Ross Greer MSP, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, thinks I'm "super-rich" as the owner of a small (50m2) second home (lodge) overlooking Loch Earn. “All over Scotland people are being priced out of the communities they’ve grown up in, all while tens of thousands of homes sit empty for most of the year. They are being hoarded by a small number of wealthy people who clearly do … [Read more...] about Build, baby, build
housing
The paradox of Scotland’s ‘Gold Coast’
Some folk are calling it “the Gold Coast”, the sandy, occasionally palm-fringed shores of the northwest Highlands. It certainly lived up to the billing on a bright spring day last week when I headed over to Gairloch to meet parents from the Save Our Rural Schools campaign. It is a paradox that this area has both a problem with depopulation and soaring house prices. Surely … [Read more...] about The paradox of Scotland’s ‘Gold Coast’
Help to build – with Scottish taxpayers’ cash
Taxpayer money from underspent budgets controlled by the Scottish Government will be transferred to the controversial Help-to-Buy (HTB) scheme, benefiting private housebuilders at the expense of the public purse, CommonSpace can reveal.An internal document from the housing industry lobby group Homes for Scotland obtained by CommonSpace apparently confirms that the Scottish … [Read more...] about Help to build – with Scottish taxpayers’ cash
Solving housing crisis means fixing broken land economy
The UK, along with many other advanced economies, is facing a major housing affordability crisis.Average house prices are now on average nearly eight times that of incomes across England and Wales, and up to 39 times in parts of central London.A whole generation finds itself priced out of the market, struggling to make ends meet in the face of eye-watering rents. Over … [Read more...] about Solving housing crisis means fixing broken land economy
Plukes on plinths: an inquiry
I live in Aberdeen, a long way from Grenfell Tower. But experience makes me feel close.My father was a town planner. The MARS (modern architectural research) group, a think tank, impressed him. Its 1937 plan for London said: By draining London of its parasitic elements by means of arterial roads, the historic centre could be given freedom to breathe. Parks could be created … [Read more...] about Plukes on plinths: an inquiry