Affordable Housing - Home Page

Foreword
We are pleased to present to you the updated supplementary guidance on affordable
housing. This is an important issue facing Fife Council, and one which has been with
us for some time. It is the basic right of every household to have a warm secure
home and there is a continuing housing need identified across Fife. The recent and
very deep economic recession has only served to exacerbate the shortage of
affordable homes.
Fife Council is fully committed to creating mixed and inclusive communities and
ensuring that the needs of those households who cannot compete in the open
housing market are met. This commitment is clearly demonstrated by the resumption
of Council house building and our ongoing financial support for the new build
programme from the Fife Housing Association Alliance.
It is now almost 5 years since the original guidance was put in place and the Council
has now had time to learn from experience and improve the approach to meeting
housing needs. The approved Fife Structure Plan now contains a robust and up to
date policy on affordable housing. This sets an important strategic framework for the
new generation of Local Plans and for this guidance.
Despite what has been achieved, Fife Council still faces significant challenges in
addressing shortages of affordable housing and these can only be met by working in
partnership with all parties – the private sector, registered social landlords, tenants
organisations and other community groups. In this regard the work of the Fife
Housing Partnership has established a solid and very valuable platform from which to
move forward.
Councillor John Beare
Chair
Planning Committee
Councillor Brian Goodall
Chair
Housing and Communities Committee
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