Public sector investment in our housing stock remains critical to support population growth within North Lanarkshire. This is reflected in part through our commitment to delivering one of Scotland's most ambitious affordable housing programmes.
In 2018, we pledged to deliver 5,000 affordable homes by 2035 with 1,646 new council homes already completed and a further 521 in development as of June 2023.
Added to this, we aim to support our partner social landlords to deliver an additional 758 affordable homes by 2027/28.
However, this is not simply just about delivering new properties but also about creating improved quality of homes, following through on our commitment to replace our ageing tower blocks with modern, energy-efficient and accessible property whilst recognising that young people, families and our elderly population need the right homes in the right places.
There is also a need to expand the opportunity for people to be able to buy their own homes and remain within or relocate to North Lanarkshire.
While private sector housing in most areas of North Lanarkshire is generally affordable and in good supply, businesses continue to highlight that there is lack of affordable rented accommodation for those on short-term or temporary contract and who are unable or unwilling to commit to homeownership.
To address this issue, we will continue to review and assess opportunities to support intermediate tenures such as mid-market rent.
Recommendations
To help deliver the homes that North Lanarkshire needs to grow over the next five years, we will:
- Continue to focus investment towards our affordable housing stock to make sure that the target of 5,000 new council homes for North Lanarkshire is reached by 2035.
- Continue to support the delivery of the affordable housing programme, including intermediate tenures such as mid-market rent.
- Enable private sector housing development to support the regeneration of strategic sites such as Ravenscraig.