Glasgow unveils plans for 25,000 new homes

A new housing strategy for Glasgow will result in 25,000 new homes in the city by 2025, according to council leader Gordon Matheson.

Glasgow City Council said the plan has been devised to ensure the significant demand for new homes in Scotland’s largest city is met.

Matheson added that while there had been examples of new housing developments in Glasgow in recent years, the city needed to accelerate housebuilding to meet changing and growing requirements. 

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He said: “The huge scope of housing activity that the council will be enabling, supporting and investing in over the next decade will truly transform Glasgow. 

“We look forward to working with partners in both private and public sector housing to deliver 25,000 homes by 2025. 

“While the under-supply of housing is a national concern, we are determined to ensure Glasgow is at the forefront of tackling the issue, and will consider all feasible options for doing so. 

“The building of these homes will bring tremendous economic and social benefits for the city, with the huge number of jobs and apprenticeships required to deliver new housing on such a scale.”

Key areas of the strategy include:

• land release for the development of affordable homes
• helping first-time buyers to access mortgages
• turning empty shops into housing
• releasing 20 sites for development by housing associations in the first year of the strategy
• publishing a statement on student accommodation in Glasgow and developing sites for Self- and Custom-Build houses

Prior to the housing boom of the early to mid-2000s, around 1500 private houses were built in Glasgow every year. 

Following the financial crisis of 2008/9, house building activity has not returned to these levels, with 1,179 private houses currently under construction in the city.

Industry body Homes for Scotland, whose members together deliver 95 per cent of new homes built for sale as well as a significant proportion of affordable housing, welcomed the news.

Philip Hogg, chief executive of the organisation, said: “There is a chronic undersupply of housing right across Scotland which particularly affects our young people and growing families. 

“With our member companies looking forward to helping Glasgow achieve its ambitious goal of ensuring 25,000 homes by 2025, we applaud the vision that the council is demonstrating today and hope other local authorities follow its lead to ensure we have enough homes to meet the diverse housing needs of our growing population.”