The Scotsman

Housing needs

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The Leith Blueprint (“Fears for Leith amid ‘asset-stripping’ and house price concerns”, Scotsman, 20 October) is to be welcomed for putting the people of Leith at the heart of plans for their community’s future. Concerns about the profile of the area being changed for the worse by a rise in unaffordab­le “luxury” accommodat­ion, student lets and holiday flats should be taken seriously, as should the call for more varied and affordable housing and better quality public infrastruc­ture, including parks.

Let’s look at the choices residents face. Current average open market monthly rents in the area, according to Citylets, are £825 for a two-bedroom flat, up to £1,130 for three bedrooms. Consider that’s a full 25-30 per cent more than Port of Leith Housing Associatio­n’s average mid-market rent for comparably sized flats and you have just one indication of why our high quality and secure properties are in very high demand.

And when we receive an average of 250 “bids”, as we have over the past year, for each of our available social rented homes, with average rents of £400 per month for two bedrooms and £450 for three, it’s absolutely clear why more of this type of secure, high quality and affordable homes is badly needed. The good news is that, in partnershi­p with the Scottish Government and Edinburgh City Council, we’ll be opening new developmen­ts like Leith Fort in the immediate future, adding 94 new affordable “modern colony” homes of various sizes for social and mid-market rent to the community.

This is all part of our plans to build a further 800 affordable homes over the next few years, available for local people in Leith and north Edinburgh.

Yet as Leith Creative’s report tells us, demand for these properties will continue to outstrip supply until even more is invested in affordable housing and funding is made available for the supporting infrastruc­ture here in Leith and across the Capital. KEITH ANDERSON

Chief Executive Port of Leith Housing Associatio­n Constituti­on Street

Leith, Edinburgh

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