In an industry first, SSEN Transmission has pledged to support the delivery of more than 1,000 new homes across the north of Scotland as it aims to play a role in alleviating the region’s housing challenges.
The company is working with councils, registered social landlords and other housing organisations to deliver the new homes as part of its Pathway to 2030 programme – a £20bn investment to upgrade the transmission network in the north of Scotland in support of energy security and national net zero ambitions.
James Robottom, the head of policy at RenewableUK, said that SSEN Transmission’s proposals were the most ambitious and innovative community benefit plan he had encountered. “What this demonstrates is the need for flexibility, in working with the community and understanding what the wider community needs.”
Workers’ accommodation will be required to deliver the proposed projects, and SSEN Transmission is aiming to create a legacy in the communities that will host its workforce by delivering housing that will support local need when the projects are completed.
The scale of this delivery of new housing in local authority areas in the north of Scotland includes around 400 homes in Highland and a similar number in Aberdeenshire, and other significant housing activity is planned elsewhere across SSEN Transmission’s area. Further announcements with details of local housing projects in different council areas will be made in the coming months.
Developed over the last year in collaboration with contractors, local authorities, registered social landlords and other housing organisations, SSEN Transmission’s plan details several delivery models that will be used to achieve its ambitions.
The strategy has been heralded as a potential game-changer that could be used as a template by other infrastructure developers, driving housing development in the communities where their projects are based.
Rob McDonald, SSEN Transmission’s Managing Director, said, “Our commitment to support the delivery of more than 1,000 new homes in the north of Scotland reflects ongoing work led by SSEN Transmission with the support of our contractors and partners, focussed on finding workforce accommodation solutions that will provide a legacy for communities where the lack of housing for local people is a key issue.
“This is a significant and innovative contribution to addressing the housing challenges in the north of Scotland, and it also demonstrates how we can work in partnership to develop imaginative proposals that will deliver new homes and act as a template for other developers.
“Discussions are ongoing with local authorities, developers and registered social landlords over the location and scale of potential projects, and we expect to make further announcements in the coming months that will demonstrate substantial benefits to local communities.
“Our £20bn investment in the transmission network is the biggest investment programme the north of Scotland has seen in decades – and our ambition to create a housing legacy reflects our determination to make a lasting and positive contribution in the communities hosting our infrastructure.”
The Scottish Government’s Housing Minister, Paul McLennan, said, “Good quality housing is essential to attract and retain people in our communities. We remain focussed on delivering 110,000 affordable homes across Scotland by 2032, with at least 70 per cent for social rent and at least 10 per cent in our rural and island communities supported by our Rural and Island Housing Action Plan.”
Carolyn Lochhead, Director of External Affairs at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations, said, “The housing emergency has hit rural Scotland particularly hard and has exacerbated so many other existing challenges such as depopulation, labour shortages, and underinvestment in rural communities. This investment will be vital for communities across the north of Scotland and is a good example of collaborative working to increase the supply of housing.”