Figures in Audit Scotland's 'Housing in Scotland' (45-page / 810KB PDF) report, which was published on Thursday, showed that the country would need 21,230 new homes each year between 2011 and 2035 to meet a projected 21% increase in the population to 2.9 million by 2035.
Based on those projections, the report estimated that it would take more than 20 years from 2011/2012 before enough new homes would be built to meet the projected increase in any one year.
It also suggested that the ageing population and increasing numbers of single person households would create pressure for the housing sector and said that this pressure would be further increased by reforms of the welfare system and environmental policies.
A number of recommendations to the Scottish Government were set out in the report, including that it should demonstrate how its long-term vision for housing underpins relevant national policies and informs local planning policy and practice. The Scottish Government was also advised to improve its reporting of housing budgets and spends.
The report also recommended that the Scottish Government should review the financial pressure on the housing sector, including its ability to meet the national targets and quality standards, and that it should review councils’ and registered social landlords' capacity to develop alternative models of finance as well as assess the implications for funding for new homes.
