital grant and consent for the City of Edinburgh Council to on-lend up to £248 million to establish a new housing company with Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) to deliver a minimum of 1,500 homes at mid-market rent and competitive market rent levels. The City of Edinburgh Council and SFT will continue to share learning and financial models with city region partners, to explore regional delivery models.
Latest Position: The new housing company (Edinburgh Living) was established in 2018, and the first homes were delivered in January 2019.
MAXIMISING THE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION OF PUBLIC SECTOR LAND AND PROPERTY
City region partners are working jointly with both Governments to maximise the potential contribution of public sector land and property in the region to help unlock further new housing and wider public policy objectives.
More Jobs, training and apprenticeships as well as opportunities for regional construction related SMEs.
The city region housing partnership will align with the Integrated Regional Employability and Skills (IRES) Programme and specifically to the Housing and Construction Innovation (HCI) Skills Gateway to meet existing and future skills requirements in the construction and housebuilding sectors. This will deliver more jobs, training and apprenticeships, as well as opportunities for regional construction related SMEs.
Community benefits from regional housing investment will be maximised to ensure sustainable jobs and economic growth is created for local communities. Regional housing partners will support IRES colleagues to work towards developing a consistent all partner approach to community benefits.
Latest Position: The HCI Skills Gateway project proposition (PDF 15MB) was approved by the Joint Committee in March 2019.
