Scottish Borders Housing Association (SBHA) has announced the appointment of Emma Garry as its new Director of Development. The newly-created post reflects SBHA's commitment to greatly increase its role in the provision of new homes.

Emma, a Chartered Surveyor with almost 20 years' experience in the affordable housing sector, has worked across all housing tenures, having held positions at Hillcrest Homes and Cullross Limited and more recently with her own consultancy company, Emma Garry Consulting. These roles have given her a breadth of experience as both client and developer.

Emma was born in Hawick and has lived for much of her life in the Borders, and is excited about working on new homes for the region: "Despite having lived in the Borders all this time, I haven't so far worked on the delivery of new homes here – something that I get to put right in this new role. The prospect of working to bring new homes to the area I grew up in really inspires me. There is so much need in the Borders and having a small role in meeting that need will be a privilege.

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"Having a home that meets your needs can be life changing for some people and that is what motivates me. There has never been a more important time to be focusing on the delivery of quality new homes. With the cost of living crisis set to worsen amidst unpredictable energy costs, building warm and energy efficient homes is one way to help people feel safe and secure."

Last year, SBHA secured a £58 million facility from Royal Bank of Scotland to support investment in current homes and the delivery of 300 new homes over the next seven years.

SBHA Chief Executive Julia Mulloy commented: "The need for quality affordable homes in the Borders is ever-increasing, and we are delighted to have someone of Emma's calibre and experience on board to help us realise our ambitions as a new-build provider. With her commitment to quality, energy-efficient affordable housing she is ideally placed to lead this part of the business forward.

"SBHA's commitment to deliver 300 new homes will bring many other benefits to local communities, in the form of training and employment opportunities, making local businesses more sustainable and improving neighborhoods across the Borders. We look forward to bringing you more news of our plans very soon."