News

East Lothian Council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) has been commended at a prestigious planning industry awards ceremony. The LDP had been shortlisted as a finalist in the category for Excellence in Plan Making Practice at the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellenc

South Lanarkshire Council has effectively used HouseMark’s rent affordability tool with staff and tenants to understand better the implications of proposed rent changes and kick off constructive conversations. The online tool, launched in partnership with the Scottish Federation of Housing Ass

Promoting friendship across generations as a mean to combat loneliness is the subject of a pioneering new study by the University of Aberdeen. Led by Professor Louise Phillips from the School of Psychology, researchers are looking at the way friends communicate with each other to investigate whether

The Scottish Government is to create a £150 million national pilot scheme to provide support for first-time buyers and has also launched a consultation of short-term lets. Under the scheme, which will be launched later this year, buyers will be required to fund a minimum of 5% of the value of

Plans by the Scottish Government to remove barriers for people needing to access homelessness services are welcome but don’t go far enough, according to Shelter Scotland. Currently, people making homelessness applications to their local council must demonstrate a local connection and show that

Edinburgh property group Sigma has launched a new Scottish Government-backed fund to invest in Scotland’s private rented sector. The Sigma Scottish PRS Fund will have initial resources of £43 million, with £30m provided by the Scottish Government’s Building Scotland Fund in t

A housing investment fund set up last year by the Scottish Government and Places for People Group’s fund management arm has acquired its first two developments. Housing minister Kevin Stewart launched the multi-million pound investment last year to deliver mid-market rent homes across the coun

The Scottish Government has paved the way for the development of 121 homes in a coastal Aberdeenshire village. Barratt North Scotland had planned to deliver 109 houses and 12 flats on a site near Park Place in Newtonhill. A quarter of the properties are for affordable housing.

The boards of two housing associations which collectively own and manage 38,000 units across the south west and south of England have announced talks on a potential merger. Radian and Yarlington will explore options over the coming months to form a partnership which they said will deliver “lon

Estate agency Clyde Property has increased the coverage and diversity of its rental offering throughout central Scotland with the acquisition of the portfolios of property companies Gordon Shields and Wura Property. The incorporation takes Clyde Property’s letting portfolio to in excess of 3,0

With HMRC currently consulting on changes to the reduced 5% VAT rate that has been available for the installation of energy saving materials (ESMs) in residential accommodation, in order to bring the UK into line with EU law, experts at accountancy firm Saffery Champness have stressed that any

A third (33%) of UK adults admit they’ve not checked if the engineer working on their home’s gas appliances is doing so legally by being on the Gas Safe Register, according to the latest research findings by the gas registration body. The findings come as the Gas Safe Register nears comp

New figures have been published showing that a quarter of all Scots are today struggling to make it to their next payday on their current income. Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) conducted a YouGov survey last month that questioned over 2,000 Scots aged 18+.

A new fund to help support children, young people and families has been announced by Deputy First Minister John Swinney. The Family and Communities Third Sector Fund will provide up to £16 million per year to reduce inequalities and provide the best outcomes for children and families through o

Bruce Forbes, director of Angus Housing Association for the last 24 years, has announced his plans to retire. The Association’s first ever employee, Bruce started work with Angus Housing Association (AHA) in 1995 when it had just over 300 houses in its ownership. When he leaves the Association