Housing statistics 2017: key trends summary

Affordable Housing

(As previously reported on 13 June 2017): In 2016-17, there were 7,336 units completed through all Affordable Housing Supply Programme ( AHSP) activity, an increase of 818 units (13%) on the previous year. Approvals increased by 2,331 units (29%) in the latest year to reach 10,276 in 2016-17, and starts increased by 1,626 units (21%) to reach 9,308.

Affordable Housing Supply Programme ( AHSP) activity represents the first year in the target period to build 50,000 affordable homes, including 35,000 for social rent, over the 5 year period from 2016-17 to 2020-21. The Scottish Government's Affordable Housing Supply Programme ( AHSP) funds housing for social rent, affordable rent and affordable home ownership. The AHSP funds both new build activity and other activity to increase affordable housing supply, for example off the shelf purchases, open market shared equity ( OMSE), rehabilitations and support provided to home owners through the Home Ownership Support Fund (mortgage to rent and mortgage to shared equity).

The AHSP completions statistics have been used to inform the Scottish Government's target to deliver 30,000 affordable homes between 2011-12 and 2015-16 and will be used to inform the target to deliver 50,000 affordable homes between 2016-17 and 2020-21.

The number of units provided through the AHSP programme are illustrated in the charts below. Approvals are measured when funding approval is granted for all dwellings on a site. Completions are recorded when all dwellings on a site are completed.

Chart 4 shows that in 2016-17 there were 7,336 units completed through all AHSP activity - this is up by 13% compared to the 6,518 completions in the previous year. The majority (63%) of these are new build houses, and the remaining 37% were off the shelf purchases or rehabilitations.

Chart 4: Units completed through affordable housing activity, 2000-01 to 2016-17

Chart 5 shows that in 2016-17, 10,276 units were approved through the AHSP, representing an increase of 29% from the previous year. Of those, 72% were new build houses and 28% were off the shelf purchases or rehabilitations.

Chart 5: Units approved through affordable housing activity, 2000-01 to 2016-17

Since 2009-10, data on AHSP site starts has also been recorded. There were 9,308 starts in 2016-17 which was up 21% from 7,682 starts in 2015-16.

Over recent years it is estimated that it can take between 1 to 2 years from approval to completion of an entire new build AHSP site (of which the first 3 to 4 months would typically be the time period from approval to starting). Individual homes, or blocks of homes, might be completed in shorter timescales if parts of the site are completed in advance of the rest.

Link to tables on AHSP: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewBuild/AHSPtables

Scottish Government Affordable Housing Supply Programme out-turn reports: http://www.gov.scot/Topics/Built-Environment/Housing/investment/ahip

Statistics on new house building in the other UK nations can be found through the following link to the Department for Communities and Local Government website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/housebuilding/livetables/