Building rate highest since 2008

More than 1,300 houses were built in Fife over the last year.

Fife Council said the build rate, which is equal to that of the previous year, was the joint highest since the global economic crisis of 2008.

Pam Ewen, planning chief officer, said the region’s house building industry had shown a steady performance.

She said: “All parts of the house building sector have worked hard to sustain the level of housing being delivered to house the people of Fife.

“Although the delivery of new homes remains below pre-recession levels, I am encouraged by this year’s performance and will work to improve on it in future years.”

She added: “Fife Council is committed to accelerating the production of new homes to bolster the economy and to bring land in the local development plan forward for development to further increase much-needed housing delivery.”

The figures from the latest Fife Housing Survey referred to sites of at least five homes.

In 2017-18 the first housing was delivered on one of the strategic development areas in the local development plan, at Wellwood, Dunfermline.

Almost half of the houses completed were built on brownfield land, bringing previously used land back into use, and some 47% was affordable housing developed through the council, Fife Housing Alliance or housing associations.