Why there's not enough larger social rent homes in Glasgow

Glasgow Times

25-04-2025

The Glasgow Times has highlighted the length of time people face being stuck on waiting lists for properties with three or more bedrooms.
Analysis showed smaller homes outnumber larger ones by three to one, and thousands are waiting while very few of those that do exist become available each year.
In one housing association, the wait would be 137 years to provide all on the list with a home.
(Image: newsquest)
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We asked social landlords in Glasgow if they faced difficulties providing enough larger homes to meet demand.
Wheatley Homes Glasgow is the largest in the city and has undertaken many projects to replace outdated and undesirable housing with new build communities.
A spokesperson for Wheatley Homes Glasgow, said: 'The main issue in Glasgow is the high build-cost and meeting Scottish Government specifications.
'This includes meeting net zero targets and increasing national and local Government requirements such as sprinklers, zero carbon heating, home working spaces and EV charging.
'The average cost to build a new home in Glasgow is circa £250,000.
'The city council also seek compliance with the Glasgow Standard which can add to build costs.
'In addition, development sites are typically brownfield which require remediation work arising from previous historic, industrial or commercial use.'
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New Gorbals Housing Association has transformed the area, demolishing poor quality housing and replacing it with new modern homes but it said there is a problem when it comes to larger family homes.
Fraser Stewart, chief Executive, said: 'The barrier to us providing more family homes has been because the additional cost of providing such homes is not generally covered by the funding system.
'The development of family homes puts costs relative to the grant allowances through the roof.
'That is particularly the case in inner urban areas where mostly flatted development is needed for density and urban strategy reasons, and the best solution is to maisonette (or duplex) the ground floor.'
This, he said, is expensive.
Mr Stewart added: 'Also, the cost of land is driven by relatively high densities in inner areas, and this adds further to the cost.'
Despite the challenges the association working with the Scottish Government and City Council, is bringing more new build social housing to inner Glasgow.
It is currently planning homes at the old Coliseum theatre and bingo site on Eglinton Street and for Caledonia Road once it demolishes the tower blocks there.
Groups representing the wider housing association sector in the city recognise the problem with larger homes and the difficulty faced by social landlords.
Carolyn Lochhead of Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said: 'With 250,000 people across Scotland on a waiting list for a social home, it's essential that housing associations receive stable and sufficient funding over a number of years to build the homes we desperately need.'
David Bookbinder of Glasgow and West of Scotland Forum of Housing Associations: added: 'Balancing supply and demand is always tricky – around 50% of all social lets go to homeless households, and most of these are single-person households.
'Fewer people are housed through the housing list than used to be the case, as a result of acute homelessness pressures, so ANY household on the list has less chance of being rehoused than was the case a number of years ago.
The Scottish Government has been contacted for comment