The document, which will cover the years 2023–2028, sets out the Council's wide-ranging ambitions in diverse areas such as housebuilding, rural housing, homelessness, private sector housing and energy efficiency.
Developed in consultation with tenants and residents across North Ayrshire, the Local Housing Strategy aims to support all people, regardless of their background, their financial position or their current housing situation.
Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, said the strategy encapsulates all the work that is being delivered to help people access affordable and comfortable homes.
He added: "This is one of the most important strategies we will deliver – the priorities it identifies affect one of the most fundamental things many of us take for granted, our homes.
"It's very pleasing to see the significant progress which has already been achieved here in North Ayrshire – ranging from building more than 800 affordable homes to our work supporting children affected by homelessness.
"But it's also heartening to see the challenging next steps we plan to take to fulfil our ambitions. By delivering on the priorities set out in the strategy, we can make our area more successful for everyone, establish thriving town centres, support our residents' health and well-being, and provide more opportunities for a better quality of life."
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The Local Housing Strategy 2023-2028 has four overarching outcomes, which have been agreed with residents through consultation and aligned to the four key strategies in the Scottish Government's 'Housing to 2040' strategy:
• More homes at the heart of great places – Among the initiatives currently underway include the transformation of the King's Arms Hotel in Irvine into council homes; a £10m investment to help regenerate Council housing estates; the Council's ongoing house building programme and the target of 1,300 new homes to be provided by private developers.
• Affordability and choice – With the Council being responsible for about 20 per cent of all homes in North Ayrshire, the Council will continue to strive to allow people to enjoy affordable homes in the places they choose to live, covering areas such as homelessness, Council house waiting lists and the private sector housing market.
• Affordable warmth and zero emissions – The strategy lays out how we are making our homes more energy efficient, supporting the North Ayrshire Environmental Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which aims to eradicate fuel poverty and achieve net-zero carbon status by 2030 and how we will continue to support the private sector to achieve similar targets.
• Improving the quality of our homes – In addition to managing and improving our own Council house stock, the Council will continue to provide advice and information to the owners of private sector housing to prevent properties from falling into disrepair and work with partners to support tenants and owners in the private sector to adapt their properties to allow them to live independently.
It is hoped the strategy will build on recent successes, which include the delivery of more than 800 new social rented homes – meaning the Council is now around halfway towards achieving its target of building 1,625 new homes across North Ayrshire by 2028.
Other achievements include the creation of a Local Lettings Initiative on Arran; the launch of the Arran Housing Taskforce, which is tackling the issue of a lack of affordable housing on the island; working with tenants to revise the Council housing rent structure and the establishment of a multi-agency task force to address complex private sector property condition issues.
In addition, North Ayrshire continues to help support those most in need, with the latest figures showing that around 640 displaced people from Syria, Afghanistan and Ukraine have been successfully resettled in the area and have been provided with support to enable them to successfully integrate within communities.
The Local Housing Strategy will be kept under annual review to ensure the Council continues to meet the changing needs of North Ayrshire residents.
