The council said an "acute" lack of affordable housing meant it should be allowed to designate parts of South Ayrshire as "pressured areas" where council tenants' right to buy their homes at large discounts could be temporarily suspended.
The locations include Prestwick, Troon and villages in Ayr. They already have some of the lowest percentages of social housing in Scotland – 20% of homes in the area compared with the Scottish average of 32%.
The move would be possible under the Housing (Scotland) Act 2001, which came into force on 30 September 2002.
If approved, the 1449 households whose tenancies started after this date would lose the right to buy for a period of five years from 1 October this year.
Based on the average number of tenants who have exercised their right to buy, the council has calculated that about 53 of these homes would have been sold during that five-year period.
Councillor John McDowall, vice-convener of South Ayrshire council's social justice committee, said: "Our housing stock has decreased and the new-build programme through Communities Scotland has failed to compensate for this, while waiting lists have increased."
Research by Scottish housing regulator Communities Scotland has found that South Ayrshire had one of the greatest shortages of affordable rented housing in Scotland.
A spokeswoman for the Scottish executive said it was yet to officially receive South Ayrshire's request and that it would be considered when it arrived.
Source
Housing Today
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