We’ve recently seen Scotland’s largest cities - Edinburgh and Glasgow - declare housing emergencies. This reflects the harsh reality across the country and there is no doubt more declarations are to follow.

Housing, for most of us, is one of the very few constants in our lives. Our home plays host to some of the happiest moments in our lives, provides us with fundamental security and is the key to improving life opportunities. It is somewhere we should be able to feel safe, warm and part of a community.

Family owned construction and property firm, Muir Group has celebrated fifty years in business with its founder, John Muir, still serving as chairman.

Mr Muir, a former joiner, set up the company in 1973 after managing another homebuilding business. Muir Group has since grown into one of the most well-known family run firms in the country, employing around 250 people.

Eighty per cent of homes in 2045 will be the homes we live in today and therein lies a dilemma: How do we achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2045/50 when most of these homes and some of the of 23,000 new builds typically completed each year still do not feature the essential, integrated, flexible renewable energy technologies which will help us get there affordably?

Award-winning developer Cruden Homes and leading social enterprise, Places for People, scooped the top ‘Development of the Year’ title at the Herald Property Awards 2023. The annual awards bring together leading property experts from across Scotland to shine a light on the most impressive projects over the past year.

Everyone should have a place to call home and as I mark my first year as Chief Executive at Homes for Scotland, I have been pondering what ‘home’ means.

The reality is that we don’t have enough homes to meet the needs of those living and working in Scotland – threatening the life chances of our young people, impacting health and education outcomes, increasing social inequality and further degrading our social and economic wellbeing.

The UK has always had a fascination with homes, but in a post-Covid world, our connections with our homes have become even stronger. According to the Office for National Statistics, 40% of working adults are now working from home - over three times as many as pre-Covid. Homes are no longer just for living. As all encompassing hubs to live, work, play and entertain, architects have more focus than ever on designing homes to enhance lives and create places where families can grow.

Scotland needs more homes. With a shortfall now approaching 100,000 houses since 2007, this is beyond doubt and we require a robust and ambitious plan to put this right. The Scottish Parliament will shortly vote on such a plan, the fourth iteration of the National Planning Framework (NPF4).

Just last month Cruden Homes was amongst the winners at the annual Homes for Scotland Awards. Awards are always welcome, but they mean even more during times of upheaval and uncertainty, so to receive the top accolade of ‘Home Builder of the Year - Large’ along with ‘Development of the Year - Small’ was an aptly timed honour.