Falkirk Council: Five year housing plan to build 2600 new homes

The five year plan aims to enhance the availability of good quality, affordable housing, promote sustainability, as well as meeting the needs of its residents.

With a commitment to reducing carbon emissions, the strategy places a strong emphasis on sustainability and outlines measures to reduce building emissions, improve insulation and promote alternative energy options. It also sets out a housing supply target for 2023-2028 to deliver a total of 2600 units with a focus on larger properties, wheelchair accessible homes and support services for those with complex care needs

The report also lists achievements from the previous local housing strategy 2017-2022 which include: 811 additional affordable homes; 262 empty homes brought back into use; more tenants are satisfied with opportunities to participate; and a new homelessness prevention team is now in place to deliver initiatives to prevent homelessness.

Kenny Gillespie, head of housing and communities said: “Our proposed new five year strategy sets a clear vision for the future of housing across the Falkirk Council area. We are fully committed to improving the lives of our tenants by ensuring access to affordable, energy efficient and suitable housing stock. Our focus on sustainability and community engagement will be pivotal in achieving these goals.”

The Council’s ambitious Strategic Investment Plan 2024-2025 will also be considered by elected members and sets out the strategic investment priorities for affordable homes to meet housing need and demand over five years.

The Scottish Government provides grant funding to deliver the Affordable Housing Supply Programme and the Council works closely with Registered Social Landlords to distribute funding across eligible projects.

In 2022-23 there was significant progress in affordable housing, spending over £15 million on new builds, buybacks and participation in initiatives including the First Home Fund.