Recently described by Social Justice Secretary, Shirley-Anne Somerville, as “one of the defining issues of a generation”, Scotland is in the midst of a major housing crisis.
The Scottish Government’s announcement of a housing emergency just so happened to coincide with a round table discussion I organised with Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, and leading Scottish property professionals.
I had hoped to hold a similar discussion with the SNP’s First Minister, but with the title changing hands, the round table had to be cancelled.
Held at the Edinburgh office of property consultants Graham & Sibbald, the event welcomed industry leaders from the likes of Lar Housing Trust, Kelvin Properties, City Room Rentals, Namacap, SRA Ventures Limited, Ryden, and the venue hosts.
Anas Sarwar kicked off the discussions by asserting the Labour party’s stance on the property market, highlighting its unashamedly pro-business standpoint and his eagerness to create conditions to expedite economic growth across Scotland.
Following these ambitions, attention turned to the property market in Scotland, with the Labour leader pointing out the elephant in the room, stating that some key decisions needed to be made by the Scottish Government to improve conditions in the property market. This was a common view among the leaders in attendance – who all felt that the current housing planning system is no longer fully functional.
Anas was also very aware of the problems with the land and planning system, and offered a wider UK perspective on the topic, citing a few suggestions from his colleagues looking after the Labour-run Manchester patch.
A planning application in Manchester can take approximately 16 weeks for the local authority to return a decision, compared to an outrageous average of 78 weeks in Scotland. It’s little wonder there’s a housing emergency when so few houses are being built.
The Manchester system seems to work on the presumption that planning will be approved, whereas the Scottish system currently appears to work on the presumption that planning will be refused.
This negative attitude towards new developments in Scotland is something that needs to change. Will this happen under Labour’s watch? Sarwar said that Labour would create a National Planning Agency, which will work with local authorities on a national agenda to challenge this mindset.
Anas’s plan also includes a strategy to reduce the Scottish planning approval timescales in line with Manchester, which will make Scotland more attractive for investment.
To bolster this appeal, property projects that are forecast to boost the economy would be prioritised, with Anas even suggesting that the planning fees paid by the developer could be refunded if the planning process took longer than 16 weeks.
Our property experts were keen to explore the bigger picture, with a pertinent question from Alan Herriot of Ryden stumping the Labour leader. Could we be sleepwalking into a period of shortage of industrial space in Scotland, including warehousing and distribution?
According to Alan, the vacancy rate in Scotland is three percent, which will fall to one per cent in the short term, further compounding the problem – especially as around 80 per cent of the Scottish industrial stock was constructed before the 1980s and is no longer fit for purpose.
The green revolution was also a keen topic of discussion, with promises of retrofitting historic housing stock with more environmentally friendly and energy efficient options leading Sarwar’s agenda.
His biggest aim in overhauling the current system in Scotland though would be to create the right environment for big investment and pension funds to invest in Scotland, claiming the current format of the Housing Bill creates uncertainty over future returns and discourages investment in the sector.
If Anas Sarwar can deliver on his promises, the entire property industry in Scotland could be given a well-needed shot in the arm. However, political ambitions aside, this is a problem that we need fast, viable solutions for as soon as possible, not just sound bites, to ensure Scotland remains a valuable place for both residents and investors.
It was an interesting afternoon and certainly provided food for thought. It would now be great to get in front of our new First Minister and have a similar discussion on his thoughts of navigating Scotland through the current housing crisis, just to see how they compare.
Glasgow’s later pub hours could help revive nightlife
Glasgow city centre pubs and bars can now stay open until 1am.
The Glasgow Licensing Board has approved 54 applications as part of a pilot project to boost late-night hospitality in the city.
It follows the decision to allow clubs to trade until 4am and brings Glasgow in line with Edinburgh.
As well as giving pubs and bars the opportunity to trade for an extra hour, the pilot programme aims to encourage patrons to leave licensed premises in phases, rather than crowds vacating pubs, bars and clubs at a similar time – relieving pressure on policing and the availability of taxis and public transport.
As I’ve touched on many times before, late-night hospitality particularly suffered during Covid restrictions, and the sector has struggled to recover as the cost of living crisis continues to squeeze Scots – so it’s great to see this pilot being implemented to help bars and pubs in Glasgow.
However, only a couple of months ago, it was reported that some pubs across Scotland are calling time as early as 8pm some nights and even staying closed on quieter days to save money. A poll of British Beer and Pub Association members found a third have reduced their operating hours due to higher operational costs.
It’s clear that something needs to be done to help encourage higher footfall back to pubs and bars before we lose some of them for good.
It will be interesting to see if this pilot influences footfall and spending and whether it rolls out further.
It Made Me Laugh
Pyjama dream turns global for Glasgow couple
A couple who design and sell jazzy jim-jams from their family flat in Glasgow now have fans all over the world including celebs, and have expanded into other sleepwear items.
Irregular Sleep Pattern, the brainchild of Jolene Crawford and Mil Stricevic, was launched with a crowdfunding campaign in 2020.
They smashed their target of £10,000 of sales in their first 24 hours of trading. They have now expanded from pyjamas to pillows and bedding, washbags and greeting cards.
Some fans of the PJs even wear them as clothing.
The couple had dreamt of launching the business for a while and decided to take the plunge after realising it was now or never.
It just goes to show that you never know where your dreams might lead you.
It Made Me Weep
Shopping centre swap for homes a bittersweet shift
Centre West Shopping Centre in East Kilbride is set to become a housing development.
The shopping centre has been in decline for a while and one third of the units are now empty. Plans have been approved for South Lanarkshire Council to take ownership of the building.
The council plans to create a new neighbourhood of between 300 and 400 homes following public consultation, which identified residential development as the preferred use of the site.
With Scotland in the midst of a housing crisis and my recent round table discussing the issue, the creation of much-needed housing is welcome. But it’s sad to see a once thriving shopping centre demolished and retail continue to face challenging times.
