The Scottish Government must do more to address the housing crisis, according to the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) Scotland.
Gordon Nelson, Director of FMB Scotland, said: “In Nicola Sturgeon’s own words, housing is ‘one of the biggest issues of our time’. There were a number of announcements in the First Minister’s speech today on how we can increase house building, but it’s worth noting that most of these were re-announcements rather than new policies. If the Scottish Government is serious about making homes affordable for all Scottish people then it must be even bolder and consider a broader range of interventions.”
Nelson continued: “Scotland could be leading the way if the Government were to invest more in new homes and commit to making much better use of our existing housing stock. New FMB research, due to be published later this year, will look in to how we can utilise our existing buildings in and around town centres to deliver more new and affordable homes. By converting unused space above shops and unused retail space in into residential units, we can transform our town centres and tackle the housing crisis.”
Notes to editors
The Federation of Master Builders (FMB) is the largest trade association in the UK construction industry representing thousands of firms in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Established in 1941 to protect the interests of small and medium-sized (SME) construction firms, the FMB is independent and non-profit making, lobbying for members’ interests at both the national and local level.
The FMB is a source of knowledge, professional advice and support for its members, providing a range of modern and relevant business building services to help them succeed. The FMB is committed to raising quality in the construction industry and offers a free Find a Builder service to consumers.
