Build September 2016

Build Magazine 7 Up to 100 affordable homes will be delivered in island communities through a new £5 million fund. Speaking during a Scottish Parliament debate Housing Minister Kevin Stewart announced the Scottish Government will establish a new Islands Housing Fund - backed by up to £5 million funding over three years - to increase the availability of affordable housing in the islands, and provide a contribution towards the 50,000 affordable homes target set by the Government. This investment is in addition to the £25 million Rural Housing Fund, which is supporting the building of new homes and refurbishment of existing properties in rural areas. The fund has two components: the main fund offers capital support through grants and loans for the direct provision of new affordable housing, as well as the refurbishment of existing empty properties. The second, smaller part of the fund contributes towards feasibility studies. The applications list for the Rural Housing Fund is limited to exclude individuals – instead, only legally constituted bodies are eligible – these include community organisations, development trusts, private landowners, private developers and traditional housing providers. Even then, for a project to be deemed eligible it must meet a number of criteria: among others, an applying body must have a specific site or properties identified for building or refurbishment – this must itself be within an eligible rural area, at Levels 4-6 of the fold urban/rural classification index – as well as demonstrate evidence of housing pressure within the identified area, and have the support of the relevant local authority. Housing Minister Kevin Stewart said, “Scotland’s islands have rich and vibrant cultures and make a huge contribution to Scottish life but we know people living there can face challenges when it comes to accessing the home they want. “Our new £5 million Island Housing Fund will increase the supply of good quality affordable housing which is an essential part of attracting and retaining people in our islands. “Investment in this support for the islands and through the Rural Housing Fund will help us deliver at least 50,000 affordable homes over the lifetime of this Parliament and ensure we are reaching across all of Scotland in our ambitions. “Our Island Housing Fund demonstrates our strong and continued support for our islands, with the forthcoming Islands Bill set to provide lasting benefits for these communities for generations to come.” SG Communications Email: [email protected] Gillian Provan Email: [email protected] Storey Homes Selects Mark Plowman as New Head of Construction Smart Property Purchasers Putting Faith in Spain’s Quality Developers With customer expectations soaring ever-higher, Spain’s top developers are pushing the envelope in terms of build quality, interior design specification, world-class facilities and innovative after-sales packages. There’s never been a better time to buy off-plan. For many, the prospect of waiting for their new home to be transformed from run-down cattle barn to the house of their dreams is their worst nightmare, and they are realising in great numbers that for them, there is another way. Official figures from the beginning of August say that the construction industry in Spain is booming, with an increase of 12 per cent in new build homes sold in May compared to the previous year, and more and more customers are turning to the quality housebuilders of Spain to fulfil their dreams. Stefan Noben, UK Market Manager at TM Real Estate Group commented: “We predict that the sales of new homes will continue to rise this year and the idea of buying off-plan is set to rise in popularity. Indeed, many of our customers start off thinking that they would like to buy what looks like a ‘cheap’ older property and renovate it themselves but very quickly realise that the amenities and high- end interiors that come with buying a quality new-build are just too tempting.” So what are the advantages of buying a new property when buying overseas? • Peace of Mind – buying a property – at home or away – is not always straightforward but buying off plan makes this important life-event just about as simple as possible. Without the stress of a chain, at least at one end and possibly at all if you have no property to sell, both time and money can be saved. • Budgeting – deciding to buy a property off-plan gives you time to get properly organised. It gives you more time to save and also a chance to work out a detailed budget and plan for the future. With some developments it is normal for payment to be made in stages which may make saving even easier. • Price – in Spain it is normal for purchasers to pay the price of the property when the agreement is made to purchase the property rather than the price when it is completed. As houses prices are expected to rise in price, this could save you money. However you must also take into account that if anything happens to adversely affect the price, this could work against you. • Choice – if you buy off plan, the earlier you buy in the life of a development, the more choice you will have about interior layout, the situation of your property on the overall site and even the fixtures and fittings. • Personalisation – you might not be doing the decorating yourselves, but you can still be involved in how your home looks. Many of the best developers allow customers to choose interior design accents such as the floor and wall tiles, doors, windows, kitchen cabinets, bathroom fixtures bedroom units and many other items. • Settling In – buying off plan gives you plenty of time to get to know a new area you can find out the best places to go and thoroughly research your new neighbourhood so you can make the most of all it has to offer from day one.