An estimated 6,767 affordable housing units were granted planning consent during the 2008-09 financial years.

Official statistics on the quantity and location of affordable housing securing planning consent were released yesterday by Scotland's Chief Statistician.

Of the housing units 64 per cent (4,363 units) are to be entirely publicly funded (including funds raised commercially by Registered Social Landlords) and the remaining 36 per cent (2,403 units) are to involve some form of contribution by a private developer.

A majority (65 per cent or 4,381 units) of affordable housing granted planning consent are planned to be used for rent by a Registered Social Landlord - 6 per cent (392 units) are planned to be used for Local Authority rent.

The highest number of affordable housing units granted consent during the survey reporting period were in Glasgow City (1,170 units or 17 per cent of the national total). This is followed by Highland (722 units or 11 per cent) and Moray (523 units or 8 per cent).

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All consented units in Glasgow are to be entirely publicly funded, and Moray is similar with 94 per cent publicly funded. Highland is mainly split between entirely publicly funded units (40 per cent ) and those where the developer has contributed land for affordable housing (59 per cent ).

A minority of Planning Authorities have accepted commuted payments from developers for affordable housing provision. This is in lieu of developer-contributed affordable units. 91 per cent of applications where only a commuted payment was accepted (336 out of 370) were for market-price developments of no more than 5 units in size. 72 per cent (272) of these developments are in Aberdeenshire, and 18 per cent (65) are in Scottish Borders.

A total of £3.1 million of commuted payments were agreed with developers in 2008-09, bringing the total agreed since the beginning of 2005-06 to £15.7 million. In 2008-09, 28 per cent of the commuted sums have been agreed in Aberdeenshire, 19 per cent in West Lothian, and 15 per cent in Fife.

Of this £15.7 million agreed, £11.7 million has so far been received, including £1.9 million in 2008/09. £4.4 million has been spent by planning authorities, including £2.0 million in 2008-09, which left £9.1 million on hand at the end of the financial year.

This is the third release of data from The Affordable Housing Securing Planning Consent survey, which provides new data for 2008/09. This is a survey of Planning Consents for new affordable housing provision and does not report on the actual building or completion of new affordable units.

(GK/BMcc)