At a special Full Council meeting yesterday, councillors approved the Local Housing Strategy 2025–2030 – a comprehensive five-year plan for housing – and agreed to advance Local Development Plan 3 (LDP3) to the next stage.

Together, these linked strategies map out a bold vision for meeting local housing needs, revitalising communities and guiding sustainable growth over the coming decade.

And both strategies are fundamental to the delivery of the council’s Housing Emergency Action Plan 2025–27, approved on 27 March 2025.

The new Local Housing Strategy (LHS) – which could see investment of up to £500 million in the region – establishes the key priorities for housing and related services.

It focuses on five goals: building more homes to support a thriving economy and sustainable communities; helping people live independently in their homes of choice; improving options and standards in the private rented sector; achieving affordable warmth through energy-efficient homes; and upgrading housing quality through repair and targeted investment.

To deliver on these priorities, the council will, among other actions, make the ambitious investment of £1m per year in a Town Centre Living Fund to bring empty town-centre buildings back into use as homes and regenerate high streets.

Brownfield sites and long-term empty houses will be transformed to boost supply, and a new Strategic Housing Investment Plan will expand the range of housing options – including specialist supported homes – in partnership with housing associations.

The LHS also tackles fuel poverty and climate change by improving energy efficiency in homes (helping more households achieve affordable warmth) and promoting retrofitting.

This forward-thinking approach has earned national recognition – earlier this year, the council won the MJ Achievement Award 2025 for Innovation in Housing, with judges praising Dumfries and Galloway’s ability to deliver diverse, community-focused housing solutions across a large rural region.

To complement the housing strategy, councillors also took an important step forward on Local Development Plan 3, which will guide where new housing, businesses and infrastructure should go over the next 10 years.

Elected members agreed to submit an updated LDP3 Evidence Report to the Scottish Government for review – keeping the plan on track under new planning rules.

Once finalised, LDP3 will set out land allocations and planning policies to support the council’s vision of sustainable communities. For example, it will identify sufficient deliverable land for the homes outlined in the LHS, safeguard employment sites to grow the economy, and ensure that future development is matched with appropriate roads, schools, transport links and other services.

Embedding an ‘infrastructure-first’ approach has been a priority during the plan’s preparation, so that new development is supported in a sustainable way from the outset.

Councillor Katie Hagmann, convener of Dumfries and Galloway Council, said: “Working closely with partners across the south of Scotland, we are charting a bold and ambitious course for the future of our communities, which could bring up to £500 million of investment to Dumfries and Galloway over the next five years.

“By adopting our new Local Housing Strategy alongside progressing our next Local Development Plan, we’re making sure our ambition for more affordable homes and well-connected, towns and villages where all citizens and communities prosper is backed up by a clear plan of action.

“Our new Housing Strategy sets out how we will deliver the right homes in the right places – and by moving forward with LDP3, we’ll have the land, infrastructure and policies in place to actually build those homes and create sustainable communities.”

She added: “This joined-up approach will help tackle depopulation, support our local economy and improve quality of life across the region.

“It’s about more than bricks and mortar – it’s about working together with partners and listening to residents to deliver real solutions that meet local needs.

“Taken together, our new housing strategy and development plan represent a bold vision for Dumfries and Galloway’s future – one where vibrant communities thrive and everyone is included.”

Following yesterday’s decisions, the draft Local Housing Strategy 2025–2030 will be submitted to the Scottish Government for final endorsement.

The strategy’s action plan will get underway later this year, led by the council’s Strategic Housing Services in partnership with local housing associations and other stakeholders.

In parallel, the updated LDP3 evidence report will be sent to Scottish Ministers this week. A positive review will allow the council to begin drafting the full Proposed Local Development Plan 3 in 2026, which will go out to public consultation.

Local communities will have further opportunities to shape both plans – from identifying housing needs in their area to commenting on proposed development sites – as this work progresses.