INTRODUCTION

The start of the final decade of the twentieth century saw a number of significant organisational and operational changes amongst Scotland's principal agencies. The establishment of Scottish Homes in 1989 in place of the SSHA and the Housing Corporation, the emergence of Scottish Enterprise (SE) in 1991 and the amalgamation of the CCS with the NCCS in 1992 to form Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are just three examples. Scottish Homes was empowered to assist all sectors of the housing market, particularly in areas of ‘tenure deficiencies’. With the abolition of the SSHA in 1989 and the transfer of its functions to Scottish Homes, a strategic development plan was drawn up for the phased development of housing for rent and low-cost home ownership at Tweedbank with the intention of completing development by 1996, and sites for owner-occupied housing were identified. Scottish Homes embarked on an expansion of housing at Tweedbank with a further 400 houses of varying tenure over a six-year programme. Its Rural Policy, published in September 1990, identified four key challenges: increasing the supply of housing in rural areas; tackling poor housing conditions; ensuring affordability and tenant and community involvement. However, Scottish Homes seemed determined to by-pass local authorities despite such bodies having an established organisational infrastructure and local accountability. Instead, emphasis was placed on low-cost home ownership rather than social renting, and local housing agencies with grants for rent or ownership. In the Borders, new housing was provided by Eildon Housing Association and organisations such as Waverley Housing and the Berwickshire Housing Association took over local authority housing responsibilities in the Central Borders and Berwickshire respectively.

Scottish Enterprise (SE) was established in April 1991, an amalgamation of the SDA and the Training Agency, under the Enterprise and New Towns Act 1990. SE thus became responsible for the economic development functions of the SDA; industrial development and job creation and environmental regeneration, and the employment training programmes previously administered by the MSC. There was a marked change in economic development strategy, reflecting the government's view that there had not been sufficient involvement of private business in managing the SDA.