Number of Rural Homes built: FOI release

Information requested

I understand that the Scottish Government have delivered more than 10,000 homes to rural areas since 2016.

May I please ask when and where these homes have been built categorised by year and by postcode. 

Can I also ask, if possible, whether these be categorised into what the outcome of these homes were whether that be privately sold, socially rented, lift and midmarket rent.

Response

I have provided details of homes delivered between 2017-2018 and 2022-2023 which contribute to the more than 10,000 homes delivered in rural and island areas since 2016. This breakdown of homes includes the financial year, the local authority area they were delivered in, and postcodes that have been assigned to each project. The attached breakdown also separates by the following categories; Social Rent (socially rented), Other Affordable Rent (including mid market rent), Affordable Home Ownership (including LIFT and Rural Home Ownership Grants) and Sold by Private Developer (Partnership for Regeneration Support). 

For homes delivered in 2016-2017 it should be noted that this information was migrated from a previous recording system which was replaced by our current HARP (Housing and Regeneration Programme) system in 2017. Prior to 2017-2018 we also used a different Urban/Rural Classification system to the six-fold classification used since 2017-2018. We do not have the source table to provide the data breakdown for the homes which were classified as rural for 2016-2017. The number of homes for that year has been drawn from the published 2016-2017 Affordable Housing Supply Programme Out-Turn Report which reported 1,095 rural homes, excluding the two homes delivered that year through the Rural and Island Housing Fund which we have now included.

Using the six-fold classification we include those homes which are in categories 4 (Remote Small Towns), 5 (Accessible Rural) and 6 (Remote Rural). The summary table below provides a breakdown of the total number of homes delivered in rural and island areas by financial year since 2016.

Financial Year	No. of Homes Delivered
2016-2017	1,097
2017-2018	1,005
2018-2019	1,420
2019-2020	1,350
2020-2021	1,304
2021-2022	1,822
2022-2023	2,088
Total Homes	10,086

While our aim is to provide information whenever possible, in this instance we are unable to provide some of the information you have requested because an exemption under both section s.17 and section s.38(1)(b) (personal information) of FOISA applies to that information. The reasons why that exemptions applies are explained below in this letter.

An exemption under s.17 of FOISA applies to the data for 2016-2017 as we do not have the source table to provide the data breakdown for the homes provided in rural and island areas in that year.

An exemption under section s.38(1)(b) of FOISA applies to some of the information you have requested as data relates to individual property purchases. We have redacted the postcodes of projects where only one home was delivered to ensure third party confidentially, and that no individual could be identified.

These exemptions are not subject to the 'public interest test', so we are not required to consider if the public interest in disclosing the information outweighs the public interest in applying the exemption.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at http://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202400417792 - Information Released - Annex

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