CIH Scotland has raised concerns over complacency within Scotland's housing sector.

New research by the organisation has revealed a 'mixed picture' towards meeting the Scottish Government's target of delivering 50,000 new 'affordable' homes by 2021.

The annual UK Housing Review states despite a rise in the number of new 'affordable' homes delivered during the first year of 2016, there was a slowdown in completion rates during the second and third quarters of 2017.

CIH Scotland said the downward trend in completions has recently been highlighted by the latest Scottish housing statistics, which revealed a a 12% decline in the number of new social sector homes completed in 2017 compared to 2016.

-- Advertisement --

Overall, the report concludes that any failure to achieve the 50,000 target will not be for lack of funding. However, concerns remain about the ability to deliver on the target, with the report pointing out that “performance over the first 18 months has been modest, albeit it will take time to gear up to the new output levels”.

CIH Scotland Deputy Director Callum Chomczuk said there should be "no room for complacency".

"Drawing a direct comparison with other parts of the UK, Scotland can demonstrate encouraging performance in key areas such as house price affordability and tackling homelessness," he said.

"The Scottish Government has also given a welcome financial commitment with regards to funding 50,000 new affordable homes over the lifetime of the current Scottish Parliament.

"At the same time, the latest quarterly housing statistics for Scotland reinforce concerns about the sector's capacity to meet that ambitious target. Indeed, the number of new social sector homes completed in 2017 actually fell by 12% compared to the previous year.

"As such, there should be no room for complacency. Working in partnership with the Scottish Government, I know that our members across Scotland will continue their efforts to achieve a continuously improving picture for Scottish housing in the year ahead and beyond."

(LM/CD)