Aberdeen agrees revised housing strategy

Councillors from the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee this week approved the Local Housing Strategy 2025-30 for Aberdeen City that sets out the strategic priorities that the Council and its partners will work towards over the next five years.

Councillor Miranda Radley, convener of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee, said: “It is important that we continue to look for new ways to support our tenants and improve our communities. This refreshed strategy builds on the progress made so far and sets out clear goals for the years ahead.”

Vice-convener Councillor Dell Henrickson said: “By listening to those across the city, we can work to deliver homes that not only meets people’s needs today, but also for future generations to come.”

The Local Housing Strategy sets out seven strategic priorities:

• Supporting an adequate supply of housing to meet the varying needs of the people of Aberdeen;
• Encouraging lesser heard voices within communities to help shape their local area and get involved in decision making;
• Making homelessness rare, brief and non-recurring;
• Promoting independent living in communities;
• Reducing health inequalities by providing affordable, accessible, high-quality and energy efficient homes;
• Improving the condition of existing homes and their energy efficiency to help reduce fuel poverty and address climate change, and;
• Supporting a well-managed private rented sector.

The Local Housing Strategy has a more person-centred focus than the previous Local Housing Strategy, considering the impact of housing on the general health of those living in homes through an exploration of the social determinants of health. This significant change in approach represents a shift in primary focus from buildings to people. 

The previous draft of the strategy was revised following an extensive citywide public consultation – ‘Your Place, Your Plans, Your Future’ earlier this year, alongside other policies including the Local Development Plan, with the feedback used to ensure that it reflected the needs of local people.