Aberdeen City Council will join forces with private developers next week with the aim of driving forward with plans to deliver 2,000 new council homes.
An open session for developers will be held from 1.30pm at the Beach Ballroom on Tuesday, October 16, as a new approach to meeting housing challenges is progressed.
In the 2018/19 budget process the Council committed to moving forward with forming self-financing business plans in conjunction with private developers for the delivery of 2,000 new council homes.
As the model continues to be developed, next week’s session will provide an opportunity for the Council to outline its vision for a partnership approach with the city’s developers and landowners.
Elected members and Council officers will make presentations and field questions from developers who are being encouraged to consider opportunities to develop council housing on private land holdings.
Cllr Sandra Macdonald, Aberdeen City Council’s housing spokesperson, said: “We have actively been building council housing in the city, with almost 200 units across our sites at Smithfield and Manor Walk, but to meet the needs of Aberdeen there is much more that must be done.
“As a Council we are leading from the front in facing the challenges that impact on thousands of individuals and families, with our intention to create 2,000 additional council houses underlining the scale of the task in hand.
“Partnership working in many different ways is crucial to addressing housing issues and this is an approach we have embraced, particularly in the area of affordable housing.
“We want to extend that collaborative approach to our council house building programme and to work with landowners and developers to deliver the ambitious targets we have set.
“Next week’s event has already been welcomed in the construction and development industry and it will be a very valuable opportunity to introduce interested parties to the opportunities that exist.”
In July a £13m 99-home development of council houses was completed at Smithfield, with the final phase of construction nearing completion at the 80-unit Aberdeen City Council development at Manor Walk.
The Council is also looking to raise awareness of broader proposals for new infrastructure, which includes developing an urban quarter in Queen Street and education projects.
Developers can obtain more information by emailing Paul Genoe: Pgenoe@aberdeencity.gov.uk