Councillors to be asked to comment on investment in affordable housing at Garioch Area Committee meeting next week

ABERDEENSHIRE councillors are to be asked to give comments on the draft Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) at a Garioch Area Committee meeting next Tuesday.

The purpose of the SHIP is to set out investment priorities for affordable housing from 2023 to 2028. It will enable the delivery of high quality and energy efficient homes as well as help in reducing fuel poverty and carbon emissions.

Councillors will be asked to provide comments on the SHIP's investment priorities, how this will be delivered, the resources required to deliver these priorities and the involvement of key partners.

Comments are required for the report to be submitted to the Scottish Government.

Following on from a Garioch Area Committee last September, 28 properties have already been completed in the area.

Meanwhile, work has commenced for 58 social rent units across Insch, Inverurie and Sauchen.

Over the course of the five year period set out by the plan, potentially 2082 homes could be delivered across Aberdeenshire.

Of these, 470 in total are proposed for Garioch with 326 for social rent, around 98 for people with particular needs and around 53 for low cost shared equity.

Aberdeenshire Council's waiting list for 2022 shows a strong need for housing in the area.

The council has marked Inverurie and Ellon as areas of high priority while Turriff has been marked as an area of medium priority although this is not a prerequisite for the delivery of new housing.

All will be discussed next Tuesday before the comments are then submitted alongside the report to the Scottish Government.

More information can be found here.

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