Homes boost from council

Ambitious plans to deliver new, affordable housing received a boost as an innovative pilot which will see the council work with housing developers to buy new ‘off the shelf homes’ was given the green light.

The local authority say this ‘development pathfinder’ approach will support proposals to deliver 5000 affordable homes by 2035 and help accelerate housing development while benefiting the local economy.

And the pilot will initially focus on potential developments in Motherwell, Airdrie, Coatbridge and Bellshill, where the council will proactively engage with housing developers at an early stage to potentially purchase new homes.

“We’ve already purchased homes from private developers on sites in Ravenscraig, Muirhead, Chryston and Gartcosh and found this to be a cost effective way of delivering new affordable homes,” explained Robert Steenson, executive director of enterprise and communities.

“All homes would continue to be built to the standards set by North Lanarkshire Council for its new build homes including meeting required accessibility and sustainability standards.

“This approach is in addition to our traditional design and build method and supplements our future plans for new build homes making North Lanarkshire the place to live.

Committee also approved additional affordable housing projects identified for inclusion in the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) which is now being submitted to the Scottish Government.

The council’s five-year SHIP aims to deliver 2423 new affordable homes over the next five years, regenerating and investing in communities and town centres, bringing benefits to the local economy. These projects help meet local housing need across North Lanarkshire and will be delivered by the council and housing associations and supported by potential funding from the Scottish Government.