FOI/202600501412 · FOI · unclear
Affordable homes costs and statistics: FOI release
Information requested
Of the Scottish Government’s target to build 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with 10% of them being rural, please can you:
1. Outline how many homes, which have been completed within this target since 2023, have been in rural parts of Scotland (and provide an annual breakdown).
2. Outline how many affordable homes, have been started but not been completed within this target since 2023 and have been in rural parts of Scotland (and provide an annual breakdown).
3. The total spend in terms of building properties, in rural areas, to meet this target.
Response
1. How many homes, which have been completed within this target since 2023, have been in rural parts of Scotland
6 Fold Urban/Rural Classification 2023-2024 2024-2025 Total Remote Small Towns 270 115* 385 Accessible Rural 1,233 1,305* 2,538 Remote Rural 555 275* 830 Total 2,058 1,695* 3,753
* Figures are provisional and subject to final validation.
These figures represent 22% of the total homes delivered between 2023 and 2025. This proportion reflects the number of completed rural homes, as shown in the annual breakdown provided.
Please note all homes completed from 23 March 2022 onwards are included within the target of 110,000 affordable homes to be delivered by 2032.
The Scottish Government uses the 6 fold Urban Rural Classification to categorise homes delivered through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme (AHSP), validated against the National Records of Scotland (NRS) Scottish Postcode Directory. Classes 4 (remote small towns), 5 (accessible rural), and 6 (remote rural) are used to define rural and island delivery.
From the start of the 110,000 homes target period (23 March 2022), an additional RESAS non-rural filter is applied effectively excluding Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen, and Glasgow from rural delivery figures.
2. How many affordable homes, have been started but not been completed within this target since 2023 and have been in rural parts of Scotland:
6 Fold Urban/Rural Classification 2023-2024 Starts Not yet complete 2024-2025 Starts Not yet complete Not yet complete Total Remote Small Towns 165 70 46 24 94 Accessible Rural 955 430 860 671 1,101 Remote Rural 318 204 168 118 322 Total 1,438 704 1,074 813 1,517
To note that we review and refine the classification at the point of completion which is what our target is based on to ensure the classification is in line with the postcode look up data at that date. E.g. a project could have been classified as rural at the point of approval or site start but at the point of completion is no longer the same category of classification.
3. Total spend in rural areas:
6 Fold Urban/Rural Classification 2023-2024 £m 2024-2025 £m Total £m Remote Small Towns 17.980 16.243 34.223 Accessible Rural 95.722 106.498 202.220 Remote Rural 35.475 28.274 63.749 Total 149.177 151.015 300.192
These figures represent 23% of the total spend between April 2023 and March 2025.
The table above shows total expenditure through the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in rural areas in Scotland, including acquisitions, rehabilitations and new build. Spend will not directly correlate to starts or completions as grant can be across different financial years and is paid out at regular intervals on receipt of confirmation of costs incurred.
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Contact Please quote the FOI reference Central Correspondence Unit Email: contactus@gov.scot Phone: 0300 244 4000 The Scottish Government St Andrew's House Regent Road Edinburgh EH1 3DG
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