New home building up 15% year on year in Scotland

New home building in Scotland has increased by 15% in the last 12 months, a rise of 3,000 new properties compared with the previous year, official figures show.

However, Housing Minister Kevin Stewart has warned that a No Deal Brexit could have a damaging effect on future growth.

It is the sixth consecutive annual increase in the total housing supply, the highest annual figure since 2008/2009, and for the first time since 1980, local authority housing stock has also increased.

‘We want to ensure everyone has a warm affordable home and these figures show we are on target to reach delivering 50,000 affordable homes by 2021. However, I am deeply concerned that all our good work towards increasing Scotland’s housing supply could be significantly undermined by a No Deal Brexit,’ said Stewart.

‘Private house builders are particularly vulnerable to the implications of Brexit. Construction material imports to the United Kingdom from European Union member states accounted for more than 60% of the total value of construction material imports to the United Kingdom in 2018,’ he pointed out.

‘In addition, more than 7,000 EU nationals were employed in the Scottish construction sector in 2017. A No Deal Brexit poses significant risks to builders’ supply chains and the construction workforce in Scotland. Housing is yet another example of the deep damage that could be done to Scotland by a No Deal Brexit,’ he added.