An ambitious plan for the delivery of 1,125 new affordable homes in the Scottish Borders between 2021 and 2026 is to be presented to the Council's Executive Committee.

The Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) is submitted annually to the Scottish Government and shows how, based on a range of funding assumptions, new housing projects can be delivered by a range of partners.

The availability of suitable land and readiness of the construction sector are also key factors.

Working closely with their Registered Social Landlord partners the council estimate up to 122 additional affordable homes could be completed by the end of next April.

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The 2021-2026 Strategic Housing Investment Plan will be the twelfth to be submitted by the council, during which time a total of 1,270 new affordable homes have been built.

Councillor Mark Rowley, Executive Member for Economic Regeneration and Finance, said: "The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact on construction projects across the Scottish Borders, including housebuilding, and it may take some time for the sector to be fully back up and running again.

"I remain hopeful that we can reach this ambitious target by 2026. This would not only provide high quality, energy efficient affordable homes for local people, but deliver a significant boost to the local economy at a critical time, with an estimated investment of around £166million to create these homes.

"Given the challenges faced throughout 2020, and the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 the delivery of 122 affordable homes in the local area would be above the annual average and a tremendous achievement for all concerned."