Issue - meetings

Consider report by Service Director Regulatory Services.  (Copy attached).

With reference to paragraph 3 of the Minute of 16 October 2018, there had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Regulatory Services seeking approval of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2020-2025 due to be submitted on line and by hard copy to the Scottish Government by 25 October 2019.  The report explained that Local Authorities were required to produce an annual SHIP submission to Scottish Government.  Scottish Borders Council, with the involvement of its key partners via the SHIP Working Group, had prepared this SHIP submission.  The SHIP articulated how the Council and its Registered Social Landlords (RSL) partners would seek to deliver the Borders affordable housing investment needs and priorities identified in the Council’s Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 2017-2022 over a rolling 5 year planning horizon.  Homes delivered by 31 March 2021 would be counted towards the Scottish Parliament’s target of 50,000 Affordable Homes. The report further explained that based on Resource Planning Assumptions (RPAs) from Scottish Government  and resource planning assumptions, RSL partner private sector borrowing and commitment from the Council’s Affordable Housing budget, approximately 581 new homes would be delivered during 2019/20 and 2020/21, and potentially up to 1066 new affordable homes over the five-year SHIP 2020-2025 period.  This latter figure assumed that all identified challenges and infrastructure issues were resolved in a timely manner, funding was available and that agreement was reached between all interested parties and the construction sector had capacity to deliver projects.  SHIP also included a number of new build extra care housing developments in Duns, Galashiels, Kelso, Eyemouth and Hawick.  The Chief Planning Officer, Iain Aikman gave and update advised that there were now:-

·      11 RSL projects under construction = 292 units;

·      6 RSL projects at pre site stage = 156 units; and

·      5 RSL projects with planning applications being considered = 52 units.

The current estimated RSL units delivered for 2019/20 were:

·      114 new supply (social rent);

·      1 house purchase (MMR);

·      1 house purchase (social rent);

·      11 OMSE; 8 Rural housing fund

Now showing an updated total of 137.

DECISION

APPROVED the SHIP 2020-2025 for submission to the Scottish Government More Homes Division.