Shared Voice - Scotland East Dunbartonshire

Housingattitudesofresidentsliving inEastDunbartonshire

Preparedonbehalfof

January2024

Ourbrief

PulltogetherScottishnationwide quantitativeresearchandqualitative opinionresearchontheattitudesof residentslivinginEastDunbartonshire towardshousing; Explorethecurrenthousingsituationand challengesfacinglocalresidents,and theirhopesandaspirationsforthefuture; Provideanevidencebasetoinformthe EastDunbartonshireLocalPlan consultationprocess.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Over14,000new homesareneededin EastDunbartonshire inthenexttenyears.

Source:ExistingHousingNeedinScotland report,HomesforScotland,Jan2024

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Ourapproach

InJanuary2024,HomesforScotlandpublishedacomprehensive surveyof13,690people. Itfoundoveraquarterofhouseholdsin Scotland(28%)faceoneormoreformsofhousingneed.

WehavealsoworkedwithJustBuildHomestobetterunderstand theviewsandattitudesofthoselivinginEastDunbartonshirewho wanttoseemorehomesbuiltinthearea.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Keyfindings

AlmostaquarterofhouseholdsinScotland(23%)are strugglingtocopewithincreasinghouseholdcosts.

Nearlyoneinfive(19%)wouldliketomoveoutoftheirexisting householdtofindahomeoftheirown.

Nearlynineoutoftenyoungpeople(87%)livingathomewould liketomoveouttofindahomeoftheirown.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Oneintenpeoplein‘concealedhouseholds’*wouldliketo ‘downsize’astheyrequirelessspace.

Thereisalackofsuitablehousingforolderpeoplewhowantto ‘downsize’.

LocalpeopleinEastDunbartonshirewanttoseemorehomes builtlocally,becauseitwill: helpyoungerpeoplegetontothehousingladder provideaffordablehousing addressthelocalhousingshortage helpexistingresidentsstayinthearea,benefittinglocalshops andbusinessesandpayinglocalcounciltaxinEast Dunbartonshire.

*Identified as an individual or group of people in an existing household who want to move out to form their own household but are currently unable to do so.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Scottishhousingattitudesincludingthoselivingin EastDunbartonshire Part1

Source:ExistingHousingNeedinScotlandreport,HomesforScotland,Jan2024

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Housingcosts

Almost a quarter of households (23%) in Scotland are struggling to cope with increasing household costs.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Fairlywell Notverywell

Fig1:Howhouseholdsarecopingfinanciallyatthe moment

Verywell

Notatallwell Don’tknow

Housing independence

Nearly one in five households (19%) in Scotland have people who would like to move out and set up a home of their own.

No Don’tknow Yes

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Fig2:Areyoulivingwithpeoplewhowouldliketomoveout toliveindependently?

NearlynineoutoftenyoungadultslivingathomeinScotland wouldliketomoveouttoahomeoftheirown.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Youngadult(s)livingathomewho wouldliketheirownhome

Currentsharingofaccommodationwhere oneormorepeoplewouldliketomoveto theirownhome

Olderperson/peoplewhowould liketheirownhome

Otherreason

Personorpeopleonahousing

waitinglistandawaitingre-housing

Fig3:Reasonsforconcealedhouseholds

Downsizing

Oneintenpeopleina householdinScotland identifiedashaving‘hidden needs’saythattheywould liketo‘downsize’asthey requirelessspace,butare unabletodosobecauseof thelackofsuitablehousing.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Fig4: OneofthehiddenneedsofolderpeopleinScotland

Thereisahugesectorofthepopulationthat isbeingoverlooked,theyarenotinthe housestheywanttobeandareunableto livetheirlivestothefull,starting relationships,havingfamiliesetcbecause wearenotcountingtheminthefirstplace.

All I have ever wanted is a studio flat or a one bed flat, that would suit me nicely. I'd have my own space and that's all I want.

Source:ScottishParliament’sLocalGovernment,Housing&PlanningCommittee. Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

NicolaBarclay,ChiefExecutiveoftradebodyHomesforScotland,onthelimitations oftheScottishgovernmentshousingneedandassessmenttoolthatonlyincludes thoseinacuteneed,suchashomelessnessandtemporaryaccommodation.

EastDunbartonshireresidents whowantmorehomesbuiltin thearea-whatdotheysay? Part2

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

WeworkedwithJustBuild Homestoengageresidents livinginEastDunbartonshire whowanttoseemorehomes builtinthearea.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Thesituationwithmystepsonhighlightsthe urgentneedformorehousing.He,likemany others,findsitimpossibletogetontothe propertyladderduetothelackofhomes available.It'sadistressingrealitythathe mighthavetowaitforaninheritancetoown ahouse.Thisunderlinesthenecessityfor actiontoprovideaccessiblehousing optionsforeveryone.

AllIhaveeverwantedisa studioflatoraonebedflat, thatwouldsuitmenicely. I'dhavemyownspaceand that'sallIwant.

HomeownerinBishopbriggsSouth, Aged45-54.

Whodidwe speakto?

Weheldindepth ‘conversations’withsixty localresidents.

Clickontheinteractive maptoseewherethey camefromandwhat theysaid.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Fig5:Livemapoflocalresidentscomments

Clickheretoviewthelivemapandcomments.

Fig6:Engagementmapoflocalsupporters

Housingstatus

75%ofthosewhobelieve thathousingshouldbe prioritisedintheLocalPlan areexistinghomeowners.

Fig7:Housingstatusofregisteredsupporters

Homeowner Privaterenter Councilrenter Livingwithfriendsandfamily Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Downsizing

Overoneinfiveofthosewe spoketobelievethatthereis lackofsuitablehousing availableinEast Dunbartonshireforolder peoplewhoarelookingto ‘downsize’. No

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

h

Fig8: Residentswhoprioritisedthelackofavailable housingforthosewishingtodownsizeasareasonforthe needf

Housingsituation

Oneinfiveofthosewespoke toarecurrentlylookingto rentorbuyinthelocalarea.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Fig9:Housingsituationofrespondents

Neitheratthemoment Lookingtorent Lookingtobuy

“Thisarea,withitsgreat community,isanidealplaceto raiseafamily.However,thelack ofhousingisamajorconcern. Ithinkplanningtobuildmore homeshereisapositivestepinto nurturingthecommunityspiritfor futuregenerations”.

LewisR,25-34,PrivateRenter, LenzieandKirkintillochSouth.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Oneinsevenpeoplethatwespoke to emphasisedthatbuildingmorehomesfor youngerpeopleisoneofthemostimportant issuesinEastDunbartonshire.

Fig10:Housingneedsforyoungerpeople

Isupportnewhomesbecause...

Iamayoungpersonpersonallystrugglingwithhousing.

Asayoungresidentwhoisactively seekinghousing,Ihavepersonally experiencedthedifficultyoffinding suitableoptionsinourarea.The currenthousingmarketdoesnot meettheneedsofindividualsand familieslookingtoeitherrentorbuy.

AmyJ,PrivateRenter,25-34, KirkintillochEastandNorth andTwechar

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

It'sclearweneedmorehomesinourareato addressthesechallenges.it'sanecessityforthe futureofourcommunityandforgenerationslike mine.

We'remissingmajordevelopments, anditsgoodto recogniseour community'sneedfordiversehousing optionsinourfutureplans.Weneedto createopportunitiesnotonlyfor professionalslikemyselfbutfor everyonewhocallsthisareahome.

Livingwithfamily andfriends,25-34, LenzieandKirkintilloch South.

Livingwithfamilyandfriends, 25-34,BishopbriggsSouth.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Numberoftimesthemeismentionedinsupportercomments

Isupportnewhomesbecause...

itwillhelpyoungerpeopleontothepropertyladder.

Theshortageofhousingmeans manyendupstayingwithparents longerthantheyshould.Ibelieve there'saneedformorehomestobe inourlocalplans,especiallyones thatareaffordableforthosewith regularjobs.

DorisF,Homeowner,65+, KirkintillochEastandNorth andTwechar

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Thesoaringcostofbuyingahomeisamajor hurdleforyoungpeopletoday.Morerentaland buyingoptionsinourareacouldsignificantly easethischallenge.

Thecouncilneedstofocusonproviding morehousing,withsomespecifically aimedatassistingyoungpeople.It's aboutcreatingafairchanceforthem toownahomeandstartbuildingtheir futurewithoutbeingweigheddownby anunaffordablemarket.

WilliamM,Homeowner,55-64, Milngavie.

SandraY, PrivateRenter,65+

KirkintillochEastand NorthandTwechar

Isupportnewhomesbecause...

itaddressesthelocalhousingshortage.

There'sanoticeableshortageof availablehomeshere,which impactsmanyofourresidents,my supportforincludingbuildingmore homesintheplansstemsfroma generalconcernforthecommunity's well-being.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport,

There'sashortageofdiversehousingoptions inourarea, It'surgentforourlocalauthorities toactnow,toaddressthispressingissue.

Thecurrenthousingmarketis challenging,leavingmanywithout viableoptions.Byfocusingon creatingmorehousinginthelocal plan,wecandirectlyaddressthese issues,providingalifelinetothosein need.

ElizabethT,Councilrenter,65+, KirkintillochEastandNorth andTwechar.

GeraldT,Homeowner,65+, BearsdenSouth.

JohnH, Homeowner,65+, BearsdenNorth

EastDunbartonshire.

Isupportnewhomesbecause...

itwillhelpexistingresidentstostayinthearea

Thisshouldbeincludedinthelocal planasit willhelpallowthe communitythat'salreadyhere-to stayhere,ratherthanhavingto moveout.It'simportanttoprovidea varietyofoptions.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Peopleintheareaarestrugglingtogetintonew properties.Idon'trecogniseanybodyinthearea nowadaysduetopeoplebeingpricedout.

Overthepastyear,I'venoticeda significantshortfallinhousing availability,especiallyforthose lookingtobuy.Thisshortagehas madeitchallengingforresidents, likemyself,whowanttoremainin theareabutfindlimitedoptions.

TeresaM,Homeowner,65+, Milngavie

WilliamM,Homeowner,55-64, Milngavie.

NormanR, Homeowner,65+, BearsdenNorth

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Recommendation1

EastDunbartonshireCouncil shoulddevelopacredibleand robustLocalPlanthataddresses thestarkfindingsoflocalhousing needcontainedwithinthisreport.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Recommendation2

EastDunbartonshireCouncil

shouldholdconsultation

workshopswithyoungpeople andrenters-thegroupsthatface thehighestlevelsofhousingneed butwhoareuniversallyunheardin LocalPlanandformalplanning consultations.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Recommendation3

TheEastDunbartonshireLocalPlan shouldincorporateapowerful strategytosupport‘downsizing‘tohelpolderresidentsfindquality housingthatmeetstheirneeds, andhelpsfreeupfamilyhousing foryoungerpeople.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Aboutus

SharedVoiceisaresearchanddigitalled communicationsagencywhichhelpsbusinessesengage andactivatesupportiveaudiencestoachievetheirgoals. Weworkwithpublicbodies,localauthorities,social housingprovidersanddevelopers.

MoreinformationaboutSharedVoiceisavailablehere.

WewouldliketothanktheMacMicGroupwho commissionedthisreport.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Methodology

Thequantitativeresearchcontainedwithinthisreport comesfromHomesforScotland’sgroundbreaking ExistingHousingNeedinScotlandsurvey,undertakenby TheDiffleyPartnershipandRettie&Coandpublishedon 22January2024.

Theysurveyed13,690peopleacrossScotlandincluding 274residentslivinginEastDunbartonshire.Weare

gratefultoHomesforScotland,TheDiffleyPartnership andRettie&Coforsharingthedatasetswhichwehave presentedaspartofthisreport.

AfullcopyoftheHomesforScotland’sExistingHousing NeedinScotlandresearchisavailablehere.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

Methodology

Thequalitativeresearchcontainedwithinthisreportwas undertakenbyJustBuildHomes. SharedVoiceestablishedJustBuildHomestoconnect supportersofhousebuildingwiththeplanningprocess. JustBuildHomesspoketosixtyEastDunbartonshire residentswhosupportmorehomesbuiltinthelocalarea.

Housingattitudesevidencebasereport, EastDunbartonshire.

michael@sharedvoice.co.uk

www.sharedvoice.co.uk