Funds boost for affordable home works

EDINBURGH is to get 645 new affordable homes under a £20 million funding package for housing in the Capital.

The cash, announced by Infrastructure and Investment Secretary Alex Neil, will see 516 housing association homes built across the city at a cost of £17.58m, together with another 78 homes paid for with £1m from the Scottish Government’s innovation fund and 51 new council houses at Fort House and Greendykes with funding of £1.53m.

Mr Neil said: “With the public purse under huge financial strain we need radical and innovative approaches to increase housing supply at maximum value for taxpayers’ money. Councils, housing associations and private developers have risen to the challenge magnificently.

“Housing associations have embraced the new financial reality by proposing new developments delivered at subsidy levels that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.”

City housing convener Paul Edie welcomed the investment. “It’s good news for both housing associations and council house building and even better news for people who need a home,” he said.