David Jarvie, President of the Scottish Plant Owners Association (SPOA), has urged faster action to tackle Scotland's housing emergency, echoing the theme of the Scottish Government's recent consultation on accelerating home building. He notes that while the new agency More Homes Scotland (MHS) has been announced with a promise of a 'significant step-change' in delivery, it is not due to begin operations until April 2027 and will not be fully operational until April 2028, delaying any visible 'acceleration' in housebuilding.

Jarvie warns that housebuilding is in a prolonged slump, widening the gap between government ambitions and activity on the ground, with serious knock-on effects for Scotland's plant owners and hirers.

He highlights the tight link between plant utilisation and construction output. The Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB) says housing represents over 22% of workloads in Scotland's construction mix, implying that at least a quarter of plant industry business depends on housebuilding. Any slowdown, he says, directly hits plant firms.

On planning, research cited from the Savills Scotland Residential Development Market report shows the number of homes granted full planning consent has more than halved since 2020. Government figures indicate up to 164,000 units have permission but remain unbuilt due to viability and infrastructure costs; 114 sites, representing about 20,000 potential homes, are stalled or blocked from gaining consent; and the latest new-build data to the end of March 2026 shows total completions across all tenures in 2025/26 fell 10% year-on-year. Starts dropped 4%. Private sector completions were down 8% and starts down 12%. Social sector completions declined 16%, although starts rose 25%.

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Rising costs are compounding the problem. Construction costs are estimated to have increased by 4.25% in the year to Q1 2026. Combined with a challenging planning environment and inflexible regulatory and infrastructure frameworks, this is squeezing development viability across the UK. Jarvie points to recent statements from Taylor Wimpey and Berkeley Group about the tough development climate in London, leadership changes and ongoing regulatory pressures; both have said they will stop buying land for development in the capital, with Taylor Wimpey stating the economic case has evaporated.

He cautions that this is unlikely to be only a 'London issue' and that similar pressures are affecting developers across the UK, including in Scotland.

Skills shortages are another brake on delivery. The CIOB estimates Scotland needs roughly 3,590 to 5,220 additional construction workers each year to meet workloads, housing targets and climate goals. According to the Federation of Master Builders, 30% to 40% of Scottish construction firms regularly report worker shortages, and 72% say the lack of skilled tradespeople has delayed or cancelled projects.

Jarvie argues that an underperforming planning system, higher operating costs and acute labour shortages have created a perfect storm that is holding back new homes and weakening the plant and construction supply chain.

Earlier this year, SPOA and other leading construction bodies in Scotland warned that national housing and net zero goals are at risk without a 'radical shift' in workforce planning. The Scottish Construction Qualifications & Skills Council published a skills manifesto calling for:

- A cabinet-level minister to champion construction and infrastructure within the Scottish Government

- A Scotland-wide construction workforce action plan, aligning skills supply with future demand

- Protection and expansion of apprenticeships, ensuring the 'world-class' Scottish apprenticeship model is ring-fenced and grown

- Funding reform, including a review of apprenticeship funding to reflect the true cost of training

- A national construction skills passport, with a digital record of qualifications and health and safety certification for a modern, mobile workforce

Jarvie says none of these proposals has yet been implemented. He is renewing calls for swift, decisive action from ministers to reverse the slide in housebuilding and shore up the plant sector that underpins construction delivery.

SPOA is gathering evidence from members to illustrate the pressures facing plant businesses. Jarvie invites firms to share their experiences by contacting him at [email protected] so the association can intensify lobbying efforts and press the case that construction is central to national prosperity. He warns that without rapid measures to enable industry to "build our way out of this mire", Scotland's economy risks stagnation.