The launch of More Homes Scotland has been broadly welcomed across the housing sector as a potentially transformative step towards tackling the country’s ongoing housing emergency. Designed to accelerate delivery across all tenures, the new agency will focus on affordable housing, rural and island developments, strategic land assembly and infrastructure, while working closely with the Scottish National Investment Bank.
Industry bodies have largely agreed that the initiative signals a more joined-up and ambitious approach. However, there is a clear and consistent message: structural reform alone will not be enough without sustained, long-term investment.
The Scottish Federation of Housing Associations (SFHA) has underlined the scale of that requirement, citing research which indicates that annual public investment of £1.6 billion will be needed to deliver nearly 16,000 social and affordable homes each year over the next parliamentary term. Chief executive Richard Meade stressed that collaboration will be critical, stating that the new agency must work “in partnership” with housing associations and co-operatives to provide secure, warm and affordable homes.
While the ambition to increase delivery has been widely supported, some in the sector have urged caution around expectations. John Hamilton, chair of the Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations, warned against over-promising on efficiency gains. He noted that previous attempts to deliver housing at scale through larger providers have failed to meet expectations, adding that a community-led approach remains essential.
“Housing need isn’t going to be better met just by larger providers building larger-scale developments,” Hamilton said, emphasising that homes must be rooted in the communities people actively want to live in. He also pointed out that many housing associations already have strong access to private finance, suggesting that increased reliance on private capital may be more relevant in other parts of the housing system.
Charity Shelter Scotland has described the creation of More Homes Scotland as “exactly” what it has been calling for, particularly in light of the growing housing crisis, which has seen around 10,000 children placed in temporary accommodation. Director Alison Watson welcomed the move as “a step in the right direction”, but warned that ambition must be matched with funding.
She highlighted a significant gap between current commitments and long-term need, noting that plans to deliver 36,000 affordable homes by 2030 fall more than 20,000 short of the 110,000 homes required by 2032. “Today they have shown they are willing to do things differently,” Watson said. “Let’s hope that ambition is matched by the money needed to make it a reality.”
From a private sector perspective, Homes for Scotland (HFS) has described the agency as a bold and necessary intervention that could help restore confidence across the market. Chief executive Jane Wood stressed the importance of embedding commercial expertise from the outset, arguing that simplicity, scale and speed must be supported by practical delivery insight.
“It is now essential that commercial insight and all-tenure expertise feed directly into the design phase,” she said.
The Scottish Property Federation has also backed the move, particularly the creation of a single national body to streamline decision-making and unlock stalled development sites. Meanwhile, rural organisations including Scottish Land & Estates have welcomed the explicit focus on delivering homes in rural and island communities, where shortages are often most acute.
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Despite broad support, the message from across the sector remains consistent: More Homes Scotland has the potential to be a powerful delivery vehicle, but only if its ambitions are underpinned by adequate funding, viable land supply and a realistic understanding of how housing is delivered in practice.
Without these foundations, stakeholders warn, even the most well-intentioned reforms risk falling short of addressing Scotland’s pressing housing needs.
