Homes for Scotland

With increasing pressure to address housing need across the country, it is essential that the sites identified for new homes are not only allocated in plans but are capable of progressing in practice. Development viability sits at the heart of that challenge. A site can proceed only when the income generated by the completed homes is sufficient to meet the full cost of delivery. Those costs include construction, infrastructure, developer contributions, policy requirements, finance and interest, as well as the impact of market conditions and landowner expectations. Our Development Viability – Housing research examines how these factors interact and why viability must be considered from the earliest stages of plan-making and decision-making. The accompanying infographic provides a practical illustration of the development journey. It shows that certainty increases when key matters are understood early, from Local Development Plan allocation and planning certainty through to policy costs, land purchase and the eventual start of construction. This is important for everyone involved in overseeing and enabling the delivery of new homes across all tenures, including planning authorities, policymakers, elected members, infrastructure providers, landowners, funders and home builders. A stronger understanding of viability can help establish realistic expectations, identify delivery risks sooner and ensure that the cumulative impact of policy and infrastructure requirements is fully understood. This is not about reducing ambition. It is about ensuring that Scotland’s housing ambitions are supported by a deliverable pipeline of sites that can attract investment and become the homes and communities the country needs. Read the research here. https://lnkd.in/eVSnbwyz #DeliveringMore #DevelopmentViability #HousingDelivery #Planning #AllTenure #HomesForScotland

📢We're delighted to announce Kevin Murphy, Director of Planning at Homes for Scotland as a speaker at our housing conference. Kevin will share his perspective on affordable housing supply, land and planning alignment > Making housing and planning work together > Unlocking land and stalled sites > Delivering affordable homes at pace 🗓️Join us on 1st December to assess how to turn local housing strategies into deliverable priorities for people and places. 👉Info/Register: https://ow.ly/YnqJ50ZofiT #Housing #Homelessness

Homes for Scotland is delighted to welcome new affordable housing investment in Scotland through Octopus Capital with the support of the The Scottish National Investment Bank and working in partnership with Dandara. As the country’s housing emergency continues, The Pines will make an important contribution to delivering the high-quality, affordable and sustainable homes of all tenures that are urgently required.

The publication of this data is timely and will assist local planning authorities and homebuilders in understanding the role and characteristics of towns when considering sites promoted, or re-assessed, for inclusion in emerging local development plans. 

We’re thrilled to share that our first-ever public campaign, Homes Build Futures, has received major industry recognition at this year’s PRCA’s Scottish DARE Awards, winning in the Public Affairs category. Developed in partnership with Muckle Media - a certified B-Corp, the campaign highlighted the urgent need for more homes and helped drive civic conversation in the lead-up to the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. A huge thank you to everyone who helped bring the campaign to life, especially our young stars! Read more: https://lnkd.in/eaYmw7rJ #homesbuildfutures #deliveringmore #alltenure #homesforscotland

Welcome aboard to new HFS Associate member Lowry Capital! Lowry Capital is a UK-based specialist lender that provides short-term bridging and development finance to property developers and investors. They focus on delivering fast, flexible funding for projects such as property purchases, refurbishments, and developments, while emphasising a personal, relationship-driven approach with brokers and clients.

HFS is delighted to welcome new member Newton Property Management Ltd. Newton Property Management Ltd is a Scotland-based property factor specialising in the management of communal areas within residential and mixed-use developments. With over 20 years’ experience, the company delivers locally informed, professional services across Scotland and takes a people-first approach, focusing on transparency, responsiveness and proactive management.

The housing statistics published today by the The Scottish Government show ongoing declines in all-tenure starts and completions, reflecting sector concerns over a rapidly diminishing land supply and development viability. These latest figures follow Homes for Scotland reports highlighting why allocated land doesn’t always deliver more homes (given rising costs, infrastructure requirements, planning obligations, policy expectations and market conditions) and predicting that housing completions could fall to as low as 5,000 per annum by 2031. So the 2025-26 total completions figure of 17,268 is unfortunately no surprise to us - being within 3% of our own analysis. Worryingly, however, it is 30% less than the combined local authority forecast of 22,402. We need a renewed focus on practical delivery. The Scottish Government, local authorities and partners across the public and private sectors must work together to remove barriers, restore confidence and ensure housing policy supports delivery rather than adding further cost or complexity. We have had positive engagement with the Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice and Housing in this regard, with the First Homes Fund a welcome example of government action to support First Time Buyers and stimulate wider investment confidence. The new national housing agency also has great potential to bring simplicity, scale and speed to delivery, but commercial insight and all-tenure expertise must be built into its design from the outset if it is to be effective. https://lnkd.in/eDFydvWW

Today Homes for Scotland has published a new report "Development Viability – Housing" highlighting why a stronger shared understanding of viability is essential if we are serious about turning housing ambition into homes on the ground. This is not simply a technical issue. It is central to whether sites can attract investment, support infrastructure, meet policy expectations and, ultimately, deliver new homes across all tenures. As the report makes clear, sites that may appear deliverable at allocation stage can become unviable as costs rise, market conditions shift, infrastructure requirements increase or policy expectations change. When that happens, the result is not better places but fewer homes. That is why we are calling for viability to be considered earlier and more consistently through Local Development Plans, with greater clarity around infrastructure costs, developer contributions and policy requirements. Rather than just identifying land, this will ensure that sites can actually be built. Read more at https://lnkd.in/enG5XFhV #deliveringmore #alltenure #homesforscotland #viability Shown below, the RICS' residual method is the most used tool for assessing development viability. The residual value at the end of the assessment is the amount that can be paid to the landowner whilst the home builder profit must also cover overheads. If the residual value is zero or less, the site is not viable. Additionally, if the residual value is below the landowners’ expectations, the value of alternative or existing uses, or any contractual price agreed, the landowner is unlikely to sell their land for development.