Scottish Government
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Minister comments on housing figures

Statistics on the levels of affordable housing planned across Scotland were published today.

The report, Affordable Housing Securing Planning Consent, details all affordable housing that has secured planning consent by planning authority area during 2005-07. This survey is of planning consents and not the actual building or completion of new units.

The statistics estimated that in 2005-07 12,173 affordable housing units were granted planning consent - 78 per cent of these are to be entirely publicly funded (including where a Registered Social Landlord intends to supply funds raised commercially), while 22 per cent will involve some contributions from private developers.

Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell said:

"I welcome the publication of these new statistics, which highlight the levels and locations of affordable housing that are being approved by planning authorites across Scotland.

"The Scottish Government has made clear its commitment to housing and our intention to increase housing supply, across all tenures, to at least 35,000 annually by the middle of the next decade.

"These statistics detail, for the first time, how planning authorities are negotiating with private developers to increase the levels of affordable housing being developed in their communities.

"These statistics show the introduction of Planning Advice Notice 74 (PAN 74) has had a positive impact on affordable housing and that many planning authorities are successfully negotiating developer contributions.

"It is also clear that councils and developers have to do more to achieve the 25 per cent benchmark for affordable housing contributions from developments in areas with an identified need and lack of affordable housing.

"The recent consultative draft of Scottish Planning Policy 3 (SPP3) seeks to strengthen policy on the provision of affordable housing and should add greater certainty to the process of negotiating affordable housing contributions."

Pan 74 was introduced in March 2005

The consultative draft SPP3 was published on January 7, 2008. The consultation period closed on March 31. Responses are currently being analysed and a final version will be published in the summer.

Official statistics are produced by professionally independent statistical staff.

Related Information

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/04/25153806/0

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2005/03/20796/54073

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/01/07141036/0

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/About

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