We have recently visited some of the remote communities in the north highlands

Some of the homes at Ardgeal. Apprentices helped to build the second phase of homes. Credit: Nigel Rigden

This blog is part of a monthly series about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, facilitating well over 1,000 affordable homes.
​

In 2012, seven apprentices were taken on to help build six affordable homes in the Cairngorms National Park, as part of a skills training programme to boost crucial rural trades.
​
Ten years later, three are still with the same local contractor, AW Laing. The rest have been taken on by other contractors in the area.

The ten homes at Ardgeal near Kincraig were an exemplar community-led development by the Communities Housing Trust, using a former Forestry & Land Scotland site where all timber felled and material excavated was used on site. The homes have minimal impact on the environment and are efficient to run. But beyond this, they provided needed job opportunities for young people and boost rural construction trades.

The apprentice programme was one of many ways the project looked at long-term sustainability. All felled timber was milled on site and some was provided for an outdoor classroom at the local primary school, whose numbers were increased with new families moving to the ten homes.

In the remote community of Glentrool, on the edge of the Galloway Forest Park, Glentrool & Bargrennan Community Trust appointed Broatch Construction to redevelop three homes into affordable, family housing. The work was completed in March 2022, helped along by a team which included four apprentices.

​A trainee electrician, a plumber, and two joiners worked on the redevelopment project, all recruited from the local surrounding area. The apprentices used advanced, climate- friendly approaches, including implement new solar-powered heating systems, to create beautiful and high-quality homes for incoming families.  The project also allowed for practical ‘green-build’ experience for young professionals along the way.

South of Scotland Community Housing is also partnering with South of Scotland Enterprise and community organisations, including Dumfriesshire East Community Benefit Group, to develop a programme of skills- building for low-energy retrofits. These schemes will be jointly delivered with funders and communities to support an inclusive transition to net-zero in the construction and housing sectors.

SOSCH & GBDT in front of Glentrool homes under construction, Spring 2022

‘Just’ building a house can be so much more – and we need to provide thousands more affordable homes in Scotland. The associated benefits from a community-led approach are significant.

Establishing skills development programmes to help deliver community-led housing is an effective way to:

• attract and/or retain talented young people in rural areas
• provide opportunities and investment within the local area, for the benefit of the wider community
• help grow rural trades and increase job opportunities
• shift skills towards ‘green’ or climate-conscious development practices

Opportunities for rural and regional growth

Rural trades are in crisis. Construction prices rose more than 27% from May 2021 to May 2022;[1] travel costs are through the roof; and labour is exceedingly hard to come by, especially in rural areas. Numbers of construction employees in Scotland fell by 9.2% in 2020 compared to 2019, whereas numbers increased in England and Wales.[2] Construction projects overall are costing 10-15% more compared to 1-2 years ago.[3] These create real knock-on impacts when a community is paying.

Since many construction firms and tradespeople are concentrated in the central belt, there is a growing need for regional skills.

With the push towards community-wealth building, there is a huge opportunity for regional supply chains as an investment priority for the development sector. By keeping contracts local, community housing projects have the potential to create new jobs and training opportunities. It also ensures wages stay local and are reinvested in nearby people, businesses and services.

This includes ongoing and long-term opportunities for repairs and maintenance, to establish or grow local companies which are more accessible and less expensive than companies who have to travel long-distance. This is a key aspect of viability and affordability of homes in rural areas.

Community-led housing simultaneously provides job opportunities in rural areas

tackles the skills shortage for the long-term, further supporting rural communities down the line. Secure jobs and housing mutually reinforce each other and are important parts of creating great places.

No Planet B

As for planetary considerations, there’s also the drive to repurpose empty buildings across Scotland. In Glendale, Skye, the renovation of the disused school will provide opportunities for students to do hands-on coursework units in retrofitting and recycling building materials, as well as CPD for those in related fields. This Glendale Trust and Communities Housing Trust project is working in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland, Zero Waste Scotland, Built Environment Smarter Transformation, and Climavore, to name just a few.

​We can’t have ‘sustainable developments’ with exciting new ‘green’ materials that have to be shipped internationally and installed by experts from afar. So, looking holistically at climate conscious aspects common to community-led projects, local contractors and companies help do the following:

• Reduce travel by keeping skilled workers and materials close - less transport emissions for people and shipping building materials
• Keep community regeneration in the hands/power of local people – if we grow local development capacity, communities are not beholden to availability, skills, and materials from elsewhere.

Mainstream construction approaches don’t have all these added benefits. Community-led housing projects support local training and upskilling opportunities in places across Scotland. Investing in community-led projects not only creates homes for those in need, and supports climate goals, but also has positive knock-on effects for local economies. It is a self-supporting way of building capacity in rural or fragile communities.

Comments

Visualisation of the renovated school building. Credit: Olli Blair Architects

​Initial plans for the renovation of the disused Borrodale School in Glendale will be on show for community feedback on Thursday 25 August.

The drop-in event at the former school from 3pm-7pm invites local residents to give input on early plans and designs for the building’s conversion to 5-6 affordable homes, which would be protected for use by local communities.

The school building is in community ownership, having been purchased by the Glendale Trust with support from the Scottish Land Fund in 2014. Skye-based contractors will begin works shortly to make the building wind- and water-tight and to stop further decay, with funding from Historic Environment Scotland, the Architectural Heritage Fund, Rural Communities into Action Fund, Crown Estate Scotland and Foundation Scotland.

In partnership with the Glendale Trust, the Communities Housing Trust is leading the project to renovate and convert the derelict buildings, with a focus on retrofitting and recycling building materials to minimise waste, and support and encourage rural trades. The project partners include  University of the Highlands & Islands, Zero Waste Scotland, HIE, Climavore and Built Environment, Smarter Transformation.

Plockton-based architect Olli Blair has drawn up initial plans for the homes, which would offer a mix of affordable tenancies allowing choice for people locally, such as social rent equivalent, mid-market rent, low-cost home ownership, or housing for keyworkers. Homes would be allocated by the Communities Housing Trust, prioritising people with a need to live or work in the area, and perpetually protecting the homes against use as holiday- and second-homes.

Ronnie MacRae, chief executive of the Communities Housing Trust, said: “This is a community-led project, with local people taking a leading role in developing the community with a long-term view, and we would urge people nearby to come and share their views on the plans. We hope that the Borrodale project will act as a blueprint for community renovations to address repopulation, skills development in rural areas, reuse and recycling of materials, environmental concerns, and economic growth and opportunities.”

There are over 43,000 long-term empty homes across Scotland, and an urgent need for affordable housing. The renovation will focus on transforming an eyesore into an asset, providing housing for the local community as well as supporting economic growth of the region.

Clare Gray, Chair of The Glendale Trust said: “We are very pleased with the plans and the architect’s vision to repurpose the buildings while keeping much of their original external appearance. It will be good to see work starting soon on the gable wall of the school house, as a key project milestone.”

Drop in to the community consultation event at Borrodale School, Glendale (IV55 8WL) on Thursday 25 August, from 3pm-7pm. On hand to answer questions and discuss comments will be the Glendale Trust, the Communities Housing Trust, and architect Olli Blair. 

Feel free to download and share the event poster below:

Comments

CHT is happy to welcome two new team members, Nicola Doctor (left) and Katy Martin (right).

Nicola joined us in June as the new Communities Officer, and has previously worked for CHT as a Skills & Development Project Manager. She has twenty years' experience with the local authority, and has worked to organise and promote community participation in local and rural development issues.

I am very happy to rejoin CHT as housing and skills are absolutely critical factors for the future vitality of rural areas. The provision of affordable lower cost housing is almost certainly key to retaining people to work and live in rural areas. I am passionate about supporting communities to grow and flourish, and encouraging employability through training and skills initiatives targeted at young people, which all helps the sustainability of future generations.

​Katy joined us in July as the new Admin Assistant, and is returning to work after having her daughter. 

I stay in Inverness with my husband, Alasdair, daughter, Connie age 1, our cocker spaniel called Ralph and cat called Milo. I am really happy to get back into work after having my daughter in December 2020 during the pandemic and am really looking forward to working with you all and working somewhere that makes a difference to other people's lives.

Comments

Inverness Town House, High Street, Inverness IV1 1JJ (click here for map)
Friday 23 September
10.30am - 2pm including lunch

We are looking forward to welcoming you all in person to our 24th AGM at the Town House, Inverness, on Friday 23 September.

The event has been kindly sponsored by Triodos Bank, a great ally in rural community-led housing.

See the speaker programme and feel free to register below. The event is open to all, particularly community organisations and development trusts who are interested in community ownership and/or community-led development, to lay out the current and future context in Scotland, and to support practical next steps.

We will be launching our new multimedia resource, RouteMap to Community Led Housing, which will be freely available to communities. The RouteMap has been kindly funded by the Nationwide Foundation.

 Communities across Scotland may be looking to buy land or assets for community-led development, to work towards sound, long-term repopulation – while facing increasing challenges.

 Community ownership can be a huge benefit, though there is often a stumbling block for ‘what happens next’ as communities may lack the capacity for how to usefully transform their new assets.

 Community-led development can be the most effective approach towards sustainable repopulation, but it can seem a huge undertaking with many trials and tribulations along the way.

 The event will focus on how communities get started or progress their plans and ideas for community-led development, what you need to know, and will facilitate peer-to-peer learning where possible.

Programme

​10.00am Doors open

 10.30am Keynote speakers:

 Shona Robison MSP - Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing & Local Governance
Calum Macleod - Community Land Scotland
Megan MacInnes - Applecross Community Company
Hugh Ross - Staffin Community Trust

 11.30am Coffee break

 11.50am Launch of RouteMap to Community Led Housing: short films and Q&A/panel discussion with the speakers above plus Alan Miller of Triodos Bank

 12.30pm Lunch

 1.30pm AGM business – open to all, but only CHT members may vote. Membership is free and open to development trusts and community organisations supportive of our work in community-led housing; join as a member here.

2pm Formal end; attendees may stay to network

As the event includes lunch, please let us know any dietary requirements below.

Please note: The AGM is now fully booked, but we expect a few people to be unable to make it. We are therefore operating a waiting list; add your name below to be notified if a place becomes available. 

Comments

Home under construction in Mull with help from Self Build Loan Fund

The Scottish Self Build Loan Fund has committed more than £6 million in loans to self-builders across Scotland to date.

The fund was established in 2018 by the Scottish Government to support self-builders who are unable to obtain mainstream self-build mortgage finance, for example people in rural areas, or older people looking to downsize. 

The original £4 million Fund was given an additional boost of £2 million in March 2021, to help meet demand.

£6 million has now been committed to 40 families and individuals in 13 Local Authority areas, to provide homes which wouldn’t otherwise have been possible. The loans are repaid when the homes have been completed by acquiring a standard residential mortgage, or the sale of the existing home.

The 40th loan was offered to schoolteacher Kirsten Hay in Shetland, who had struggled to progress their self-build project for 20 years:

We originally had an old croft house on the site that we intended to renovate 20 years ago. My partner was going to do most of the work himself but unfortunately due to a car accident not long after, was left disabled and wheelchair bound. 

We then tried to restart our project with a completely new build and managed to get to foundation stage using our own funding. We secured a self-build mortgage but it only covered so much of the build, and partly due to my age, but also due to Covid and the rising cost of materials it meant we could not realistically afford to carry on through that route. 

We are so grateful that thanks to the Self Build Loan Fund we can now create a better living environment in a home that fully meets our needs, as well as create a better quality of life for my partner.

The Loan Fund is administered on behalf of the Scottish Government by the Communities Housing Trust, an Inverness-based charity working closely with communities to provide affordable homes and much-needed amenities.

Loans which have already been repaid are being ‘recycled’ to finance additional builds, allowing even more people to build their own homes.

Homes are now complete or under construction in 13 Local Authority areas: Aberdeenshire, Argyll & Bute, East Ayrshire, North Ayrshire, Falkirk, Highland, South Lanarkshire, Orkney, Perth & Kinross, Scottish Borders, Shetland, Stirling, and the Western Isles.

The Fund remains open to applications until 31 August 2022, with loans to be repaid by August 2023.

For more information about the Self Build Loan Fund, and to apply, please visit: https://www.chtrust.co.uk/scotland-self-build-loan-fund. 

Comments

This blog is part of a monthly series about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, facilitating well over 1,000 affordable homes.

 Scotland’s involvement in European events and networks like the International Social Housing Festival, Sustainable Housing for Inclusive and Cohesive Cities (SHICC), and the European Community Land Trust Network sparks innovation and forges cross-cultural connection.

​Collaborating on research and testing pilot initiatives together pools limited resource.

More importantly, it helps us keep our ideas sharp so that we give the best tried and tested support to communities here in Scotland. Recognition of Scottish projects on the European stage also reminds us that our communities inspire others beyond our borders and connect us with policy, practice, and people elsewhere. Community is at the heart of our work in more ways than one.

Highland community-led housing sees international acclaim

Site of Achtercairn viewed from hill above

Ronnie MacRae with the European Responsible Housing award in Helsinki

​Scottish community-led housing received international attention in June as the regeneration of Achtercairn in Gairloch on the coast of Wester Ross won at the European Responsible Housing Awards in Finland.

The awards are held annually as part of the International Social Housing Festival, organised by Housing Europe, a network of 43,000 housing providers across 25 countries, to showcase outstanding examples from affordable housing providers from the continent.

The project in Gairloch won the ‘More Than A Roof’ category, recognising it as a development where impacts go beyond ‘just’ homes and where equal opportunities for the community are supported.

This is deserving recognition for a small rural community who were keen to tackle the difficulties of depopulation, declining services, and lack of affordable homes and business premises that are affecting communities across the region. Rural communities pay more for less housing, which is less secure, even as they earn less than urban areas, and the cost of living is higher[1] – which makes this project a model for change.

With European countries recognising the model and all we’ve jointly been able to achieve in Scotland by working with communities who lack the capacity themselves, it was therefore disappointing to see such little recognition on home turf: in the media, by authorities, and by policymakers. How loud must communities shout?

The Communities Housing Trust facilitated the regeneration, together with around 50 partner organisations and input from local residents.
​
Together they transformed the derelict brownfield site into a thriving new geographic centre for the village.

Achtercairn now includes 25 affordable homes (five affordable housing tenures, with three different providers); Gairloch Farm Shop, which also houses the local vet; Air Training Corps facility; and the GALE Centre which is Scotland’s first public building to be awarded Passivhaus status. The Centre includes a Tourist Information Hub, a community-run shop and café, an outlet to support the wider region, community rooms to rent, and veg-growing and composting area for the café. A University of the Highlands and Islands classroom which enables people of all ages to access learning opportunities has moved to larger premises.

​​Importantly for the long term, the homes are secure, provided by the local authority (Highland Council), a housing association (Albyn Housing Society), and the Communities Housing Trust. They are also highly energy efficient to help reduce living costs. The Rural Housing Burden is applied to the homes for sale which protects affordability and use for the local community in perpetuity.

An award-worthy model for responsible housing

​The awards’ focus on ‘responsible’ housing looks for projects that show co-creation and involvement of partners; innovation; and true sustainable development, both for climate and community. This echoes the Communities Housing Trust’s and SOSCH’s practical work in community-led development as an excellent way to provide housing which creates truly affordable, decent homes for many generations to come.

The clear advantage of community-led development is that it allows residents to think and act broadly and holistically about their needs: How can we reduce bills? Are there any spaces for community groups to meet? Is there a key service lacking locally? How can businesses grow, or set up? Are all ages catered for? What happens when children wish to leave home and work locally? How can tackling climate change be integrated?

Because of the broad approach and long-term view, community-led developments give more bang per buck.[2] But it’s about so much more than just the money. When primary school rolls rise, a diverse range of businesses can pop up, and local residents are guaranteed secure homes forever, it helps to reverse a trend of outward migration and struggling rural areas. Residents can put down roots and thrive as vibrant communities into the future.

Achtercairn is one of many projects that shows what’s possible for rural communities in Scotland, as well as elsewhere in the UK – and Europe.

Scotland’s place in Europe – a formal partner in European Knowledge Exchange

​The Communities Housing Trust’s recent award continues a trend of Scottish involvement in the European community-led housing scene. In 2020, SOSCH were invited to become the formal Scottish partner in a North-West European Interreg knowledge exchange programme between seven countries. ‘Sustainable Housing for Inclusive and Cohesive Cities’ (SHICC) tackled rising house prices and unsuitable living conditions in urban areas. SOSCH’s involvement was catalysed by  its support to the ground-breaking Midsteeple Quarter project in Dumfries Town Centre.

Midsteeple Quarter now have five buildings in community ownership and continue to pioneer community-led regeneration of a High Street in decline—a challenge that many urban areas around the continent face in the wake of Covid. Midsteeple Quarter also partnered with SHICC member Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) to test new governance tools within the Generative Commons Living Lab Horizon 2020 project, emphasising the lasting links of collaboration.

Although the programme formally ended in 2021, SOSCH are now founding members of the European Community Land Trust Network (ECLTN). The next phase of this important information exchange includes learning from best practice in delivery models, innovative net zero and economic modelling, but also sharing some of the excellent work being delivered in community-led housing here in Scotland. SOSCH’s involvement in the creation of the ECTLN means the Scottish community-led housing network will support the development of new CLH organisations and projects beyond our borders.

The new ECLTN brings community land trusts and community-led housing enablers from SHICC together with design agencies, social entrepreneurs, and researchers to develop a comprehensive response to the dual housing and climate crises. This initial stage of network development (January-June 2022) is funded by €100,000 from the Laudes Foundation. SOSCH returned to Amsterdam last week for a second series of workshops designed to kickstart the network.

A European CLT Network site visit to Indépendance project in Molenbeek, Brussels April 2022 (CLT Brussels project)

The European CLT Network in Brussels, April 2022

SOSCH, along with our European CLT Network partners, are also jointly submitting proposals to Interreg and Horizon Europe programmes to grow the important work we have begun together. These programmes intend to test the effectiveness of community-led housing initiatives as circular developers, studying the community-led housing sector’s unique ability to deliver on social and environmental objectives in tandem for a truly just transition.
​
Scottish participation in international learning exchange networks has been valuable for our enabling work. Community-led housing takes different forms and responds to various local challenges, but cross-border collaboration indicates it is consistently impactful as a place-making approach to combat speculative markets and unaffordable homes. This will become only more important as Scotland experiences a cost-of-living crisis—another reminder that we operate within a broad European context.  We believe Scottish participation in collaborative learning projects such as the European Network for Community Land Trusts should be encouraged and supported by the Scottish Government.

Going forward

We are asking the Scottish Government to firmly support community-led housing, and community-led facilitators, by giving them a central position within affordable housing and place-making policy and funding streams. The important contributions of the community-led housing sector are being recognised beyond our borders in our neighbouring European countries, many of whom have progressive and well-established policy support.

SOSCH and CHT are asking for full recognition of the community-led model and related support - particularly for small communities who lack the capacity to undertake projects themselves -  here at home.

You can read more about CHT's award on the European Responsible Housing website, and more about the project here on CHT's own website. 
​
You can read more about SOSCH’s participation in the SHICC project and European CLT Network in a recent blog.

Comments

The new community-owned housing, health and business development in Staffin, Skye, has won a national award.

The Scottish Homes Awards 2022 were held in Glasgow's Hilton Hotel on 23 June, and recognise excellence in the new build housing industry.

Families moved into the six three-bedroom homes at Taighean a' Chaiseil, Stenscholl earlier this year. The £1.6million development won the Community Contribution Award which recognises the efforts of ‘delivering a significant contribution to a local community’.

As well as the new homes, the site also houses a brand new community-owned NHS health centre, and business and workshop units, helping to improve access to rural services and boost the local economy.

In the process Taighean a Chaiseil - which was a joint project by Staffin Community Trust, the Communities Housing Trust and Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association - beat fierce competition from across Scotland at the prestigious ceremony.

The judging panel assessed more than 130 entries in 14 categories from across Scotland and 550 guests gathered to celebrate the 15th annual Scottish Home Awards, sponsored by Ross & Liddell, which attracts more than 60 of Scotland’s leading house builders.

Colin Cumberland, chairman of the Scottish Home Awards judging panel, and head of residential at Ediston Real Estate, said: “In my first year as chair of these important awards, I have been impressed by the quality of the entries and the effort made by organisations. Congratulations to all the finalists and winners and we look forward to the continued improvement of high quality, sustainable new build housing."

Staffin Community Trust (SCT) and its project partners, the Communities Housing Trust and Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association, were unable to attend the awards in person but were delighted at the recognition, and would like to sincerely thank the Staffin community for all the support over several years to deliver the long-awaited and much-needed development.

Around 12 adults and eight children have moved into the new homes. Staffin’s population had reduced by 40 people (6.6 per cent) from 610 residents to 568 people in just four years, prior to SCT starting the project feasibility back in 2014.

SCT would also like to thank all the various project funders including Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Scottish Land Fund, Rural Housing Fund, SSE Sustainable Development, LEADER, Quaker Housing Trust, the Ecology Building Society and Alasdair Gillies without whom the development would not have materialised. SCT was also very grateful for Highland Council support which allowed the contractor to start on site in August 2020.

​Rural Design were the architects for Taighean a' Chaiseil and it was built by James MacQueen Building Contractors Ltd, both Skye-based firms.

NHS Highland became the long-term tenants of the health centre at the development last month and the new facility will be operational soon. Local aquaculture firm Organic Sea Harvest, which employs 18 people full-time, is also hoping to have the internal fit-out work of two business premises, next to the health centre, carried out this summer.
​
Income from all three properties will allow SCT to manage and maintain the development and any surplus will be spent on further community projects.

Comments

Achtercairn site, Gairloch (Credit: Rupert Shanks Photography)

The regeneration of the Achtercairn site in Gairloch, north west Highland, won international recognition yesterday at the European Responsible Housing Awards, part of the International Social Housing Festival in Helsinki, Finland.

The annual awards are organised by Housing Europe, a network of 43,000 housing providers across 25 countries, to showcase outstanding examples from social and affordable housing providers across Europe.

The community-led project in Gairloch won the ‘More Than A Roof’ category, supporting communities of equal opportunities, where developments show a range of social impacts.

Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive of the Communities Housing Trust, the Scottish charity which facilitated the project, accepted the award.

2-min film shown at the Award Ceremony about the Achtercairn project

The judges commented that it was an “important project aimed at supporting small scale rural communities in Europe. Diminishing communities should not be underestimated. The list of partners and stakeholders is impressive: large 360-degree cooperation with all local actors to rethink the whole strategy of revitalising the rural area. This project could be a good model and inspiration for other villages, and is already being adapted and implemented elsewhere.”

Ronnie MacRae receives the award on behalf of CHT and all partners

Ronnie MacRae in Helsinki

​Keen to tackle depopulation, declining services and lack of affordable homes and business premises, Gairloch area residents and around 50 partner organisations turned a derelict site into a thriving new geographic centre for the village.
​
Achtercairn now includes 25 homes with five different affordable tenures; Gairloch Farm Shop, which also houses a vet clinic; Air Training Corps facility; and the GALE Centre which is Scotland’s first public building to be awarded Passivhaus status. The Centre includes a Tourist Information Hub, a community-run shop and café which stocks produce from the wider region, community rooms to rent, and a veg-growing and composting area for the café. A University of the Highlands & Islands classroom enabling people of all ages to access new education opportunities has since moved to larger premises.

The project tackled some of the many inequalities faced by rural communities, such as fuel poverty and access to affordable housing, education, shops and services. The homes are highly energy efficient, and Scottish-grown timber was used in the construction of the GALE Centre.

​The wider range of shops and services available locally reduces the need to travel, and helps to keep spending power local while also supporting the economy of the wider area. The GALE Centre receives over 40,000 visitors per year and supports 100 people locally by selling their crafts and produce.

The project was funded by the Scottish Government and The Highland Council. Other key partners include Albyn Housing Society, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Gairloch Estate, the Ministry Of Defence, the Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE), and many others within the community.

We know from our daily work that rural communities in Scotland are leading the way in creating sustainable futures for themselves, and for this to be recognised internationally is a great tribute to the power of community-led development.

The community wanted to make sure the village is a ‘living’ village, and look at the reasons people were being forced to leave. They looked at their situation very holistically, and have managed to help diversify and stabilise the local economy, as well as provide a range of genuinely affordable homes which are protected for use by the local community.

Scotland has some good legislation and policies for empowering many more communities to follow Gairloch’s example, and we now need to make sure this sort of community-led work is recognised and valued in Scotland too. There is plenty of positive, ground-breaking work going on to help solve the increasingly challenging circumstances of rural communities. We would urge the Scottish Government to fully support and fund community-led development.

​Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive of Communities Housing Trust

We are proud to have played a key part in the success of this development and are delighted our work has now been recognised internationally. The whole development has brought new prosperity to the Gairloch and Loch Ewe communities. 

Jobs and housing go hand in hand here and this development has enabled our tiny Development Trust to create 20 year round jobs and new income-generating opportunities for over 5% of the Gairloch and Loch Ewe population.

It is genuine and lasting bottom up regeneration that will yield social, economic and environmental benefits for our community for many years to come.

Janet Miles, the managing director of Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE)

The holistic approach of this initiative, bringing together all interested parties to ensure a sustainable future for this community, is to be thoroughly commended.

Throughout my constituency, demand for second homes/holiday lets is a factor in the rising cost of properties and, in many cases, rules out the opportunity for local young people to compete in this market.

The importance of genuinely affordable housing, protected for use by the local community, in rural communities such as this cannot be overstated. Coupled with the jobs which have been created, this has ensured a vibrant future for the people of Gairloch and Loch Ewe and is something I’d very much like to see replicated throughout Scotland.

Ian Blackford, MP for Ross, Skye & Lochaber

Comments

Colonsay Community Development Company directors Andrew Abrahams, Dannie Onn & Project Coordinator Carrie Seymour survey the Scalasaig site (Credit: Caitlin NcNeill)

This blog is part of a monthly series about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, facilitating well over 1,000 affordable homes.

In a 2021 survey of Badenoch & Strathspey, the Cairngorms Business Partnership found that 68% of businesses reported a shortage of housing had impacted on their efforts to recruit staff, and 60% felt that a shortage of housing had impacted on their efforts to retain staff. 35 businesses reported people had declined job offers due to their inability to secure housing, with 91% saying it was a recurring issue.[1]

A study in April by Mull & Iona Community Trust showed that 78% of businesses report that the lack of worker housing is impacting on their current operation, and 73% believing it creates staff retention issues.[2] A recent survey of Glenkens and District Trust similarly indicated critical challenges securing enough housing to attract and retain staff from some of the region’s largest employers.

​This picture is reflected across Scotland, with areas heavily reliant on tourism affected most acutely. In November 2021, over a third of Scottish businesses reported experiencing a shortage of workers, and around half of businesses in the hospitality and construction sectors struggled to fill vacancies.[3]

“The future of our business is seriously at risk. We are already being forced into reduced operating hours and staff pressures are making this worse all the time. We are able to offer really attractive terms to work here and staff would love to move here, but it is almost impossible due to housing shortages.”

A business in Cairngorms Business Partnership survey 2021, Communities Housing Trust

This is a dire situation. Not for any grand aims of economic recovery or growth, but simply because it’s affecting people’s ability to live day-by-day, let alone live well.

Private rented tenancy legislation has had a negative impact on availability of worker housing, especially in rural areas. It’s a complex area, and we would recommend a review between Scottish Government and estates and landlords, to ensure that appropriate amendments are implemented which work for all. There’s a clear need for short-term, emergency accommodation to support businesses, which cannot be supported through schemes such as the Rural & Islands Housing Fund.

We therefore need to come up with ways of assisting and enabling accommodation for workers. Between SOSCH and Communities Housing Trust, we believe we have developed some of the solutions and would welcome the opportunity to explore these and implement them on a wider scale, with appropriate support.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, this issue can be tackled effectively through a community-led approach.

Housing workers in rural and fragile communities

In rural, remote or fragile communities, affordable homes close to key employers help attract and develop a skilled workforce. Such homes also build resilience by creating diverse work opportunities for residents.

Some large employers have historically provided housing for their workers; some did so until the pandemic when the homes were sold off; some are looking into it now as a pressing issue.

An alternative approach would be businesses and staff, or indeed just communities more broadly, coming together to jointly provide homes.

The affordable, high quality, healthy homes and spaces that community-led housing creates (see our previous blogs, for example here and here) help make remote or rural communities attractive places to live and work.

They also help combat urban drift that many of the communities we work with are experiencing. This includes a concerning outward migration of younger people, unable to find jobs and housing, leaving behind ageing populations vulnerable to reductions in services as there are simply not enough working-age people to keep them going.

How it works

It’s a simple idea to live near where you work. Living locally reduces commutes, prioritises green transport networks, keeps spending power locally, and frees up time for other things, increasing quality of life. It supports the principles of a ’20-minute neighbourhood’ with positive climate impacts and promotes circular economies. In reality, this simple idea may present a huge challenge for rural communities.

Community-led housing presents a feasible solution to these complex environmental and economic issues.

A main benefit of community-led housing is that it can be flexible and responsive to peoples’ needs, including shifts in work patterns, commuting, and spacial requirements. For example, it may include a community hub or co-working space to support the changing needs of working people throughout the ongoing pandemic.

The community development trust All Roads Lead to Whithorn (ARLTW) in Whithorn, Dumfries has refurbished two family flats on the high street for local people. At the same time, ARLTW is refurbishing the Town Hall into a Hub and Bunkhouse that includes flexible space and a learning hub to support the community’s co-working and learning needs. The Hub is projected to provide up to £100,000 worth of community and tourism benefits each year, with many visitors attracted by the popular Whithorn Way pilgrimage.[4]

12 community-led affordable homes in Tomintoul in the Cairngorms have just opened for applications, a partnership between Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust and the Communities Housing Trust. Futureproofing includes energy efficiency measures, PV panels and EV chargepoints, as well as homeworking space in some homes, in response to community needs.
In addition, community-owned housing often provides rental income that can be reinvested within the local community.

Case studies

In Colonsay, there are just two pupils left in the primary school. There are fewer than 10 residents aged 18-30, and the island is struggling to keep the ferry, plane and fire services going (on top of ‘normal’ jobs, of course). Over 40% of housing stock on the island is now holiday- or second-homes, with very few options for available affordable housing stock. The issue here is overemployment with the threat of services closing, leaving working-age residents stretched to breaking point.

​Outside the main settlement of Scalasaig, the Communities Housing Trust negotiated a sale of land from the estate, and work has begun on up to 24 affordable homes in partnership with Colonsay Community Development Company. All these homes will be protected for use by the local community, and their affordability will also be protected in perpetuity. A second site will provide new commercial units and workshop space. The community are leasing some of the land to MOWI, who will provide an additional three houses of multiple occupancy for their own staff, as recruiting and retaining staff was a recurring issue for the company’s Colonsay site. As and when MOWI decide they don’t need the homes anymore, they will return to community use.

CCDC directors Andrew Abrahams, Dannie Onn & Project Coordinator Carrie Seymour survey the Scalasaig site (Credit: Caitlin NcNeill)

Colonsay - on site April 2022 (Credit: CCDC)

Aviemore Housing Summit November 2021, with Kate Forbes and Shona Robison

Balmaha visual

The four new Police Station homes in Langholm delivered by the Eskdale Foundation and SOSCH in 2021 play an important role in supporting other regeneration and repopulation efforts in the area. The Langholm Alliance, an umbrella community organisation approved by Scottish ministers to oversee the economic regeneration of Langholm by 2030, brings together 73 groups working to increase economic vibrancy in the town. This concerted effort to attract more businesses, employees, and boost the tourism industry in Langholm in the wake of its textile industry decline urgently requires affordable homes. The Old Police Station homes support the town’s wider ambitions by providing secure and attractive places to live for people moving or returning to Langholm.

Langholm Old Police Station (Credit: Tom Manley)

SOSCH supported Wigtown & Bladnoch Community Initiative’s (WBCI) refurbishment of a former Bank of Scotland building on the Wigtown High Street. The community created two new affordable homes and a bunkhouse for 8 visitors. WBCI will employ full-time staff to manage the bunkhouse. . As Scotland’s National Book Town, tourism is important to Wigtown’s local economy, and this project means the community can directly benefit from its growth.

WBCI homes & visitor bunkhouse (Credit: Hazel Smith)

SOSCH is also currently supporting Glenkens and District Trust in planning the delivery of community-led housing across the region. In addition to a community housing survey that was sent to residents, SOSCH surveyed large employers in the Glenkens and District area to establish housing need and demand from their workforce. This data helps establish a picture of the housing issues key employers face when recruiting staff, as well as difficulties existing employees have in securing housing. [5]

​One large employer in the region reported:

New staff relocating to the area have found it challenging to find affordable and available accommodation… [A]s an organisation, the lack of readily available housing could lead to potential new staff looking elsewhere.
A Glenkens and District area key business

The bottom line

Community-led housing is a sensible approach to deliver worker housing in that it not only tackles the current need in the community, but it plans for future need by working with local people, businesses and employers.

It creates affordable and long-lasting homes that attract and retain new people into the community, and supports sustainable, thriving populations and economies.

Community-led housing enables communities to prepare for the future they would like to see.

Comments

12 new affordable homes being built in Tomintoul are expected to be complete in summer 2022, and are now open to applications.

The community-led development on the site of the old secondary school is led by Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust (TGDT), with support from the Communities Housing Trust.

The homes are a mix of affordable rent and discounted sale, managed by the Communities Housing Trust on behalf of TGDT, a community owned registered charity.

There are eight 2 to 3 bedroom homes available for affordable rent, one of which includes a homeworking space, and four 3-bedroom homes for discounted sale, two of which include homeworking spaces.

The Rural Housing Burden is applied to the homes for discounted sale, which gives 100% ownership, and applies a discount percentage in perpetuity which protects the ongoing affordability for the local community.

People with local connections to the area, through work or family, will be prioritised, as a way to promote the ongoing sustainability of rural communities.
​
The development also tackles fuel poverty and social isolation, as the homes are designed around a communal space, and include individual EV charging points, PV panels on each home to generate electricity, and are highly insulated.

Tilly Smith, Chair of TGDT said: “This development has been a huge project for TGDT and we’re delighted to be offering these 12 amazing houses at a significant discount against market rates to support and sustain our communities. The development which includes live-work units will help regenerate our area and provide long term, high quality, affordable housing for people who live and work here.”

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust said: “Community-led developments like this one are so important in small and rural communities, because they’re based on what the community themselves want and need.

“This development is also helping to tackle wider issues such as fuel poverty, and working towards net zero. The homeworking spaces signal a shift we’ve all seen since Covid to work more flexibly, which can also help to diversify local economies. We’d like to congratulate the Tomintoul and Glenlivet communities on finalising such a high-quality development so swiftly, in a national park setting.”

The project has been funded by the Scottish Land Fund, the Scottish Government’s Rural & Islands Housing Fund, Social Investment Scotland, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, the Community And Renewable Energy Scheme (CARES), Dorenell Windfarm Community Benefit Fund, TDGT, and is constructed by Aberdeen-based Alpha Projects.
​
For more details of the homes and to apply, please visit: https://www.chtrust.co.uk/current-opportunities.html

Comments

This blog is part of a monthly series about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, facilitating well over 1,000 affordable homes.

We have 43,000 long-term empty homes in Scotland[1]. We have soaring costs of building materials, and challenges of supplying them, particularly to remote or island areas. We have goals for net zero and zero waste, to help tackle the climate crisis. And we have an affordable housing crisis.

Amid all this, there is an obvious starting point: use what we have already.

Communities are best placed to take on projects to ‘recycle’ buildings, reusing materials and repurposing them to meet local needs.

Recycling for net zero

Often unattractive to commercial developers, restoring and repurposing older buildings is an important part of a more sustainable environment and meeting net zero goals. It should be considered alongside other industry priorities, including, for example, using net zero heating and energy efficiency measures, and local materials.

Especially for urban areas, where new builds and green spaces are harder to come by, repurposing empty buildings is a strategic and climate conscious way to address the housing crisis.

This opportunity is reflected in Community Right To Buy legislation, updated in 2018 to include ‘abandoned, neglected, or detrimental land.’[2] However, many would consider this extension underutilised, in part because of the convoluted process. CHT and SOSCH support communities through this process to bring recycling buildings into the mainstream.

Costs of building materials and challenges of supply

Following Brexit and the Covid pandemic, there has been a well-documented rise in costs of building materials. Prices of timber and steel increased by 79% and 77% respectively by September 2021.[3] Coupled with, for example, attempting to build on an island, and additional transport costs of materials by ferry, reduced ferry sailings due to bad or winter weather and associated delays, this is a pressing challenge.

In real terms, all this has led to a 20-40% increase in development costs.[4]

There is therefore an obvious case to be made, not only for supplying home-grown materials through collaborations between crofters, farmers and landowners, but for reusing and recycling as many materials as we can. A third crucial aspect is then actively tackling the skills and labour shortage, particularly keenly felt in rural areas, by creating more opportunities for implementing a recycling, circular economy approach to construction.

Raising confidence and spirits

Beyond these practical points, there is value in what we call ‘placemaking’ – communities having a role in shaping where they live, strengthening relationships between people and place, having pride in where you live and raising confidence for exploring what changes are possible.

Many of the vacant buildings in urban areas are linked to services or businesses ending, and high street decline. Therefore these buildings are often central, visible, and can greatly affect local pride and spirits – and the economy – if they sit empty.

In rural areas, the empty buildings may be schools, or houses – buildings important to generations of people. There’s often a sense of sadness at decline within the community, as an indicator of wider problems of rural depopulation.

Community-led projects to re-use and re-purpose buildings are not just environmentally-conscious approaches to housing, but also approaches that can appreciate the personality, character, and history of a place where communities become responsible stewards.

In doing so communities demonstrate model ways of how best to integrate historical places with their long-term future in mind.
​
Recycling buildings provide an opportunity to integrate all of the above.

Case studies

​SOSCH has supported the following projects:

​Langholm Old Police Station: An award-winning project in which a former police station lain empty in town centre for 15 years before the Eskdale Foundation turned it into 4 affordable homes (family, single-resident, and fully accessible homes). 

​Wigtown: the Wigtown & Bladnoch Community Initiative turned a former Bank of Scotland, which vacated the high street in 2017, into two homes and a community-run bunkhouse for visitors. 

Whithorn: All Roads Lead to Whithorn (ARLTW) redeveloped a former Grapes Hotel, derelict for over 30 years on the historic main street, into two family homes (with a phase two: two additional fully accessible homes at the back of the site and landscaping). ARLTW is also renovating the Town Hall.

​
Communities Housing Trust has facilitated or is undertaking the following projects:

​Glendale, Skye: CHT is a key partner to renovate and convert the old Borrodale school and schoolhouse in Glendale into 5-6 affordable homes, alongside the Glendale Trust, Historic Environment Scotland, Local Energy Scotland and Zero Waste Scotland, amongst others, with a focus on reusing materials, boosting local skills and rural trades, and energy efficiency.

Achiltibuie: with Coigach Community Development Company, CHT converted the old schoolhouse into 2 affordable homes for the local community, with funding support from the Nationwide Foundation and the Scottish Government’s Rural Housing Fund. It was the first successful completed project to receive RHF funds. 

Acharachle: CHT worked with Acharacle Community Company to renovate the old school and schoolhouse, as well as a derelict empty home, Druim Garbh. CHT developed an innovative long lease model which allowed the home to be refurbished to a high standard.

In all of these cases, had the community not taken control of the buildings and led the conversion into housing, the properties would very likely remain empty and degrading.

Communities are taking on a vital role and undertaking work that others will not, and must be supported in doing this important work.

These projects require specialised architectural vision to reshape an existing building into unique homes with character, with support from organisations such as Historic Environment Scotland, the Architectural Heritage Fund, and Construction Innovation Centre Scotland.

Challenges such as Brexit, Covid, material costs and the energy crisis are causing regulatory bodies to be more cautious, when in fact these are the exact reasons why urgent and flexible cooperation is needed whilst there is a desperate demand for more housing.

​Both SOSCH and CHT will continue to support communities to take on projects on empty homes and vacant buildings, as one crucial aspect of tackling Scotland’s housing and climate crises.

Comments

L-R: Kate Forbes MSP; Clare Gray, chair of the Glendale Trust; Ronnie MacRae, chief executive of the Communities Housing Trust; and Olli Blair, architect.

​Glendale welcomed local MSP Kate Forbes last week, as she visited the community-led renovation of Borrodale school and schoolhouse. Historic Environment Scotland and Crown Estate Scotland recently awarded grants to further develop the buildings into much-needed affordable housing.

The project to restore and convert the derelict buildings into 5-6 affordable homes is led by the Glendale Trust and supported by various partners including the Communities Housing Trust, Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association, HIE, University of the Highlands & Islands, and Zero Waste Scotland.

Ms Forbes visited the site to understand firsthand how the innovative approach to retrofitting the buildings for the climate crisis will also provide benefits and opportunities for the local community.

The project aims to minimise waste, reuse and recycle materials, and support and encourage local rural trades.

Kate Forbes MSP said: “Housing is probably one of the most frequently raised issues with me, showing how important it is, and as the constituency MSP for Skye I am well aware of the pressures locally.

 “If we want families, and especially our young people, to remain on the island then it is absolutely critical that they have access to warm, safe and affordable homes.

 “Against that backdrop, I was delighted to visit Borrodale School and meet with representatives of both the Glendale Trust and Communities Housing Trust.

 “They are to be congratulated for their joint initiative and I look forward to these plans becoming a reality.”

Borrodale School and Schoolhouse, Glendale, Skye. Credit: Al Mearns

​In March, the project received a grant of £30,000 from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) to deliver traditional masonry and lime render work to stop the building deteriorating further and to dry it out in preparation for renovation.

HES are supporting the refurbishment and conversion of Borrodale School and Schoolhouse, particularly the climate change adaptations using traditional materials and new energy efficiency measures needed in a retrofit of an older building.

Roger Curtis, Technical Research Manager at Historic Environment Scotland (HES) said:  “We’re pleased to be able to support this project to provide much needed additional housing stock through the retrofit of these buildings. The school and its schoolhouse played a key role in the community and through this project will create a new chapter in their story as well as contributing to the community and our broader aims of helping demonstrate thermal upgrade to older buildings as well as providing greener housing through the reuse and retrofit of existing building stock.”

A further Community Capacity grant of £20,000 from Crown Estate Scotland, delivered in partnership with Foundation Scotland, will help develop the plans for the fuel-efficient homes.

The Borrodale project will act as a blueprint for community renovations to address repopulation, skills development in rural areas, reuse and recycling of materials, environmental concerns, and economic growth and opportunities.

The Glendale Trust purchased the school in 2014 with funding support from the Scottish Land Fund. Further funding for the renovation and conversion plans has been given by the Architectural Heritage Fund, the Rural Communities Into Action Fund delivered by Inspiring Scotland, and HIE.

There are over 43,000 long-term empty homes across Scotland, and an urgent need for affordable housing. The renovation will focus on transforming an eyesore into an asset, providing housing for the local community as well as supporting economic growth of the region.

It is expected that the development will provide a mix of affordable tenures based on demand, such as social rent equivalent, mid-market rent, low-cost home ownership, or housing for keyworkers.

This mix allows more flexibility for a small community, allowing for differing financial capabilities and changing circumstances.

Clare Gray, Chair of The Glendale Trust said: “We are delighted that Historic Environment Scotland appreciate the value of the buildings and have granted us the funds to repair the stonework and the roof in readiness for the refurbishment. This will give the building a new lease of life and bring affordable homes to Glendale.”

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “We are delighted to have the support of Historic Environment Scotland and Crown Estate Scotland on this project. They both recognise the importance not just of the buildings, but what the buildings could mean to the future of Glendale, and the wider community. It will be an example of community-led, climate-friendly restoration which communities across the country can replicate and use to boost local skills and support a circular economy. We were very pleased to share these plans with Kate Forbes.”

Comments

Full Time (35hpw)    
£15,000 per annum 
  
Communities Housing Trust are looking for an energetic and enthusiastic Digital Administration Apprentice to join the team in Inverness.

As the Digital Administration Apprentice you will have responsibility for general administration and clerical duties within the organisation and supporting the wider activities of all team members. As well as this, assisting the Housing Management team with the management of CHT rental properties will be a fundamental part of the post. This will involve liaising with tenants and contractors over repair and maintenance issues, logging repair works and ensuring that all records are kept up to date. Your job will also include regular telephone and face to face contact with external agencies, contractors, consultants and the general public as well as regular internal contact within the organisation.

Communities Housing Trust will be supporting you through your SCQF Level 6 Diploma in Digital Administration and on completion you will have the chance to enhance your knowledge and skills further by completing further training!

Communities Housing Trust have onsite parking available as well as offer additional training to apprentices upon completion of their apprenticeship to enhance skills and knowledge.    
 
For more information and to apply, please visit: www.apprenticeships.scot/vacancy-details/?refCode=141822

Applications should be submitted to QA Apprenticeships (at the link above) by

Comments

This blog is part of a monthly series about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, facilitating well over 1,000 affordable homes.

Public consultation for the proposed National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), the Scottish Government’s long-term plan for spatial development is open until 31 March 2022, and once adopted by Holyrood, will provide an overarching guide for local planning decisions through to 2045.

CHT and SOSCH and whole-heartedly welcome the introduction of community ownership, community wealth-building, and the wellbeing economy that appear throughout the NPF4. We celebrate the formal recognition of these ideas and see their inclusion in the draft framework as an important shift from existing planning policy.

Scotland’s approach to community land use and land reform is world class.

If we have a planning system that matches and follows up this approach, we can build a more equitable, sustainable, and diverse Scotland—just what NPF4 sets out to do.

We should not lose sight of this opportunity for big changes: to ensure communities are given priority in planning considerations.

​At SOSCH and CHT, our work is already aligned to many of NPF4’s intended outcomes. The projects we support tackle the critical challenges of:

• repopulation,
• economic growth and diversity,
• increased health and wellbeing, and
• provision of local services

…that are laid out in NPF4. We would welcome an opportunity to introduce a framework that would allow us, and the communities we partner with, to do all of this work more effectively.

We know community-led housing builds the ‘great places’ NPF4 describes:

Before

After (featuring WBCI members)

Photo credits: Hazel J L Smith, Chartered Architect

SOSCH supported the Wigtown and Bladnoch Community Initiative’s community-led redevelopment of a former bank in Wigtown into two affordable family homes and a community-owned bunkhouse. The project creates new housing options for local families who need it, but also generates income by providing visitor/tourist accommodation in the heart of Scotland’s Book Town. Maintenance of the bunkhouse will provide new jobs to the community. This project provides an excellent example of sustainable growth of key industries in the region, delivered through community wealth-building models that do not leave locals behind.

Site in June 2021. Image credit Staffin Community Trust

Residents moving in, February 2022. Image credit: Staffin Community Trust

Taighean a’ Chaiseil in Staffin, Skye, was a community-led partnership between Staffin Community Trust, Communities Housing Trust and Lochalsh & Skye Housing Association. Six affordable homes, a new NHS Highland health centre, and new commercial space implement the principles of a 20-Minute Neighbourhood, but in a way that’s realistic for rural settings.

As a result, the development has helped retain the primary school; the population of Staffin has increased; there is improved and expanded health services for the area; the local economy is growing and is more diverse; and rental income for the community-owned units is reinvested in community projects. This also echoes the principles and practice of circular economies which we believe should be at the forefront of NPF4. 

The concepts put forward by NPF4 should allow for clear understanding and interpretation by planners and consultees, to ensure consistency and efficacy – particularly in the approach to rural areas.

We need localised policies; we know that communities already do this well, in expressing their needs and aspirations. Spatial zoning may flatten and ‘box’ this expression, with little flexibility for future changes of use.

We believe that positive and inclusive language should be used for all proposed zones, to reflect how we value Scotland’s diverse residents.

The five broad regions and their priorities will be more effective and valuable on the ground if communities have central involvement in the transitions proposed.

An NPF4 that unequivocally supports community-led development could be radical for Scotland.

We could achieve positive community outcomes at a new scale, if our planning system succeeds in establishing preference for community ownership models over the market-based approaches that are failing us. With 27,571 households homeless [1], an estimated 25% of those who are housed living in inadequate homes [2], and 1 in 4 renters and mortgage holders worried about not being able to pay their housing costs [3], we urgently need a better national strategy.

NPF4 is an important opportunity to refresh our collective approach to housing, local development, and public participation. We recognise the need to make the most of it and we ask the Scottish Government to go boldly towards a more equitable, participatory, and sustainable future.
​
NPF4 can deliver the great places it envisions, if we use what we already know and let communities lead the way.

​
References:

1] Shelter Scotland: 
https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/housing_policy/key_statistics/homelessness_facts_and_research
2] Young, G. 2021: 
The right to adequate housing: are we focusing on what matters? : CaCHE (housingevidence.ac.uk)
3] 2021 research from Shelter Scotland: 
https://scotland.shelter.org.uk/media/press_releases/one_in_four_are_worried_about_not_meeting_housing_costs_in_2021

Comments

Site for community purchase in Scourie. Credit: CHT

Scourie Community Development Company (SCDC) plans to purchase almost three acres of land in Scourie near the primary school, with grant support from the Scottish Land Fund.

The purchase, from landowner Alan Balfour, which will take place later this year, and will allow the community to build a number of affordable homes as well as new commercial space.

The project follows a survey on housing need undertaken last year by the Communities Housing Trust on behalf of SCDC, which showed high demand for affordable homes. In particular, businesses are struggling to house staff, impacting on the local economy.

Communities Housing Trust further supported SCDC with a feasibility study in 2021, and is continuing to help facilitate the development process.

The first phase to build eight affordable homes of different sizes and tenures and two commercial work units should begin next year. The site is currently common grazings and permission will be sought for a change of use. Planning permission will also have to be granted before construction can commence.

A future phase providing homes of mixed tenures, including private and affordable homes, will also see wide benefits for the whole community.

Angus Mackay, vice chairman of SCDC said: “The lack of locally affordable housing has contributed to the declining numbers of children in the school and to the decline in the number of economically active people in the area. For the community to be sustainable and thrive, the population needs to grow. The award from the Scottish Land Fund will enable SCDC to move our exciting project nearer to reality. We also would like to thank the Communities Housing Trust for their tremendous support.”

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “We’re delighted to be working with SCDC to provide not just affordable housing, but wider social and economic benefits too. This community-led, mixed development model is often so much more suited to smaller, more rural communities and we are extremely pleased to continue working with SCDC to further develop the site. We’d like to thank the Scottish Land Fund for their support, and congratulate the community on getting to this stage. Well done!”

Comments

Image credit: Grahame Nicoll

The PH8 Community Group is launching a survey in partnership with the Communities Housing Trust (CHT) to inform what housing is needed now and into the future.

 The survey results will help shape what housing is provided in Dunkeld, Birnam and surrounding area, led by the needs and aspirations of the community, and will help ensure future sustainability.

 One of the key actions in the Community Action Plan is to find ways to enable younger people, families and those working in the area to live locally, and to provide suitable affordable homes for local people.

 As well as current residents, the Group would also like to hear from people wanting to return or re-locate to the area, and local businesses, including potential new businesses.

 The survey is funded by Perth & Kinross Council, as part of a larger project looking at developing affordable housing in five different communities across the area, including Mount Blair, and this one around Dunkeld and Birnam.

 Sophie Cade, PH8 Community Matters, says “Housing for all is a key theme in the newly launched PH8 Community Action Plan, and it is great to be taking the first step towards better understanding the issue and how we can tackle it. It is really important that as many people as possible participate in this survey so that there is a strong basis for actions to follow.”

 Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “We are very pleased to be working with the community of PH8 to understand their specific needs, as part of a wider project across Perthshire. We know demand for quality, affordable housing will be high here, and we now have increased opportunities to address this, with Scottish government policies on land reform, supporting rural housing and community empowerment.

 “Community-led housing is often the best option in small, rural communities, as it can be tailored, providing a mix of tenures as well as a mix of house sizes, to give the greatest possible flexibility to residents.”

 The surveys can be completed online before Sunday 1 May at: https://www.chtrust.co.uk/surveys. 

 For anyone needing an extra bit of support to complete the survey online, a series of drop-in sessions are available where anyone can pop in and get help with submitting their response:

• Sat 26 March – Amulree Village Hall, 10am-12pm
• Thurs 7 April – Dalguise Village Hall, 1pm-3pm
• Tues 12 April – Co-working space, Lagmhor, Little Dunkeld, 10am-12pm
• Mon 18 April – Butterstone Village Hall, 10am-12pm
• Sat 23 April – Birnam Library, 9.30-11am and Birnam Arts Café, 11am-12pm

Comments

Roslyn Clarke and Megan MacInnes, two of the former and present Local Development Officers of Applecross Community Company, outside An Toll Bàn, the first community-owned houses built on the Applecross peninsula

The Applecross Community Company is delighted to welcome local households into their new homes, the first community-owned accommodation on the peninsula and the first affordable houses built in Applecross for 18 years.

This community-led development of three accessible homes is a milestone for the area, built in response to concerns about the lack of good quality, affordable accommodation for the local community.

The development of An Toll Bàn (“the fair hollow”) was undertaken by the Applecross Community Company (ACC) with support from the Communities Housing Trust (CHT).  The homes will be managed by CHT on behalf of ACC and are offered at an affordable rent level.

​Since its establishment in 2008, ACC has delivered a range of community benefit projects with the aim of improving the resilience, sustainability and prosperity of the Applecross community.

The site for these new homes was purchased by ACC from NHS Highland in 2020, with support from the Scottish Land Fund. The project’s construction has been supported by the Rural Housing Fund, SSE’s Sustainable Development Fund, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and Applecross’ community-owned hydro project Apple Juice. Kinellan Building Ltd were contracted to build the homes, which are also affordable to run, a key aspect in tackling fuel poverty.

Elderly residents or those with additional health needs and local connections to the area were prioritised for these accessible houses as a way to support the intergenerational sustainability of Applecross. Close to the GP surgery, the homes provide improved access to health facilities if needed, and NHS Highland was supportive from the outset. One of the homes is wheelchair accessible.

In addition to the An Toll Bàn properties, ACC will also be developing further affordable houses and community facilities on another site, which it is hoped will enable young folk and families to stay in the community.

Housing Secretary, Shona Robison said: “I am delighted to see the completion of these three accessible homes. We want everyone to have a safe, warm affordable home that meets their needs and by ensuring we have accessible homes, then people can live independently in their own home for longer in the community they wish to live.  Community led projects, such as this, highlight the benefits that the Rural and Islands Housing Fund provides, and even a small number of homes can make a huge difference in our rural communities.”

Owen Kilbride, Chair of the Applecross Community Company, said “Tackling the crisis of affordable housing in Applecross is a priority for us and we are very excited to see local residents moving into their new homes. Our thanks goes out to NHS Highland, the funders who supported the project, and to CHT and Kinellan for completing the build on budget despite the pandemic’s uncertainties. This is only the start and we shall be building further affordable homes for our community in the coming years.”

Ronnie MacRae, CHT chief executive, said: “CHT are delighted to support ACC in providing these community-led homes, which will mean that older residents are better supported. Helping people of all ages stay within their community is crucial for the ongoing sustainability of rural areas. We’d particularly like to thank NHS Highland for their enthusiastic support for the project, and Scottish Government for their funding assistance. We’re looking forward to working with ACC on further housing projects.”

Alan Wilson, Director of Estates, Facilities & Capital Planning for NHS Highland, said: “NHS Highland is committed to supporting local communities and this is a great example of collaborative working between all the relative groups in providing much needed affordable housing for the area.”

Ian Philp from HIE’s Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross area team, said: “We are really pleased to have supported ACC to help realise their aspirations for community-owned housing. We recognise the importance of the availability of affordable and energy efficient accommodation and we are delighted to see the ACC bring this ambitious project to fruition, which will bring many benefits to the community.”

Building the Applecross homes: photo journey

For more information about the project, have a look at the case study:

Comments

Self-build home under construction. Illustration only.

Five affordable self-build plots on Elizabeth Crescent in Dornoch are seeking budding home-builders!

The plots are for sale at £25,000 each by Dornoch & District Community Association (DADCA), following a community asset transfer of land from The Highland Council.

Full planning permission has been granted on the plots, for homes up to 2 storeys high.

The plots will be allocated to prioritise local community residents who need a stable, long-term home.

The sale of the community-owned plots will generate income for DADCA to use on further community projects, supporting the ongoing sustainability of the Dornoch area.

The Communities Housing Trust (CHT), who have supported DADCA to acquire the plots, will allocate the plots independently, on behalf of DADCA.

CHT will also apply the Rural Housing Burden which applies a discount percentage to the plots. The Burden is a legal title condition which helps to ensure affordability in perpetuity, and prioritises local communities. This helps to protect housing stock for local residents, and limit second- and holiday-home ownership.

Prospective self-builders may also find the Self-Build Loan Fund useful. The Fund is a national scheme administered by CHT on behalf of the Scottish Government, to provide loans to people who have been refused mainstream self-build mortgage finance. Applications to the Fund are open until 31 August 2022.

Carol Mackay, co-chair of DADCA, said: “We are delighted to have secured this land as a community asset and to know that the plots will be made available at a discounted price to local families who meet the criteria set down by Communities Housing Trust.”

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of CHT, said: “We are delighted to be supporting DADCA in providing the plots, which will create permanent, local homes. Self-build is sometimes the only option in small communities where other options for housing is limited, and we’re pleased to be supporting several plots in Dornoch which will in turn support further positive community work in the area.”

​A full brochure and application form will be available soon. To express interest in the self-build plots, please register your details at: https://www.chtrust.co.uk/self-build-plots.html.

Comments

This blog is part of a monthly series about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Together, we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, facilitating more than 1,000 affordable homes.

Two policies with huge public impacts will shortly be put before Holyrood: the Human Rights Bill, including the ‘right to adequate housing and to the continuous improvement of living conditions’[1]; and National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4), which will direct planning across Scotland for the next 20 years.[2]

Neither policy mentions the other, nor considers how they could complement each other in principle or practice. The draft of NPF4 references protecting human rights, but does not mention the ‘right to adequate housing’– a key component of the Human Rights Bill.

This is a missed opportunity.

The human rights principles of non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountability[3] could apply equally to NPF4. 

For us, a clear and obvious way to put this into practice is to plant a community-led approach firmly at the core of both policies. 

Community-led development fulfils all four principles by requiring ongoing participation and engagement; collaborative working to fulfil local needs and aspirations; and clearly-defined benefits to protect housing stock legally for local communities, forever.  

We therefore suggest prioritising community-led development as a human rights approach to NPF4.

The Human Rights Bill and NPF4 both speak of valuing Scottish residents’ knowledge and experiences, and we are presenting a tried and tested way to do just that. 

Delivering housing as a human right through community-ledmodels

We at CHT and SOSCH join Shelter, Alacho,CACHE, CIH Scotland, and the Scottish Human Rights Commission in supporting a human rights-based approach to housing. 

By realising housing as a human right, Scotland could guarantee everyone has an adequate home.

This is a core shift. It would override the failures of a speculative housing market that leaves so many people behind; where second homes outprice local residents and workers, and truly affordable homes are few and far between; where homelessness is a by-product of false scarcity; and increasing numbers of holiday homes are forcing outward migration of both urban centres and rural areas. 

These are the very issues that community-led housing tackles. They are also issues our planning system should redress. 

The community right to repopulation and the individual right to live where you choose - rights which a community-led approach supports in practice - are manifestations of housing as a human right. 

Community-led housing is an exemplary model for a human-rights based approach to housing. It should be one of the central pillars of NPF4, as a planning framework for everyone, everywhere.

Bringing Human Rights to NPF4  

There is a belief that the planning system is fair for all. It’s not. 

Despite 97% of Scotland’s landmass being rural, the current draft of NPF4 is highly urban-centric.

This indicates to remote and rural communities that they are not equally included in Scotland’s future, despite the leadership they are showing in community-led development and long-term sustainability. 

Are small communities and small developments getting a fair crack of the whip? 

Lesley Riddoch argues that the current draft of NPF4 is “...a powerful blueprint for planning which ignores all the incredible efforts of Scotland’s rural communities and leaves them once again at the margins, fighting the system instead of having their success recognised and turned into a new officially endorsed, small-is-beautiful default.”

“Are the myriad plucky and often crowdfunded self-help developments by small communities still not enough to prove their worth to policy makers?” 

With this plea we resoundingly say yes – they should be.  

So what does human rights-based housing look like? What would prioritising community-led developments across Scotland accomplish? We believe local people answer these questions best. Communities have insights into the needs of their residents and strong motives to create happy, healthy, thriving places that a truly sustainable future requires. 

Residents moving in, February 2022. Image credit: Staffin Community Trust

Site of Taighean a' Chaisheil in Staffin during construction. Image credit: Iain Cumming

CHT worked in partnership with the Staffin Community Trust to provide not only the first affordable homes in the crofting community for 23 years, but also workshop space, office and commercial space, and a new NHS health centre that replaced an old building unfit for purpose. Facing increasing tourism and a population dropping to 40, the homes of mixed tenures have helped retain six families in the village including eight children, which in turn will help keep the primary school open.

Sawmill Green, Moniaive

Sawmill Green, Moniaive

SOSCH supported the Moniaive Initiative’s redevelopment of a long-neglected house in the village to tackle the demand for housing for older people with mobility needs. Refurbishment created a new fully accessible layout, with a second bedroom, open plan kitchen, and wetroom. The house was let to an elderly resident with additional care needs . The community’s work allowed the resident to stay living in their own home—maintaining independence, whilst also getting support from family nearby.

Even the smallest community-led developments can have a large impact in remote and rural communities if they are meeting specific needs.​

We’re keen that policymakers leading both the legislative human rights and planning agendas look to embed community-led development as a fair, effective, and respectful way to deliver the changes they are charged with.

We ask them to take the opportunity to consider the work of the community-led housing sector and place the knowledge and experiences of Scottish people front and centre in their policies.

As we proceed into the final stages of NPF4 public consultation, the values of non-discrimination, participation, transparency and accountabilityshould ground our response. Look out for next month’s blog which will share a more in-depth review of NPF4 and community-led housing.

References 

[1]

Comments

Winners will be announced at the end of May.

It's great to see a project from the Highlands make it to the shortlist, and be able to showcase what partnership working and rural communities are capable of. Community-led development is the way forward!

More info: https://myplacescotland.org.uk/my-place-awards-2022/

The regenerated Achtercairn site, with affordable homes, GALE Centre, community shops and cafe, and Air Training Corps facility. Image credit: Rupert Shanks Photography

Comments

Ullapool and Loch Broom from above the Braes. Credit: Noel Hawkins

Ullapool Community Trust (UCT) is launching a survey to inform what housing is needed now and into the future.

In partnership with the Communities Housing Trust, UCT is currently seeking to identify possible sites for housing in the Ullapool, Lochbroom and Dundonnell areas. The survey results will help shape what housing is provided, led by the needs and aspirations of the community, and will help ensure the area thrives into the future.

UCT is particularly keen to retain younger people, families and those working in the area, and to provide suitable affordable homes for local people.

The survey is for people who currently live in the Ullapool and Lochbroom area, and local businesses, including potential new businesses. There is also a survey for people who have either left the area but would like to return, or non-residents who would be interested in moving to the area.​
​
Tim Gauntlett, chair of UCT, said: “It will be clear to all who live in our area that housing is the most pressing issue facing us at the moment. This was vividly illustrated by the fact that 89% of those responding to our community needs survey last year said that the provision of housing here was unsatisfactory, and 78% ranked it as 1st or 2nd priority for us to address (way ahead of the next priority – employment and training).

“Almost everybody in this community will be aware of children, relations, friends who are either struggling to get any affordable accommodation at all, or who feel that returning here is impossible at the moment – unless they’re willing to stay with parents or on somebody’s couch.

“The recent boom in the tourist industry has been very welcome in many ways, but it has also brought with it distorting incentives to expand short-term lets – at the expense of younger and poorer folk seeking somewhere to live – and the housing shortage means that many businesses can’t grow as they would like because there simply isn’t anywhere for their staff to live.

“Action is clearly urgently needed, and UCT is committed to doing all it can to provide new and better affordable housing.. But first of all we have to make sure that we know where housing is most urgently needed, what kind of housing will help to address these needs and who the people are who would benefit most from new housing.

“Carrying out this survey will, we hope, give us the detailed information and data to help us target our housing action plan accordingly. So we would urge as many members of the community as possible – and those with connections to the area who wish to return – to take the 15 mins to complete the survey and contribute to solving this huge problem.”

The chair of Lochbroom Community Renewables, Rob Gibson, said: "Broompower backs this detailed housing needs survey from Coigach to Little Lochbroom. It must be the catalyst for much-needed building of affordable homes to secure a balanced community here in north-west Ross."

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of the Communities Housing Trust, said: “We are very pleased to be working with the Ullapool community to understand what’s needed. We know that demand for quality, affordable housing will be high here, and is required to support the local economy – not just for supporting tourism, but diversifying in order to be more resilient. Enabling new businesses to start up, supporting existing ones to grow, and attracting key skills back to the area are all crucial.

“Community-led development is a key part of the solution in rural areas, and can complement other providers. It can be tailored, providing a mix of tenures, a mix of house sizes, and potentially a mix of amenities. This gives the greatest possible flexibility to residents, while also sustaining local businesses and services.”

The survey can be completed online before Monday 28th March at:
https://www.chtrust.co.uk/surveys.

Comments

New tenants of SCT's community-owned homes, pictured Feb 2022. Credit: SCT

THE LIGHTS are now burning brightly in Staffin as six families have moved into their new homes.

The three-bedroom houses are now fully occupied by the new residents of the Taighean a’ Chaiseil development in Stenscholl.

It is the first affordable housing development in the Taobh Sear since 1999 and was led by Staffin Community Trust in response to the falling population and primary school roll and spiralling house prices, which made it difficult for families to compete.

The site, close to the Kilmartin River and a short walking distance from Bun Sgoil Stafainn, was sold by the Stenscholl crofting township and Scottish Ministers to SCT in 2020.

SCT and its partners, the Communities Housing Trust (CHT) and Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association (LSHA), delivered the £1.6 million project which includes a new health centre and business premises.

Around 12 adults and eight children have moved into the new homes. Staffin’s population had reduced by 40 people (6.6 per cent) from 610 residents to 568 people in just four years, prior to SCT starting the project feasibility back in 2014.

SCT director Donald MacDonald said: “It is great to see this project moving towards completion after many years of hard work by the trust. Unfortunately, this project does not address the underlying issues, faced by many young people and families, in relation to spiralling property costs, lack of affordable housing and general investment in rural communities. We are grateful for the help we have received from public agencies and The Scottish Government but there is a need to find easier and more effective ways to help those most in need and allow communities to control to have a stronger say in the process.

New Taighean a’ Chaiseil resident Paul Young said: “We’re happy that the children are in safe walking distance to school. It’s nice that these houses have been built together in Staffin, it's in the perfect location for families, giving the children more independence with being able to walk to school and play with their friends. The houses are very cosy and enjoy an amazing view. We are looking forward to making our house our home.”

Another new resident Karen Hutchison added: “I love the wee community feeling between all the residents. It’s so lovely seeing all the kids popping into each other’s’ houses, outside playing and walking to school together.”

Scottish Government grant funding was crucial with support from the Land Fund enabling the site to be transferred to community ownership, and the Rural and Islands Housing Fund a key contributor to the capital package.

Housing secretary Shona Robison MSP said: “Good quality, affordable housing is essential to help attract and retain people in our remote and rural communities. The Scottish Government provided over £650,000 through our Rural and Islands Housing Fund and mainstream Affordable Housing Supply Programme which made it possible for the community to take on this ambitious project and deliver six affordable homes.

“The Rural and Islands Housing Fund has been described as a ‘game changer’ for community-led housing development, increasing the supply of affordable housing. Taken together with our Affordable Housing Supply Programme, more than 6,000 affordable homes in rural and island communities have been delivered between 2016-17 and 2020/21.”

Skye architects Rural Design worked on the project which was constructed by island firm, James MacQueen Building Contractors Ltd.

​The new community-owned health centre and business premises are due to be tenanted in March and April by NHS Highland and the local aquaculture company, Organic Sea Harvest, respectively.

Site of Taighean a' Chaisheil, Feb 2022. Credit: SCT

Key funders also included LEADER, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the SSE Sustainable Development Fund, the Ecology Building Society, the Quaker Housing Trust and a crowdfunding campaign, plus a guarantor loan from Highland Council.

The homes are a mix of affordable rent, managed by LSHA and SCT, and discounted sale, managed by CHT, where the affordability is protected in perpetuity for the local community through the Rural Housing Burden. People with connections to the area were prioritised as a way to promote the ongoing sustainability of rural communities.

SCT will use the rental income from the properties to manage and maintain the new development. It is hoped to organise a formal opening event in early summer.

Ronnie MacRae, CHT chief executive, said: “CHT are delighted to have been able to support this community-led project from beginning to end, developing the concept of mixed use, mixed partner site including the innovative business plan and helping to acquire the land. Congratulations to SCT who have delivered this mixed development of homes and amenities that will enable a stronger more resilient Staffin and provide a template and confidence for many other similar communities to follow. Key to success was the support of Scottish Government and Highland Council amongst others who recognised the need to provide a range of affordable housing tenures, for flexibility and choice, alongside working with HIE and the NHS to provide essential amenities that will improve social and economic opportunities going forward.”

Dr Audrey Sinclair, LSHA chair said: “I wish to congratulate Staffin Community Trust and all their partners involved in this unique mixed use and tenure development. SCT rose admirably to the many challenges from inception to completion of this project and the housing association is so pleased to have played a part in assisting SCT achieve their vision.”

The new development was designed to complement the landscape with Rural Design’s Alan Dickson mindful of the National Scenic Area designation which blankets Staffin. It includes significant stonework with walls and a gable end feature and the use of timber and traditional slated roofs.

Mr Dickson said: “It’s fantastic to see families moving in. It has been quite a journey for the Staffin Community Trust and their partners to achieve this, and shows what can happen when a group comes together, and doesn’t take no for an answer. We are so pleased to have been able to help and demonstrate that new housing can be part of our areas of outstanding natural beauty. Hopefully this can now encourage other rural communities to do the same.”

Homes at Taighean a' Chaisheil with Trotternish Ridge behind, Jan 2022. Credit: CHT

James MacQueen, of James MacQueen Building Contractors Ltd, said: “We are delighted to have worked on such an important local housing, health and business project in north Skye that supports and encourages community sustainability and growth.

"The first new affordable housing development in Staffin for 23 years, achieved through the dedication of the Staffin Community Trust supported by Communities Housing Trust, Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association and project funders - it demonstrates what can be achieved when we collaborate and work together. We are immensely proud to be involved in delivering the much-needed affordable housing, creating homes for future generations and reinvigorating the local community. We wish the new Taighean a’ Chaiseil residents all the very best in their new homes.”

Comments

Aviemore and the Cairngorms. Credit: CHT

Communities Housing Trust (CHT) is working in partnership with the Cairngorms Business Partnership to identify what housing is required to alleviate the issue of staff accommodation in the area.

We have designed two short surveys, for completion by a range of business owners and their employees. It is crucial that CHT can determine the most appropriate housing mix to meet the needs of the local business community and inform future housing development proposals for the area.

In 2021, the Cairngorm Business Partnership carried out a survey which identified a major challenge for businesses in the vicinity. Many of the businesses stated that they were having difficulty attracting and retaining staff due to a lack of available housing.  

We now need your help to ensure that we identify and deliver the right type of housing that will be able to support the attraction and/or retention of employees in the area. 

The survey results will inform any new housing development proposals, providing a clear business case for offering housing solutions to local businesses and their employees. 

It is vital that we hear from as many businesses and their employees as possible and ask that you contribute to the survey, even if this is not an issue for you currently.

If you have struggled to attract staff in the past, please fill in the survey explaining what type of housing might have made this easier for you.

Take the survey for employers andbusinesses: https://hscht.survey.fm/employer-cbp-survey 

Take the survey for employees: https://hscht.survey.fm/cbp-employee-housing-need-survey

. Please share this short survey as widely as possible amongst your staff.​

Comments

"Mull - Tobermory" by wjmarnoch is licensed under CC BY 2.0

​Mull and Iona Community Trust (MICT) is launching an island-wide survey to inform what accommodation and range of tenures is required for keyworkers, now and into the future.

In partnership with Community Enterprise and the Communities Housing Trust, MICT is undertaking feasibility work to provide homes for keyworkers, with funding from the Scottish Government’s Rural Communities Into Action fund which is administered by Inspiring Scotland.

The survey results will help shape what accommodation should be developed, led by the needs and aspirations of organisations and businesses, and will help ensure the islands thrive into the future. This could be for short term needs (like trades and the hospitality sector) or “stepping stone” accommodation for essential workers such as teachers and health professionals.

MICT is particularly keen to retain and attract younger people, families and those working in the area, to ensure services remain and that people of all ages can live and stay within their communities.

The survey is aimed at public sector organisations and businesses of all kinds who are struggling to find or retain staff because of lack of accommodation.

Helen Macdonald, Housing Project Officer at MICT said: “The lack of accommodation and housing on our islands is a major constraint to our local businesses, and a solving it is key priority for MICT.

“We are grateful to Inspiring Scotland for awarding us funding via the Rural Communities Ideas into Action fund to undertake a detailed feasibility study and options appraisal for the provision of key worker accommodation on Mull and Iona, working with Community Enterprise and Communities Housing Trust.”

Douglas Westwater, CEO of Community Enterprise, said: “A recent visit to Mull confirmed that this is a major issue. What we need now is detail about the scale and nature of the need so we can find a way to address it”.

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working with the Mull and Iona community, drawing on our experience to look outside the box, and provide appropriate solutions through a range of tenures and housing models. Island services and economies can be fragile and we now have an opportunity to address this for the long term, with Scottish government policies on land reform, supporting rural housing and community empowerment.”

The survey can be completed online at: https://www.chtrust.co.uk/surveys or https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/MICT_Key_Housng.

Comments

This is the first in a series of monthly blogs about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, providing well over 1,000 affordable homes.

Amid all the noise about Glasgow’s COP26 and the world’s net zero targets, progressive and creative climate action has been quietly taking place in communities across Scotland.

Scotland has ambitious climate goals. We’ve committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2045 and having 1 million zero-emission homes by 2030. The built environment has widely been acknowledged as a key area for opportunity in meeting these goals, and communities are making great progress through community-led housing.

This isn’t new. Community Land Scotland’s recently commissioned research, Community Landowners and the Climate Emergency, finds that communities are good at climate-friendly regeneration and that environmental sustainability is a key tenet within their activities. The report finds that communities have “an over-riding concern to care for the community and the local environment,” (p.7).

A second report by the Community Land Trust Network of England and Wales finds that community-led housing organisations in the UK routinely meet and exceed local and national carbon reduction requirements.

Why? Because communities focus on their experiences, their needs, and their aspirations for the future. They look long-term. They want to thrive. They prioritise wellbeing. And this all translates into genuine, grassroots commitment to sustainability and environmental protections that we find in so much of their activities.

Both SOSCH and CHT know this to be true. We frequently work with communities who are generating their own power through, for example, hydro schemes, rather than relying on fossil fuels. We work with communities retrofitting abandoned buildings and bringing them back into productive use as low-energy homes. We work with communities using vacant and derelict land to develop diverse and creative combinations of housing, services, and social and green spaces. Providing homes and services within easy reach contributes to the national aim of 20-minute neighbourhoods and reduces travel.
​
These are just a few aspects of a wide picture of how we’re supporting communities in working towards net zero, and indeed carbon negative.

Green design and energy efficiency

Credit: Tom Manley Photography

SOSCH partnered with Nith Valley Leaf Trust to deliver Scotland’s first community-owned passive certified homes at Castle Crescent in Closeburn, Dumfries. The Trust’s commitment to a low-energy design and low-carbon, high-quality homes brought three families into the community in 2020. The building materials, design, technology, and the Trust’s use of a vacant site all contribute to the new-builds green accolades, while also protecting residents from fuel poverty.

A mix of facilities supporting a local circular economy

The GALE Centre, part of CHT’s regeneration of Achtercairn in the centre of Gairloch on the west coast, is run by the Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE). It embodies GALE’s ambitions to provide services and lead sustainable, community-led development in the region.

Credits: Rupert Shanks Photography

Showcasing the first public building in Scotland to be awarded Passivhaus status. The materials include Scottish-grown Douglas fir and larch, and the building has a living roof. Establishing a community shop and café which supports the wider circular economy to the tune of £75,000pa. Growing space at the rear of the building also provides fruit, veg and herbs for the café. Providing a University of Highlands and Islands classroom to local people of all ages, reducing regular travel of hundreds of miles. This classroom has since expanded to larger premises. Creating dedicated office space for GALE which has enabled them to grow, taking on year-round staff, supporting a more stable, local, year-round economy. They now employ 20 people and have 30 volunteers.

Retrofitting disused buildings

Credit: Tom Manley Photography

SOSCH partnered with the Eskdale Foundation to redevelop a former police station in Langholm, Dumfries. It had been vacant and derelict for 15 years until it was transferred to the community and transformed into four affordable homes. The Foundation worked with specialist architects to restore the B-listed building and create a diverse set of family, single-occupant, and accessible homes—complete with original cells and detailing! This project creates quality homes at truly affordable rates. It is a great example of how to recycle existing buildings into low-energy, productive spaces.

Supporting rural trades and ‘green’ construction

Credit: Nigel Rigden Photography

CHT worked with Forestry & Land Scotland (FLS) and the community of Kincraig in the Cairngorms National Park to provide 10 low-carbon affordable homes in order to help keep the local primary school open. Building materials were largely sourced within 30 miles of the site, including trees felled from the site itself. Working with 39 local companies supporting the circular economy. Establishing a skills training scheme for young people in the area. Providing several live/work units, reducing travel for commuting, and providing paths to walk or cycle into the village.

So, the good news is that community-led housing is regenerating places and making important contributions to tackling our climate crisis.

Community-led housing enables a just and inclusive transition to net-zero. It is an empowering, democratic way to involve everyone in reducing climate change without jeopardising the human right to a warm, affordable home.

Let’s widen the national conversation about net zero and the ways to achieve it. Community-led development, based on the everyday experiences of local people and their wishes for the future, is a fair and responsible way to deliver sustainable development that Scotland urgently demands.

Support for community ownership and development means both people and planet thrive long-term.

Comments

CHT Blog

This blog features a variety of CHT’s developments and projects located throughout the central and northern Scotland. It also includes the latest news and updates regarding the Trust.

Archives

September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
June 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
April 2019
December 2018
September 2018
October 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
November 2015
September 2015
July 2015
June 2015
April 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014


Archives

September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
June 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
April 2019
December 2018
September 2018
October 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
November 2015
September 2015
July 2015
June 2015
April 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014



RSS Feed

Categories

All
Acharacle
Achiltibuie
AGM
Alness
Announcements
Applecross
Ardgeal
Assynt
Aviemore
Awards
Balmacara
Balmaha
Boat Of Garten
Cairngorms
Cannich
Climate Crisis
Colonsay
Community Led Housing
Community-led Housing
Community Led Housing In Scotland Blog Series
Community Owned
Community Projects
Conversion
Crofting
Dornoch
Dufftown
Dunkeld
Edderton
EGM
Empty Homes
Enterprise
Events
Funding
Gairloch
Glendale
Grant
Greener Homes
Helmsdale
Highland Council
Highland Self Build Loan Fund
Isle Of Skye
Keyworker Housing
Kilchoan
Lochaber
Lochaber Housing Association
Lochbroom
Lochcarron
Lochinver
Lochyside
Mallaig
Minginish
Mount Blair
Mull & Iona
Partnership
Perthshire
PH8
Policy
Raasay
Regeneration
Renovation
Rented Properties
Rent To Buy
Repopulation
R House
Rothiemurchus
Rural Housing Fund
Scottish Government
Scourie
Self Build
Self Build Loan Fund
Skills Development Programme
Social Housing
Staffin
Strathmashie
Strontian
Sutherland
Tomintoul
Training
Ullapool