At a meeting of the council’s housing and technical resources committee earlier this month, members heard that the council is well on the way to delivering its target by 2021, with 502 additional houses having either been built, under construction or acquired.

In fact, 193 homes have been delivered during the last financial year alone, more than a third of which have been designed to accommodate tenants with a range of specialised needs.

Delivering a report on the council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2020-25, head of housing services, Annette Finnan, said: “Through close partnership working with other social housing providers and the Scottish Government, we have made good progress in delivering on our development priorities.

“This significant investment shows our commitment to ensuring council tenants are living in modern, energy-efficient homes which are suitable for their needs by continuing to build homes which provide 21 st century living in flexible and innovative environments.”

As well as noting progress made on delivery of affordable housing, councillors on the committee agreed to approve the content of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2020-25 which sets out potential capacity for the council along with other social housing providers to deliver more than 3000 affordable homes across South Lanarkshire by 2025.

Among SHIP investment priorities for the coming five years are:

• Increasing the supply of affordable housing in pressured areas
• Increasing the supply of housing suitable for older people and those with disabilities
• Preventing homelessness through effective partnership working
• Improving the range of housing
• Improving housing quality and energy efficiency