The Scottish Government has confirmed plans to establish a new national housing agency, More Homes Scotland. This agency is intended to simplify delivery, increase scale and speed up the supply of new homes across the country.
The agency is expected to begin operating in 2027 to 28, with full functionality from 2028 to 29, subject to parliamentary approval and the outcome of the next Scottish Parliament election. Ministers say the new body will play a central role in addressing long-standing housing supply challenges. They expect this by bringing together land, infrastructure and investment functions within a single national framework.
Announcing the plans, the Scottish Government said the agency would help reduce complexity across the housing system and provide greater certainty to delivery partners. This will be important particularly in relation to affordable housing, rural and island communities, and sites that have stalled due to infrastructure or viability constraints.
The move follows several years of declining housing output across Scotland, driven by rising construction costs, funding pressures and delays in planning and infrastructure delivery. Sector responses have broadly welcomed the ambition of a more coordinated approach. However, they stress that success will depend on funding, governance and how effectively the agency works with existing housing providers and delivery partners.
Land, infrastructure and coordination
More Homes Scotland is expected to take a more active role in land assembly and site preparation, supporting infrastructure delivery and working alongside local authorities to unlock constrained sites. The agency will also collaborate with the Scottish National Investment Bank to attract private investment where appropriate. This is especially important on larger or more complex schemes.
By centralising these functions, the Government believes the agency can help overcome fragmentation in the current system. Land ownership, infrastructure funding and housing delivery often sit across multiple organisations with differing priorities and timescales.
However, housing delivery organisations have cautioned that national scale alone will not resolve local challenges. Housing markets vary significantly across Scotland, and effective engagement with councils, communities and delivery partners will remain essential if the agency is to achieve its stated objectives.
Comparisons with Homes England
The creation of More Homes Scotland has drawn inevitable comparisons with Homes England, the housing and regeneration agency for England, which has operated since 2018.
There are clear similarities in intent. Both bodies are designed to coordinate public investment, support land assembly and address structural barriers to housing delivery. Each brings together funding, land and delivery support within a national framework aimed at accelerating supply.
There are also important differences. Homes England is an established agency with defined statutory powers, long-term funding programmes and direct investment vehicles. It operates within England’s planning and funding system and has had time to build relationships with delivery partners and local authorities across the country.
More Homes Scotland, by contrast, is being created in response to Scotland-specific challenges, including rural and island housing delivery and the historic separation of land, infrastructure and housing functions within the public sector. Its operating model will be developed through co-design with councils, housing associations and other partners. This will reflect Scotland’s devolved housing and funding arrangements.
In practical terms, Homes England provides a useful reference point, but More Homes Scotland will need to develop its own approach. This approach must reflect local conditions and delivery realities.
The role of delivery partners
As the detailed remit of More Homes Scotland is shaped over the coming years, delivery partners with practical experience across planning, land strategy, delivery coordination and housing sales are likely to play an important supporting role.
Highlight Housing works with housing associations, local authorities and housebuilders to support the delivery of new homes across Scotland. We provide practical support that helps schemes progress from planning consent through to completion and occupation.
This includes sales and marketing insight, coordination across delivery stages, and direct engagement with local stakeholders. The aim is to ensure homes are brought to market in a way that reflects local demand, supports scheme viability and meets funding and policy requirements.
By combining market knowledge with hands-on delivery experience, Highlight Housing helps partners reduce risk and improve certainty across the delivery process.
In the context of a national housing agency, this type of support can help translate national ambition into deliverable programmes. This is particularly important where mixed tenure delivery, infrastructure sequencing or market sensitivity affect scheme viability.
Looking ahead
The announcement of More Homes Scotland represents one of the most significant changes to Scotland’s housing delivery framework in recent years. While the agency will not be operational in the short term, it signals a clear intention to reform how homes are planned, funded and delivered nationally.
As the policy moves from announcement to implementation, collaboration between government, local authorities, housing providers and delivery partners will be critical. Organisations with on the ground delivery experience, including Highlight Housing, will have an important role in supporting that transition and helping ensure that new homes are delivered where they are most needed.