New project to add more council homes
A council project to buy new homes directly from developers to increase its housing stock is to be piloted in Motherwell.
Members of North Lanarkshire’s housing committee agreed the “pathfinder” proposal at their recent meeting, which will see the authority engage with housebuilders at an early stage of development and consider buying new properties “off the shelf ”.
The council has previously purchased 72 completed homes from developers, with agreements in place for a further 115; and the expanded programme is to be tried in Motherwell, Airdrie and Coatbridge, and Bellshill, as the towns have “higher demand and/or a significant reprovisioning programme”.
It forms part of North Lanarkshire’s plan to 5000 affordable homes within the next 16 years.
Robert Steenson, the council’s executive director of enterprise and communities, said: “We’ve already purchased homes from private developers on sites in Muirhead, Chryston and Gartcosh and found this to be a cost-effective way of delivering new affordable homes.
“All would continue to be built to council standards for new-build homes, including accessibility and sustainability; and this is in addition to our traditional design-and-build method, supplementing our plans.”
He added: “Our programme is gathering pace all the time” – noting that early agreements are now in place for developments at the former Columba High site in Coatbridge and for up to 150 new homes at Holehills in Airdrie, where high-rise flats are due to be demolished early next year.
Councillors were told of buying completed properties from private developers: “This may bring forward additional affordable homes and reduce both costs and risks associated with the new build programme.
“It may also be attractive to developers as it could de-risk their investments by providing a guaranteed buyer for at least some of the homes on a site and secure their supply chains; [it] could therefore help stimulate private sector delivery, attracting new jobs and residents to North Lanarkshire.”
A report noted that any properties to be purchased under the scheme would have to be assessed as being “of the right type and in the right location to meet housing needs”, and that “any proposals would be evaluated to ensure value for money – the council would be seeking to secure a bulk purchase discount, negotiated on a siteby-site basis”.
The council has submitted its latest five-year strategic housing investment plan to the Scottish Government – aiming to create more than 2400 new homes in the next five years, to be delivered by the council and housing associations and supported by potential Holyrood funding.