Meeting of the Parliament 13 September 2017
Perhaps Mr Rumbles has not been paying attention. I have already been asked that question. My answer was yes, of course we do.
Our view is clear: Scotland needs a new housing infrastructure agency to lead on the medium and long-term infrastructure development that our economy needs, placing housing at the centre of its considerations. Homes for Scotland agrees—it was damning of the Scottish Government’s recent consultation on planning reform, reflecting what it calls its “great disappointment and frustration” at ministers’ refusal to confront
“the main planning barriers to delivery”.
We can only hope that Kevin Stewart has been listening as he prepares his long-awaited planning bill.
Among other matters, the new agency would herald a new relationship between the Scottish Government and local authorities when it comes to housing and infrastructure. Our motion calls for a new deal on housing. An option for delivering that would be a whole series of housing deals. The first generation of city and growth deals is still being negotiated and rolled out across Scotland, but we should be thinking hard about a second generation of bespoke deals—including on finance—tailored specifically to the housing needs of Scotland’s cities, towns and rural communities.