Affordable Housing Need in Scotland Post-2026

Affordable housing needs in Scotland report cover sml

This report jointly written by the Universities of Sheffield, Liverpool and Sheffield Hallam University reveals that Scotland must deliver over 15,000 affordable homes a year in the next Scottish Parliament.

Commissioned by Shelter Scotland, the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, and the Chartered Institute of Housing Scotland, this amounts to over 78,000 new social and affordable homes over five years, with at least half of them needed in the east.

While the study does not provide specific numbers on social and affordable housing to meet the needs of older people, it does recognise the ageing of Scottish households. In particular. It states:

“In addition to growing in size, the population is projected to age over time. This will contribute to reducing the average household size as people live longer in single adult households. Furthermore, it will shift the nature of housing need, with more specialist older people’s accommodation required to manage the populations’ care needs. Existing homes will also require adaptations to enable households to age-in-place where appropriate. It (Figure 6.3) shows the projected change in age structure of Scotland between 2025 and 2047, with a dramatic increase occurring in the number of people aged 90 or more. The number of people aged 70 or more is expected to increase by 37.2% during this period, increasing as a proportion of the total population from 14.7% to 19.5%. Although the population is due to age across all areas of Scotland, our interviewees working in rural areas reported that the pace of population ageing is projected to be faster in predominantly rural authorities due to outward migration of younger households. And that local housing demand surveys tend to find an undersupply of single storey and adapted homes in rural areas.”

However, it does not address housing design quality and why it is vital to ensure that any new social and affordable housing is built to highest accessible standards to accommodate the varying needs of households in Scotland as they age.