Stewart Milne Homes is reporting strong trading performance in East and Central Scotland with sales and reservations up 30% on this time last year across Tayside, East Lothian, East Calder and Perthshire.
The independent, award-winning housebuilder has also just secured planning consent for a total of 143 new homes, across private and affordable tenures, within the new town of Shawfair. This will be its first development within the Edinburgh bypass area for many years and brings the total number of homes being delivered across Central Scotland by Stewart Milne Homes in the coming year to more than 360.
Jonathan Fair, managing director of Stewart Milne Homes in Scotland said: “We’ve seen high levels of sales demand in the last four months since full lockdown was eased in the summer and, despite current localised, tiered restrictions, we have a very strong forward sales position going into 2021 – indeed one of the strongest we’ve seen in recent years.
“It’s clear that the housing market being forced to close for three months contributed to pent-up demand and that has no doubt helped, in part, to drive this strong bounce back in sales.”
However, Mr Fair explained that the more fundamental changes in the way people are now working have created long-term demand for more flexible family homes.
“With the shift to working remotely and in focussed social bubbles, buyers are looking for greater flexibility in the family home, including space for a fully functioning home office, together with private gardens or dedicated outdoor space for entertaining and relaxing. These changes in buying preferences play directly into the core themes of our latest home designs.”
Stewart Milne Homes’ new combined Scotland-wide business plan targets future investment within regions across Scotland where it has identified the strongest demand and from which it anticipates the greatest growth over the next five years.
“East Central Scotland is one of those regions, so it is very pleasing to see our portfolio here has been bolstered with our involvement at Shawfair – one of the biggest urban expansions near Edinburgh in recent times,” said Mr Fair.
With funding from the Building Scotland Fund, Stewart Milne Homes is set to begin construction of its latest generation of three, four, five and six bedroom detached homes at Shawfair in early 2021, along with 28 homes specifically allocated for affordable housing in partnership with Midlothian Council. The first private properties will be released for sale in spring 2021.