Agenda item

Consider report by Director – Infrastructure and Environment. (Copy attached.)

With reference to paragraph 8 of the Minute of the meeting held on 18 April 2023 there had been circulated copies of a report by the Director – Infrastructure and Environment which sought approval of the Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 2023-2028 due to be submitted to the Scottish Government in November 2023.  The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 placed a statutory requirement on local authorities to develop a Local Housing Strategy (LHS), supported by an assessment of housing need and demand.  The LHS provided direction for tackling housing issues and informed future investment in housing and related services.   The new Local Housing Strategy set strategic outcomes and a delivery plan framework for the period 2023-2028. The strategy brought together the local authority’s responses to the whole housing system including requirements for market and affordable housing; preventing and tackling of homelessness; delivering specialist housing; meeting housing support needs; addressing housing conditions across tenures and improving the energy efficiency of all homes to support a transition to Net Zero.   The Lead Officer, Housing Strategy and Development, Ms Donna Bogdanovic, presented the report and responded to Members questions.  In response to a question regarding a lack of reference in the report to infrastructure associated with housing developments, Ms Bogdanovic explained that the scope of the LHS was limited to the delivery of new homes.  Infrastructure, and other strategic assessments, were considered as a separate element of projects.  The Principal Planning Officer, Mr Ian Aikman, advised that there was a close working relationship between the appropriate services of the Council to ensure that suitable infrastructure provision was considered as part of developments.  Ms Bogdanovic confirmed that there had been considerable engagement with social care providers and the NHS to ensure that projections of demand was accurate and informed.

DECISION

AGREED to:-

(a)        the submission of the Local Housing Strategy and the action plan to the Scottish Government in November 2023;

(b)       implementation of the Local Housing Strategy where there were no additional financial resource implications; and

(c)        note that officers would bring back proposals related to those actions identified as potentially having resource implications.