Owner occupiers must be involved in Scotland’s regeneration debate if the Scottish Executive is to deliver its building capacity and regeneration agenda.
That was the message from Ian McLean (pictured), chair of the Chartered Institute of Housing in Scotland, to its annual conference on Tuesday.

He stressed it was vital for dilapidated owner-occupied houses to be brought up to the standards of the social rented sector.

“One issue challenging stock transfers is engaging owners in mixed tenure estates, and a recurring theme is the lack of proposals for engaging the private sector on regeneration debates,” he said.

A new report by the institute has highlighted serious issues faced by local authorities and housing associations when trying to involve owner occupiers in regeneration and investment programmes.

It said owner occupiers were offered a ‘Cinderella service’, and that without a fundamental review, the Scottish Executive’s social inclusion targets would not be met.

The report stated that, in the past, initiatives have focused on low-cost home ownership and right to buy, and that securing owner involvement in community participation had not been a priority.

McLean said: “The housing world has become very good at involving tenants in regeneration programmes, but we are not good at involving owner occupiers. There needs to be a culture change in involving owners and recognising that they have a stake in local communities.”

The report said that stock transfer has worked against the wider community inclusion approach, as it has focused almost exclusively on tenants.

It called on the executive to address the lack of incentives for owners to take part in regeneration projects.

McLean admitted that in the imminent ballot on transfer in Glasgow, “the extent to which tenants were empowered has been open to debate”.

Transfer should not be just about handing over money, but also about investment in housing and a significant improvement in the way it is managed, he added.