‘No quick fix’ for housing
There is no quick fix to solving West Lothian’s housing shortage, councillors have been told, after a study found using storage containers to create temporary homes was no cheaper than building permanent homes.
Council officers have been looking at quick-build housing solutions to provide reduce reliance on hotel and B&B accommodation for homeless people, which cost the council almost £2m last year.
In November, housing officers were asked to investigate options including homes created out of storage containers and modern prefab housing, following a scheme set up by the Social Bite charity to provide container homes in Granton, Edinburgh.
Schemes suggested included containers or cabins.
In a report discussed last week however, they found that issues, including identifying suitable sites, obtaining consent and meeting building regulations, mean that temporary accommodation is not any cheaper or quicker to build than permanent homes.
Modular housing, as with post-war prefab housing where units are manufactured off-site, were also looked at to provide permanent affordable housing but research showed cost and delivery times were
similar to traditional construction methods.
It was also warned that currently there was no government funding for such a scheme.
Marjory Mackie, the Housing Strategy and Development Manager, told the Housing Services Policy Development and Scrutiny Panel:“The Scottish Government has confirmed that there is no funding provision for the capital costs of temporary accommodation including quick build solutions.
“Rapid Rehousing Transition Programme (RRTP) funding allocations to local authorities also cannot be used for the capital costs associated with temporary or permanent accommodation.”
Councillor Alison Adamson said:“It’s a shame that a successful project in Edinburgh isn’t something that’s apparently going to work in West Lothian.”