It’s no secret Scotland needs more houses. Homes for Scotland, the organisation that speaks for developers, is continually highlighting the need for changes in policy and planning to allow new house building to catch up with pre-recession levels.
If you work in property, you’ll know a healthy house building industry is essential for jobs and the economy.
But it’s more than that. Nicola Barclay, who heads up Homes for Scotland, says the rewards are not just financial but social too.
She says: “New homes can contribute to improved health and education outcomes for residents and with high levels of insulation they also help to address fuel poverty and climate change.”
But would more house building also put a squeeze on green spaces and wildlife?
Not necessarily. Two developments planned for the outskirts of Glasgow actually offer the opportunity to bring people and nature closer together.
To the east of the city, in an area of natural beauty in North Lanarkshire, there are plans to build 4300 new homes among the wildlife.
The Seven Lochs Wetland Park, in an area that adjoins both Gartloch and Gartcosh, will have walkways, cycle paths and natural play areas designed to protect the resident wildlife.
Meanwhile, a similar development, this time incorporating 1000 homes, is planned for Maidenhill near Newton Mearns.
This idea of improving lives through good housing and giving people better access to green spaces isn’t new. It’s what drove Robert Owen to build his workers’ community at New Lanark and it’s what inspired Glasgow’s Victorian planners to lay out so many parks.
Everyone needs a roof over their head, including bees and hedgehogs, and by clever use of design and landscaping principles, the property industry in Scotland can achieve both at the same time.
It’s already evident in the increasing use of surface water drainage strategies. These clever systems that channel rainwater into pools have increased the numbers of ponds found in urban environments. And where you find water, nature very quickly moves in, populating these new wetland environments with plants, insect and bird life.
Sometimes, however, the biggest threat to nature comes when the builders pull out and the residents move in. Patios, paving and artificial grass leave nowhere for birds to forage and worms to wriggle. In making themselves at home, householders also need to ensure they aren’t squeezing out the natives.
If you’d like to do your bit for the birds and the bees, as well as enjoy a career as an estate agent, surveyor or skilled tradesperson, take a look at the latest property vacancies on s1jobs.