Capital sets sights on biggest council house building programme in decades

City leaders lay out vision to build thousands of new homes - but there is a catch

The Capital would embark on the biggest investment in council housing in a generation under plans to tackle the city’s affordable housing crisis.

City councillors are expected to declare an official “housing emergency” today in a move designed to kickstart a major cross-party campaign for extra Scottish Government funding.

The council will say it can treble the rate at which council and social housing is being built in Edinburgh with a series of “spade ready” projects already lined up.

That could deliver more than 11,000 “affordable” homes within five years, either newly built council homes or housing association properties.

Thousands more council houses would be retrofitted to higher energy efficiency standards which can cut domestic bills by up to 80 per cent under its housing crisis action plan.