Nearly 40,000 extra jobs could be generated by the end of the next Scottish Parliament if home building increased at 10 per cent a year, say the housebuilders.

Their new voice is Nicola Barclay, who took over this week as chief executive of Homes for Scotland, after an industry career which tells her that a rise of two-thirds in current annual construction will not be easy politically.

The big quoted housebuilders appear to be booming, but Mrs Barclay observes: “Housebuilders’ annual returns to the City are on a UK-wide basis, I know the plcs in Scotland have a very difficult job in comparison to their colleagues down South. There is a different set of circumstances, a different political agenda and appetite.”

She goes on: “The changes in the planning system down South have been very positive for the housebuilding industry and has allowed them to get more houses out of the ground.”

Although minister Alex Neil announced a planning review last year, promising root and branch reform, consistent policy across the country looks likely to remain an issue. “We are very aware that local authorities are facing huge cuts,” Mrs Barclay says. “The number of planners sitting in offices is reducing, they are being asked to do more for less, and if you don’t have a consent you can’t do very much.”

In England unless a local council has an up to date plan there is a presumption in favour of development. In Scotland a two-tier system of structure and local plans, not all of which are up to date, can act as a blocker, Mrs Barclay says. “We are trying to get more developer engagement up front, so the local community feel they are being heard, in pockets you can see it working but not enough.”

She also wants to change the perception of new housing developments. “The NIMBY response gets a lot of coverage, but it is easy to forget about the aspirations of people who want to move into a home. We have got a lot to do as an industry to highlight the benefits of what we do.”

The Heriot-Watt planning graduate has seen it all from the inside, spending 15 years at housebuilders large and small until her job with Lothian-based McFarlane Homes was engulfed in the property crash. “When the doors shut, you don’t need a land director and I was made redundant. You realise you are not invincible, you have to recalibrate what is important in life, and it worked out well because my oldest was going through his exams and having mum around was no bad thing.”

Next came 18 months creating and editing a children’s magazine “which was something to do until times picked up”, while husband Alastair held the fort in his financial services job.

In 2010 Mrs Barclay joined Homes for Scotland as principal planning adviser. “You need to regain your confidence after being made redundant and this was a very safe port in a storm.

“It was really hands-on, getting involved and understanding what members were going through, those who had survived had a very tough 2010.”

She left to spend over two years at Scottish Futures Trust before returning to the organisation last May as planning director, and being named before Christmas as successor to Philip Hogg.

“One of the first things I am going to do is go round the country and meet all of our board members (there are 22) with Aberdeen the first port of call – colleagues there weren’t hit so hard back then but are feeling it now.

“We have got a much smaller group of housebuilders who are very committed to being in Scotland having survived that horrendous downturn – a huge number of firms didn’t.”

The industry lost half its capacity, and in 2014 built 15,562 new homes compared with over 25,000 pre-crash. A 10 per cent increase a year would restore that level over five years.

In a research report published three months ago, Homes for Scotland showed that the industry supports around 31,000 direct and 32,000 indirect and supply chain jobs, and opportunities for 380 apprentices, 200 graduates and 1000 under-24s. In 2014 the sector was worth £3.2billion to the economy, and its social benefits include reducing overcrowding, improving access to energy-efficient homes, and building over 50per cent homes on brownfield sites helping regeneration.

But while Westminster sets a housebuilding target, Holyrood does not, preferring to focus on ‘affordable’ housing – which means only social or midmarket rented, housing association, and council homes.

“It is right that the government supports those who need their help,” Mrs Barclay says. “What is not right is to ignore the need for an all-tenure approach which can deliver positive consequences.

“If you build more affordable homes it meets a certain sector of the community but you need the whole housing ladder – if you can build houses for first-time buyers they can move out of rented housing and it helps kick-start the market.”

The new Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, replacing stamp duty, also threatens to dampen demand at higher levels. “You need to make sure taxes are not disincentives to move, at £250,000 it starts costing people a lot of money to move, they may decide not to, and that may have knock-on implications further down the housing chain.”

The Scottish Help to Buy shared equity scheme meanwhile has just been relaunched. It has been dealt a cut of one-third to £195m over three years, has trimmed the government’s equity share from 20 to 15 per cent, and has a reducing maximum property value as a way of rationing available funds.

In previous years, the funds have run out within weeks. “That sends out a confusing message to the market and makes it incredibly difficult for our members to plan a strategy for three years,” Mrs Barclay says. Although she welcomes the attempt to stretch the available budget, she warns that a maximum price of £175,000 in year three will “exclude huge amounts of the country” from benefiting from the scheme.

CV

Graduated from Heriot-Watt 1993, worked for Wimpey Homes, Stewart Milne, Bryant Homes, Morrison, and then McFarlane Homes as land director. Chair of Women in Property in 2007-08 but made redundant in 2008. After an 18-month career break, she joined Homes for Scotland in 2010, Scottish Futures Trust in 2012, and rejoined HFS last year as planning director.