Homes for Scotland, representatives of the Scottish private building industry, have written to The Minister for Health and well being, Nicola Sturgeon, praising her new approach to housing.

Chief Executive Jonathan Fair congratulated the "foresight and ambition" of the discussion paper, 'Firm Foundations: The Future of Housing in Scotland'.

The paper outlines a commitment to "creating a housing system that meets communities' needs for good quality, energy efficient houses that people can afford."

The paper also reiterates a government commitment to tackling homelessness in Scotland and developing a sustainable housing system that delivers more houses and meets higher environmental standards, offering more affordable housing while achieving value for public money. The document also notes a target of 35,000 new homes per year; a 10,000 per year increase on the Scottish Executives present programme for development.

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The Minister said: "Improving supply and choice across all tenures will not be easy. It will place demands on developers, private landlords and registered social landlords."

Mr Fair said: "We look forward to working with the Scottish Government, Local Authorities and Registered Social landlords to develop new strategies to increase the supply of land and the availability of housing in all tenures as signaled within the Consultation Document."

The Homes for Scotland Chief Executive added a warning to the government however, saying: "We feel strongly that this [paper] must be backed up with coordinated policies and delivery networks for wider public services and assets."

(DW/SP)