Affordable homes plan in Edinburgh dubbed ‘pipe dream’

A plan for more than 11,000 new affordable homes to be constructed across Edinburgh in just five years has been labelled a “pipe dream” after it emerged the council only has enough cash to build 3,000.

Edinburgh Council officials admitted the proposal – which has been developed in a bid to meet its ‘20,000 social and affordable homes by 2027’ pledge – is “extremely ambitious”, however said it would continue to press the Scottish Government for more money.

Tory councillors called the plan, which suggested 11,375 newaffordablehomescouldbe completedinthenextfiveyears, an “undeliverable, aspirational document” as it would require a 200 per cent uplift in government grant funding.

However Labour’s Jane Meagher,

convener of the council’s housing committee, said ambition is “what this city needs”.

A report which went before the committee yesterday noted an additional £712 million would be required on top of the council’s existing budget to meet the five-year target.

It said current resource planning assumptions would “only be able to deliver c.600 homes a year or 3,000 homes over the next five years”.

It added: “This ambitious programme is contingent on the sites being within affordable developer control/being brought forward in a timeous manner, the necessary funding being in place (both grant funding and private finance) and construction sector capacity to deliver at scale.”

Paul Lawrence, director of place for Edinburgh City Council told councillors there are “issues that constrain affordable development in the city”.

He said the council “has done its very best to try and argue for as much as possible” but added that would need “changes in Government policy”.

Conservativecouncillorgraeme Bruce, who called the proposals before the committee a “pipe dream”, said: “Is that not aworrythatwe’rejustnotgoing to meet that target, because it’s talking about a 200 per cent uplift.”

Tory group leader Iain Whyte urged members to “be realistic about funding”.

The pair tabled an amendment describing the plan as “an undeliverable, aspirational document” which “does not constitute a plan for increased affordable housing supply”.

Conservative councillors also proposed that the council asks the Scottish Government to complete a ‘full review’ of grant fundingforaffordablehousing.