Argyll and Bute Council are continuing to develop a plan for future housing provision in the area.

Among the plans, are measures to bring empty homes back into use.

Following a meeting on Thursday (27 June), Councillors approved the local authority's updated Strategic Housing Investment Plan for 2013 – 2018.

The updates proposals include a list of potential housing projects, as well as outlining investments for the next five years.

After allocating an additional £18.7m in March, the Council has the potential to invest a total of £8.8m in affordable homes before 2015, working in partnership with registered social landlords.

Argyll and Bute Council's Strategic Housing Investment Plan sets out the key investment priorities for affordable homes over the next five years, as well as outlining how these will be achieved. It is designed to enable other key partners, such as registered social landlords, to become involved.

The plan also takes account of how to respond to changes in housing need and priorities and how to deal with issues like funding or land supply. It also contains a shadow programme which can be activated if additional resources become available or future needs substantially change.

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As well as the updated Strategic Housing Investment Plan, an agreement was also reached on the Council's Empty Homes Policy.

The programme aims to bring unused properties back into use as affordable homes by providing grants and loans to owners on the condition that they lease the improved property to a registered social landlord for at least ten years. A dedicated Empty Homes Officer is in post to work on this and to ensure that any funding provided goes to areas where there is the greatest need for housing and that the investment will result in an empty home becoming available at an affordable rent.

Argyll and Bute Council's Lead Councillor for Housing, George Freeman, welcomed the measures. He said: "No one can be in any doubt that Argyll and Bute needs more accessible, affordable housing so that people are able to live and work in the area. Our updated Strategic Housing Investment Plan gives us a clear way forward, working with our registered social landlord partners and the Scottish Government, to achieve this.

"Even although funding for affordable housing has reduced over the past few years, the council is working innovatively with our partners to try and maintain the delivery of affordable houses across Argyll and Bute at a high level. There is currently the potential to deliver an additional 200 new homes across Argyll and Bute by 2018.

"Bringing empty homes back into use is a significant part of our housing strategy and this, along with the other measures we have recently agreed such as the Local Authority Mortgage Scheme, will be a considerable boost to Argyll and Bute's housing situation and to the local economy."

(JP/CD)