Opinion

Continuing a series of blogs for Scottish Housing News ahead of the analogue to digital switch-off, Sharon Hannah, project manager at the ​Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, focuses on demonstrating digital transitioning for housing. Since my last blog, where I introduced our Housi

Geoff O’Brien, relationship director for Scotland at Assetz Capital, discusses what’s really needed to stimulate housebuilding across Scotland, from a focus on bringing in new planning talent to simplifying the process for smaller, SME housebuilder-led schemes. The Scottish housing crisi

With fewer cars, but with bus, tram or train options nearby, residents of a new 950-home development on the western outskirts of Edinburgh will benefit from an embarrassment of riches in terms of transport, writes Stuart Harrow, director of transportation at Dougall Baillie Associates. Edinburg

Responding to the Scottish Government's new More Homes Scotland agency, Hanover Scotland's CEO Angela Currie stresses that the 150,000 people on waiting lists and 40,000 in temporary accommodation need urgent action and new homes, not further bureaucracy. Two years ago, the Scottish Government decla

Gordon Hunt, divisional director (Glasgow) at Clancy Consulting, examines why Scotland’s cladding remediation programme risks falling behind unless delivery accelerates. Nearly a decade on from the Grenfell Tower tragedy, which claimed 72 lives and reshaped how we think about building safety,

Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations (GWSF) director David Bookbinder shares the problems faced by his members with the Affordable Housing Supply Programme. Whatever else is said in this article, the strong desire among our member associations to help boost new housing supply i

Recent headlines have forced Bruce Forbes, a former director of Angus Housing Association and SFHA board member, to channel his inner Howard Beale and stand up for those most impacted by Scotland's housing emergency. Since I retired from working in Housing in 2019, after 42 years in the "business",

Having studied planning application trends as a litmus test for whether land supply for housing is running out in Scotland, development & investment manager Jake Poole suggests that while the picture is not bleak across the board just yet, cracks are emerging, and it is a slow ship to turn. In r

Dr Andrew Robert Watson proposes the development of a Housing Stewardship Framework for understanding and improving how housing quality is produced and sustained across the system. Housing quality matters. There are well-established links between the condition of homes and levels of educational atta

Joe Warren, building consultancy partner at Knight Frank, looks ahead to the EPC changes coming into effect later in the year. There are lots of legislative and regulatory difference between Scotland and the rest of the UK. But perhaps one of the most misunderstood differences in property has been t

To demonstrate Grampian Housing Association’s journey to net zero whilst addressing fuel poverty, Zander Carle, director of asset management, discusses how social landlords can ensure tenants meaningfully help shape future energy-efficiency projects, turning climate commitments into actions. F

Greig Fenton, regional director at Thomas & Adamson, explores how real-time data can help spot issues like damp and mould earlier, supporting safer homes and more proactive asset management in line with new regulatory requirements. Digital technology is steadily influencing how buildings are pla

Lesley Peaty, regional director of The Scottish Procurement Alliance, highlights changes to SPA's rebates and Community Benefit Fund initiatives. Over the past decade, we’ve all felt the pinch. Across every level of society, we’ve had to make difficult choices about where limited resourc

The Scottish Government’s planned exemptions from rent control measures within the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 signal a more stable and investable landscape for developers, investors and funders, offering a timely catalyst for boosting housing supply across Scotland, write Russell Munro and Pa

As Scotland enters the final year before the analogue to digital switch-off, Sharon Hannah, project manager at the ​Digital Office for Scottish Local Government, kicks off a series of blogs for Scottish Housing News by outlining the historic and modern challenges facing Scotland at this moment. Te