FAQs

East Renfrewshire needs more homes and a greater range of housing choices to meet the needs of current and future residents. This includes affordable homes, homes for first-time buyers, homes suitable for older people who wish to downsize, accessible homes, social rented housing and family housing. Many households already find it difficult to access housing that meets their needs and there is strong demand for affordable and social housing. The Council is also required by Scottish planning legislation and national planning policy to plan for future housing needs. The Proposed Plan therefore seeks to identify enough land to meet housing requirements while ensuring that growth is supported by infrastructure and services. The challenge for the Plan is not simply whether new homes are needed, but where they should go and how they can be delivered in a way that supports communities, protects important environmental assets and ensures infrastructure keeps pace with development. The consultation is an opportunity for people to share their views on how that balance has been struck.

The Council considered a wide range of potential development sites, including previously developed (brownfield) land. 5 However, there is not enough suitable and deliverable brownfield land available to meet East Renfrewshire's future housing needs on its own. As a result, the Proposed Plan includes a combination of brownfield and greenfield sites. All potential development sites were assessed using evidence and technical studies. This included infrastructure capacity, transport impacts, environmental effects, flood risk, landscape considerations and deliverability. Only those sites considered capable of supporting sustainable development and contributing to the overall strategy of the Plan have been proposed. The inclusion of a site in the Proposed Plan does not mean a final decision has been made, and all proposed allocations are subject to consultation and independent examination. Greenfield land and Green Belt are not the same thing. Not all greenfield land is within the Green Belt.