 The CIH said more people will need affordable homes as mortgages dry up |
Concerns have been raised that the credit crunch could prevent government affordable housing targets being met. The Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) called for "imaginative" measures to build 35,000 homes a year by 2015. It said the Scottish Government should work with housing associations or councils to use homes or land started by private firms which are lying empty. The communities minister said he was open to working with others to buy unsold privately built homes. The CIH's director in Scotland, Alan Ferguson, said the current financial climate made it harder for those building affordable homes to borrow the money needed for their developments. He said this must lead to concerns that targets would not be met for affordable housing. "As the credit crunch bites, we may also expect to see more people in need of an affordable solution as access to mortgages continue to dry up," he said. "At the same time we are seeing private housing developers struggling, leading to job losses and severely reduced building programmes. "We believe it is time for the Scottish Government to promote some more imaginative solutions that will help deliver more affordable houses, assist first-time buyers and assist struggling private builders." Ministers have set a goal of increasing the rate of house building to 35,000 new homes a year by the middle of the next decade. A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We welcome the CIH's support for our efforts to improve the supply of affordable housing. "The changes we have made to our subsidies to housing associations are essential if we are to achieve that objective at a time of great pressure on public expenditure. "The housing association sector is in a very strong position to weather the credit crunch and the Scottish Government will continue to work with them in the meantime." Earlier, Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced a �25m package to build new council homes.  Mr Maxwell said action was already being taken to increase social housing |
Last month, she also revealed details of a range of housing measures, including a �250m boost for shared equity schemes that allow people to own part of a property. The government also plans to launch a Homeowners Support Fund, providing �25m over the next two years to help those at risk of repossession. Communities Minister Stewart Maxwell said the measures announced by the government showed it was taking action. He stressed the importance of dealing with the underlying problem - the "under-supply" of housing - and said he would consider working with others agencies to buy unsold privately built homes. The minister said: "I'm open to that suggestion. "I think the issue here is housing associations and house builders have to get together and find out what is the most appropriate way forward bring forward projects which provide houses of the right type in the right place and at the right price. "When that's done we'll certainly look at them and see whether that's affordable and that's the right thing to do."
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The housing association sector is in a very strong position to weather the credit crunch
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