Dundee City Council has increased its new build social housing target to 1,000 properties by 2020/21 and has pledged to review the use of section 75 agreements to help deliver the new homes.

The new target is over and above the ruling SNP administration’s manifesto commitment of 650 socially-rented homes and is among a raft of new policy initiatives on key high-profile issues.

Dundee has seen a number of new housing projects being developed in recent years with notable regeneration in Mill of Mains, Lochee and the Hilltown – with Alexander Street well underway and Derby Street soon to begin.

The council has now revealed that a review of the use of s.75 orders could include a legal obligation on house builders to provide a percentage of social housing within new developments.

Convener of neighbourhood services, Kevin Cordell, said: “It was an SNP administration that delivered the first council houses in more than 20 years in Dundee and we are very proud of that record. We recognise the need for more social housing and know that it is a priority for people in Dundee - that is why, we are raising our target by a further 350 properties (as a minimum).”

Mr Cordell added: “We’ll bring forward further details in due course but will be using additional monies provided by Scottish Government as well as looking at the potential use of so called ‘planning gain’ legislation, to force private developers to provide social housing as part of their development. We are ambitious for our city.”

Having delivered its manifesto pledge to pilot a new approach to the private rented sector, the local authority said it will expand the current pilot scheme and increase work to tackle issues in the quality of accommodation/ blocks within the private rented sector.

The council has also devolved £1 million to its community regeneration forums and added in a further £1.2 for community infrastructure across the eight council wards.

The other high-profile problems which the administration will seek to bring a renewed focus to and bring forward tangible actions is in the area of drugs and alcohol misuse. Following the success of the Fairness Commission, a body which examined the underlying issues related to poverty and deprivation and compiled a comprehensive action plan, the council is set to replicate this model for drug and alcohol misuse.

The council will also undertake a review of processes which create barriers to women and those with families getting involved in politics.

Council leader, John Alexander, said: “Over the past five months, our administration team has been getting to grips with their respective departments, with a mind to delivering on our manifesto pledges. However, we’ve also examined several key areas and now aim to introduce a number of initiatives to tackle particular problems in the city, to enhance those manifesto pledges and to deliver more for the people of Dundee.

“This will be a continual process of raising the bar and setting out an ambitious approach to running the city council, despite the obvious challenges. A signature of our administration will be that attitude to striving to get the best out of services for the people in this amazing city.”