Wednesday August 12th 2026
Glasgow skyline
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Drew Sandelands
Glasgow is aiming to deliver over 1,000 new affordable homes this year after accepting a Scottish Government grant of over £123m.
Targets for 2026/27 also include securing approval for 670 properties across a range of new projects. However, officials admit the figures “do not reflect the response required to Glasgow’s housing emergency”.
Housing chiefs at Glasgow City Council say the city is “well placed to increase the number of additional affordable homes” should more funding be made available.
Councillors agreed to accept the Scottish Government grant at a meeting on Thursday. They heard how the city is targeting 1,007 completions, 747 site starts and 670 approvals in 2026/27.
It comes after the targets for 2025/26 were missed, reportedly due to high construction costs and delays linked to securing consents.
Cllr Ruairi Kelly, SNP, the council’s housing convener, said the vast majority of the affordable housing supply programme is focused on social rented developments.
It aims to tackle the housing emergency, reduce homelessness and develop family-sized homes, he told councillors.
Of the proposed approvals this year, 502 properties are for social rent, with 168 for mid-market rent. Cllr Cecilia O’Lone, Labour, questioned why 25% of homes would be available for mid-market rent rather than social rent.
She said: “In the context of the housing and homeless emergency, how is it justified to divert a quarter of the approvals away from the most affordable housing tier?”
Cllr Kelly said there is “housing need across the board” with “a lot of people who require access to mid-market rent (MMR) housing who won’t qualify for social rent”.
“It’s also a way of working with local areas to do regeneration, because quite often the MMR is the first step to getting a greater number of private and other developers into an area as well, so that can help supplement the social housing.
“We do look to have mixed communities wherever we are developing. We try not to have siloed communities.”
Cllr Kelly added the number of MMR properties in 2026/27 is “slightly larger” than normal as there are two “quite sizeable” projects included.
He said alternative funds for MMR developments are being considered so the “vast majority of our money can go to social rented accommodation, which there isn’t the same variety of funding sources for”.
Council leader Susan Aitken, SNP, said: “I think we need to be slightly careful about making assumptions about the different drivers behind homelessness.
“There are a diverse range of reasons, and one of those reasons is family breakdown, and also domestic abuse, and actually MMR could have a really important role to play.
“It’s not always the case that people who become homeless don’t have incomes. It’s often the case, but it isn’t always the case.”
A report to the council’s city administration committee stated Glasgow has delivered a “significantly greater number of new-build affordable homes compared to other cities within the United Kingdom”.
Figures, for completions between 2019/20 and 2025/26, showed 4,249 in Glasgow compared to 3,362 in Birmingham and 2,769 in Manchester.
New projects planned for approval in 2026/27 include:
47 Craig Road Cathcart (8) (Social Rent)
Glenacre 2 Craigdale (31) (Social Rent)
GCC Acquisition Strategy 26/27 Govanhill (3) (Social Rent)
61 Albert Road Govanhill (1) (Social Rent)
Davislea Linthouse (36) (Social Rent)
Shakespeare Street Maryhill (1) (Social Rent)
40 Coburg Street New Gorbals (3) (Social Rent)
Sorby Street Parkhead (12) (Social Rent)
1660 Gt Western Road Partick (17) (Mid Market Rent)
Beechwood Drive acquisition Partick (1) (Social Rent)
639-645 Garscube Rd Shop conversion Queens Cross (2) (Social Rent)
48 Linnhead Drive Rosehill (6) (Social Rent)
40 Ravenscraig Drive Rosehill (4) (Social Rent)
Victoria Carpark Sanctuary (46) (Social Rent)
Schoolhouses Southside (2) (Social Rent)
Queen Mary Street School Thenue (30) (Social Rent)
Ruchazie Place Thenue (12) (Social Rent)
Belvidere Hospital Tollcross (73) (Social Rent)
Belvidere Hospital Tollcross (11) (Mid Market Rent)
City Wide acquisitions Various (40) (Social Rent)
St Enoch Square West of Scotland (28) (Mid Market Rent)
Allander Street West of Scotland (33) (Social Rent)
Abbotshall Wheatley (81) (Social Rent)
Duke Street Hospital Wheatley (19) (Social Rent)
Caledonia Road Wheatley (29) (Social Rent)
Circus Drive Wheatley (2) (Social Rent)
Newlands Centre Wheatley (25) (Mid Market Rent)
Cook Street Wheatley (112) (Mid Market Rent)
Medwyn Street conversion Whiteinch & Scotstoun (2) (Social Rent)
All projects legally committed to as of April 1 this year can be found here.
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