Planners need to catch up with demographic reality - DJ Alexander

However, the council planners refused permission on the grounds that the garden space would be too small once it was divided between the two new homes. The owner appealed and was granted permission by the Local Review Body with the convenor, Councillor Russell Imrie, stating: “I think if you have the opportunity , if you are in the rental sector, to make them (houses) smaller and help what is a growing list of people who can’t really afford to stay in the larger houses these days then it could go a long way to help.”

“I have this debate all the time about garden space, some people like gardens, others are quite happy if they never saw a garden again.”

Oddly some of the local opposition was quite prejudiced against one-bedroom flats with some arguing that they lead to more anti-social behaviour and there would be insufficient parking for two flats compared to a two bedded semi-detached house.

What is concerning about this is that the demand for one-bedroom properties is simply enormous in Scotland. The supply long ago failed to keep up with demand and we now have individuals and couples unable to live in the area of their choice because there simply isn’t the supply.

So, when someone decides to split a larger property, they meet opposition and refusal at the first attempt and only a more sensible response when the wider review body examined the details.

Given that we now live in a society where almost 70 per cent of all Scots live alone or as a couple it seems odd for councils and planning bodies to retain this notion that we should keep houses which need four people to occupy them.

The statistics tell the true story of the changing demographics of Scotland. Since 2001 there has been an increase of 316,000 single and couple occupied households in Scotland and this pattern is going to be repeated in the decades to come. There are now 1,764,000 single or couple households in our country and yet our council planners seem to be unaware of the changing way people live their lives.

Over the last 20 years to 2022 the average size of Scottish households has fallen by 6.22 per cent to 2.11 and there is every reason to believe this trend will continue in the next two decades.

Garden size may be important to an individual or a couple but as a necessity it is more often cited by families who want an outdoor space for their children to play in. Creating more appropriate housing for smaller households simply reflects the growing reality of the way our society is developing. Ignoring this reality is surely one of the reasons why we are facing such glaring shortages and such extraordinary demand in key geographic locations.

Our cities are full of single people and couples who want to experience flat living, nightlife, and a time of freedom without family responsibilities. Indeed, given the falling population many people may never wish to have a family and so the old property model of flat living for students, young workers up until their late 20s and 30s before a move to a property with a garden is now out of date. We need a property market which reflects the demand of people now rather than the way they may have lived 20 or 30 years ago.

​David Alexander is CEO of DJ Alexander Scotland Ltd