FUNDING to bring 34,000 empty homes back into use is to double to more than £400,000, the Scottish Government has confirmed.
The cash will be used to put people back into privately held properties that are worth a combined £5 billion at the current average house price.
The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP) has already helped make 2,840 dwellings into homes again in conjunction with local authorities. However, estimates suggest almost 12 times that number have been unused for several years.
The drive, which will be detailed at the Scottish Empty Homes Conference in Glasgow today, comes after The National highlighted the case of Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain, who is involved in a neighbour dispute over a cottage in Fochabers that has lain empty for more than ten years.
Moray Council confirmed that its empty homes officer had contacted Mountain, the Tory rural affairs spokesman, over the matter.
Shaheena Din, SEHP national manager, said: “It simply doesn’t make sense for people to leave a property sitting empty when it could be bringing in money for them and providing a home for someone who needs one.
“There is a lot of help available to make it possible for people to overcome obstacles that stand in the way of moving back into a property, letting it out or selling it.”
Housing Minister Kevin Stewart added: “We are determined to increase and accelerate housing supply across Scotland to reach our ambitious target of delivering 50,000 homes for Scotland during the lifetime of this Parliament – 67 per cent higher than the previous 30,000 target.
“The Scottish Empty Homes Partnership (SEHP), hosted by Shelter Scotland, has been instrumental in bringing
2,840 empty homes back into use since 2010.
“Everyone in Scotland should have a safe and warm place to call home, which is why the Scottish Government has doubled the funding for the SEHP to more than £400,000.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here