Housing statistics 2016: key trends summary

Summary of the key trends in the housing statistics for 2016.


New Housing Supply

Data on new housing supply informs National Indicator 38 (Increase the number of new homes) which is assessed as part of the Scotland Performs framework.

16,995 new houses were built, refurbished or converted in 2015-16, 82 homes (0.5%) fewer than in 2014-15. New housing supply remains well below pre-recession levels and is 38% below the 2007-08 figure of 27,593

New housing supply comprises the following elements:

  • new house building: houses completed by or for housing associations, local authorities or private developers for market sale, below market rent or low cost home ownership;
  • rehabilitation: houses acquired by housing associations and refurbished either for rent or low cost home ownership. Refurbishment of private dwellings funded wholly or partly through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme ( AHSP); and
  • conversion: net new dwellings created by conversion from non-housing to housing use or by alterations to existing dwellings in all tenures.

The supply of new housing decreased by 82 homes (0.5%) between 2014-15 and 2015-16. Private-led new builds increased by 408 homes (3%), rehabilitations increased by 233 homes (104%) and conversions increased by 40 homes (6%), whilst housing association new builds decreased by 744 homes (24%) and local authority new builds decreased by 19 homes (2%). New housing supply remains well below pre-recession levels. See Table 1 below and Chart 1 (page 1).

Table 1: Components of new housing supply in Scotland

Private new build Housing association new build Local authority new build Rehabilitation Conversion Total housing supply
1996-97 17,492 2,963 241 984 1,244 22,924
1997-98 17,984 4,489 114 1,514 958 25,059
1998-99 18,784 1,753 120 380 958 21,995
1999-00 19,074 3,964 69 413 1,151 24,671
2000-01 18,195 3,804 112 971 1,103 24,185
2001-02 18,309 4,197 65 597 1,311 24,479
2002-03 18,938 3,715 94 514 1,305 24,566
2003-04 20,454 3,368 0 410 1,409 25,641
2004-05 22,444 4,024 0 677 1,336 28,481
2005-06 20,255 4,698 0 469 1,695 27,117
2006-07 21,037 3,231 6 437 1,702 26,413
2007-08 21,662 4,097 28 389 1,417 27,593
2008-09 16,101 4,577 336 427 923 22,364
2009-10 11,122 5,576 413 442 920 18,473
2010-11 10,693 5,111 614 297 591 17,306
2011-12 10,086 4,776 1,114 338 644 16,958
2012-13 9,841 3,244 963 291 550 14,889
2013-14 10,817 2,911 1,140 711 509 16,088
2014-15 11,988 3,064 1,157 224 644 17,077
2015-16 12,396 2,320 1,138 457 684 16,995

The components of housing supply within each local authority area for 2015-16 are shown in Chart 2. Together Glasgow, Aberdeenshire and Fife accounted for 27% of Scotland's new housing.

The proportions of housing supply accounted for by each grouping vary by local authority. For example, in Glasgow 37% of the new supply was housing association homes and 44% was from the private sector. The majority (73%) of the new supply in Edinburgh was from private sector new build with a further 21% from housing association new build. Private sector new build accounted for 91% of Aberdeenshire's new housing supply.

East Ayrshire (51%), Orkney (25%) and Moray (24%) had the highest proportions of their new supply as local authority housing.

Glasgow City accounted for half (51%) of rehabilitations and nearly a quarter (24%) of conversions.

Chart 2: Supply of new housing in Scotland 2015-16

Chart 2: Supply of new housing in Scotland 2015-16

Link to Housing Supply tables:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/HSfS/NewHousingSupply

Contact

Email: Esther Laird, esther.laird@gov.scot

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