Number of new homes continues to flatline

Housebuilding in Scotland continues to flatline with just 88 more homes built in 2016 than in the previous year, official figures reveal.

The private sector has yet to recover from the financial crash of 2008, with the number of houses started in 2016 down eight per cent on 2015 and down 36 per cent on 2007.

The figures were revealed on the same day as the Scottish Government said it would invest a further £1.75 billion in building affordable housing across Scotland.

But Nicola Barclay, chief executive of industry body Homes for Scotland, said allocating the grant was “very different to actually building homes”.

She said: “The private sector is the biggest housing contributor overall yet the number of homes being started on site was down eight per cent in 2016, equivalent to 1,000 homes.”