2026 must be the year we tackle housing crisis
Genuine collaboration between government, local authorities and developers is required to address tne need for new homes, says Tim Metcalfe
As we move into 2026, it is clear that Scotland’s housing emergency has been with us far longer than its official declaration in 2024. Unfortunately, as latest official statistics show, there are no signs of it easing, with these revealing that both private and social sector home building are now at, or near, historic lows. At its core, the fact is that Scotland simply hasn’t built enough homes of all tenures to meet the country’s needs.
To help change this in the year ahead, critical factors that need to be addressed are the pace of planning and the diminishing availability of land. Whilst it was somewhat encouraging to see the recent fall in the length of time taken to determine a major application for housing, at over 44 weeks, this is still more than two-and-half times the statutory 16-week timeframe and has a hugely detrimental impact on investment with other parts of the UK becoming more attractive.
This, and the well-recognised shortage of planners, will continue restricting the number of new homes built. Without intervention, a piece of land acquired today could still take two years before construction begins. Accelerating the planning process will be essential to meet growing demand and prevent affordability from worsening.
The scarcity of land arising from existing undersupply is a massive constraint. This is caused by the majority of Local Development Plans being out of date and a large element of the remaining land supply being constrained. With competition for sites increasing, land prices are rising even higher, driving up the cost of build and house prices further. This is having a knock-on effect on the ability of first-time buyers to get on the property ladder. At the same time, growing families require larger homes with gardens, parking and flexible living spaces, driving demand for semi-detached and detached housing over apartments. If government works more collaboratively with the home building sector so that land is released more efficiently, we can deliver more homes of all tenures faster to the benefit of everyone looking for a home that meets their needs and that they can afford.
Attention must also be given to ensuring we have a workforce with the necessary skills to deliver increased growth at a sustainable level. Training, recruitment and innovation in construction are all key considerations and I am especially proud of Keepmoat’s record in this space. This is a true testament to the culture and values embedded across the business.
At Keepmoat we pride ourselves on our partnership model, where we utilise strong long term relationships to progress development opportunities on multi-tenure basis, often delivering additional affordable homes in excess of minimum planning requirements, Combining private and affordable housing on the same site creates financial resilience, allowing construction to continue at pace, delivering homes quicker, even if market conditions fluctuate.
Domestically, successful models in England provide insights that can be applied across Scotland and other regions. There are also lessons to be learned from countries such as China and the USA, which demonstrate that high-volume housing delivery can be achieved at pace to meet community needs, while Japan, Holland and Denmark showcase highly efficient planning systems. Since joining Keepmoat, I have focused on translating these lessons into the business to explore how we can scale delivery while maintaining quality and sustainability.
Initiatives like Homes for Scotland’s ‘Homes Build Futures’ campaign are key to reinforcing the urgent need for more homes of all tenures. These campaigns highlight the critical role that genuine collaboration between government, local authorities and developers has to play in addressing the housing emergency.
The new year, in the context of May’s Holyrood election, offers an opportunity to reshape housing policy for generations to come – generations that will hopefully see less homelessness and fewer people living in temporary or unfit accommodation. Homebuilders, like Keepmoat, stand ready to deliver such a future.
Tim Metcalfe, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat
Comments
Want to join the conversation? Please or to comment on this article.