Glasgow council approves 12,000-home plan in response to housing emergency

Glasgow City Council yesterday passed a programme aiming to deliver up to 12,000 new homes over the next five years in response to the city’s housing emergency.

The council has identified 59 sites across Glasgow in its Strategic Housing Investment Programme (SHIP) for 2027/28 to 2031/32. The plan sets out a £674m investment towards 6,500 confirmed new homes, with the potential for 12,173 in total subject to increased government funding.

Of the confirmed new homes, 74% will be for social rent, 24% for mid-market rent and 2% for new supply shared equity or private sector rent.

The cash will be deployed from the council’s £123.283m Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP) grant for 2026/27.

Glasgow City Council declared a housing emergency in 2023 and is one of 14 local authorities to do so.

The SHIP aims to respond to the pressures associated with the housing emergency by increasing the supply of affordable family housing, reducing homelessness and child poverty and strengthening supported housing for people with disabilities, complex health needs and young people leaving care.

It also seeks to provide financial support to registered social landlords to acquire private sector properties that can be used to house homeless families.

Ruairi Kelly, deputy leader and convener for housing, said: “Glasgow has built far more affordable homes than comparator cities like Manchester or Birmingham over the last five years, and I am determined to raise the bar even further.

“Working in partnership with local housing associations, housebuilders and the wider housing sector we want to be clear to government that Glasgow gets things built: and if they are able to increase our housing budget, we can build and acquire even more.”

The Scottish government’s ‘Housing to 2040’ strategy includes a target for delivering 110,000 affordable homes by 2032.