Empty homes in Galashiels put housing emergency in focus
Last updated 15th May 2025
Twelve months on from a housing emergency being declared in the Scottish Borders, new drone images show an almost complete affordable housing development in Galashiels which has lain largely untouched for almost two years.
That's despite hundreds of people locally being registered homeless, and thousands more on waiting lists for a new home.
It's understood work on the Eildon Housing development at Buckholm Corner was halted after a local developer ran out of cash.
Scottish Borders Council revealed at a meeting this week only around half the 282 homes targeted for completion between last year and next are predicted to be delivered.
But, with more than 200 properties in the planning, the local authority insists providing more affordable homes remains a priority.
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Councillor Carol Hamilton is SBC's Executive Member for Housing. She said: "There are many reasons why councils across Scotland are struggling as we are. Only yesterday I visited an Eildon development in Westruther to see the incredible progress being made to deliver those homes on time.
"But it's not without problems in the building trade - the expectation of the community, the planning arrangements; there's the cost of materials, waiting for services to be put in, and sometimes developers going bust mid-build.
"And we can't just build houses anywhere, they need to be in the right place, where communities and families want to live."
The council has agreed to fund an additional housing officer tasked with freeing up new homes.
More than 100 have already been brought back into use since the first empty homes officer was appointed almost four years ago - including a development in Leader Euan Jardine's home ward, at Kirkbrae in Galashiels.
He said: "When you used to go past it, it was derelict, it was boarded up - it was actually an eyesore. But now it's got doors on it, you can see people are going to be moving in there. It not just enhances people's lives, it enhances the town as well."
Latest figures estimate there are currently more than 1, 150 empty homes in the region.
Meanwhile, a new report published today (Thursday) highlights the need for more homes for key workers in the South of Scotland.
It reveals 93 per cent of employers in the region say a lack of access to suitable housing is impacting on their ability to recruit and retain staff.
The South of Scotland Community Housing document recommends that public landowners do more to identify and release sites for development, and that an action plan is developed to make it happen.
That includes the need for more short-term rental housing for healthcare workers near Borders General Hospital.
One of the challenges highlighted are the rules around how housing associations allocate homes.
The report states: "Registered Social Landlords can only accord key workers a low level of priority in their allocation policies. RSLs must give preference to applicants with needs relating to homelessness, unsatisfactory housing conditions and/or under-occupied social homes."
But it goes on to highlight the success of Eildon Housing's development at McQueen Gardens in Galashiels, where ten flats have been leased to NHS Borders and Scottish Borders Council to provide short-term homes for incoming staff.
It adds: "McQueen Gardens is close to the Borders General Hospital and NHS Borders is using its five flats for international recruits and their families. The five flats leased to Scottish Borders Council are currently used for new social care recruits, but the lease allows SBC and Eildon to agree to allocate the homes to others, such as newly qualified social workers or teachers, as needs evolve."
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