Port of Leith Housing Association has attracted investment of £40m from Scottish Widows, bolstering its plans to create more than 650 social and mid market rent homes by 2025. The funding will be drawn in stages at a low 30-year fixed rate of 2.84%.

Heather Kiteley, director of finance & corporate services at Port of Leith Housing Association, said: “We are pleased that Scottish Widows responded so positively to our ambition to address the high demand for the creation of a range of affordable homes in thriving communities. Having secured historically low fixed rate terms puts us in a strong and secure position to give several hundreds of people the priceless security that comes with having a great, affordable place to call home.”

Gavin Reid, associate director at Scottish Widows, said: “We are thrilled to have structured a funding solution that supports Port of Leith Housing Association’s strategy to deliver more affordable homes, while providing high quality cashflows to match our pension liabilities. We look forward to seeing these plans come to fruition in the coming years. We have now invested in excess of £3.6bn in this sector as part of our ongoing commitment to the UK’s social housing sector.”

The latest news supports Port of Leith Housing Association’s plans to support the continued regeneration of Leith and north Edinburgh, creating, says the association, communities that people want to live in. 

Developments already underway include 104 affordable homes at Granton Harbour (58 mid market rent and 46 social rent), 82 affordable homes at Ocean Drive (41 mid market and 41 social rent), 51 social rent homes at Shrubhill and 13 mid market rent homes at Bonnington Mill. An additional 409 homes are in the pipeline, including a further 180 homes at Granton Harbour (107 mid market rent and 73 social rent) and 229 other developments in Leith and north Edinburgh.