In the year ending September 2018, there were 18,750 new build homes completed across all sectors, an increase of 635 home (four per cent) on the previous year, according to the recent quarterly data from Scotland’s Chief Statistician. The four per cent rise included rises in housing association completions (35 per cent), local authority completions (eight per cent), and a three per cent fall in private-led completions.
Over the 12 months to end September 2018, social sector housing (housing association homes and local authority homes combined) accounted for just over a quarter of all new build homes. In Q3 2018, 1,286 social sector homes were completed; up 22 per cent on the same quarter in 2017. This pushed figures for the year to end September 2018 to 4,919; a 26 per cent increase on the 3,916 completed in the same period of 2017.
More up-to-date figures were also released for social sector housing in Q4 2018. The report recorded 925 social home completions between October and December 2018, bringing the total for the year to end December 2018 to 4,852; a 22 per cent rise on the 3,989 completed in 2017.
For the year to end September 2018, the rates of housing association completions were highest in Inverclyde, Glasgow, Shetland, North Ayrshire and Highland, while the lowest were in West Lothian, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and South Ayrshire.
The private sector is the most significant contributor to Scotland’s overall housing building, accounting for 74 per cent of all homes completed in the 12 months to end September 2018. Between July and September 2018, 3,608 private sector-led dwellings were completed. This was a 10 per cent rise, or 320 homes more, than the same quarter the previous year. For the year to end September 2018, however, private-led completions had fallen three per cent (a drop of 368 homes), compared with the number of completions in 2017; from 14,199 to 13,831.
The highest private sector completion rates have been recorded in Aberdeen, East Lothian, Midlothian, Perth & Kinross while the lowest rates were seen in Angus, Argyll & Bute, Inverclyde and North Ayrshire.
Affordable housing completions (homes for social rent, affordable rent and affordable home ownership) totalled 8,767 for the year to end September 2018, an increase of 21 per cent on the number of completions in 2017 (7,271). A total of 2,063 were completed during the third quarter of 2018, 386 more homes compared with the July-September period of 2017.
The latest statistics show 8,867 affordable housing supply homes were completed for the year to end December 2018, 20 per cent more on the previous year’s data (8,867).
Kevin Stewart, Housing Minister, said the statistics indicate the government is on track to achieving its target of 50,000 affordable homes by 2021:
“Since 2007, more than 82,000 affordable homes have been delivered, including 55,920 for social rent. We are now past the halfway point of our current programme and the latest figures show that we continue to lead the way on affordable housing.”
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