Savills |

aspects of land

| spring / summer 2017

SCOTLAND

he shortage of housing in rural Scotland is

a generations-old problem and a significant

concern to private and community landowners.

“A lack of affordable housing can have a crippling effect

on rural economies causing hidden homelessness and

exacerbating depopulation,” explains Debbie Mackay of

Savills Rural Planning.

However, a number of initiatives in 2016 are helping

to oil the wheels of change. One of the most significant

is the launch of the Rural Housing Fund (RHF), which

provides grants and loans to help build affordable homes.

The RHF is seen as a real game-changer and

is something that has long been lobbied for by

organisations such as Rural Housing Scotland (RHS)

and Scottish Land and Estates. Over three years (2016

to 2019) it will allocate a pot of £25 million for rural

housing.There is also a newly established Islands

Housing Fund with a pot of £5 million for development

on remote Scottish islands.

The scale of the need for more housing in rural

Scotland is considerable. In June 2015, there were

150,500 households on waiting lists for social housing

and more than 60,000 households were classed as

overcrowded. Until 2013, the population of rural

Scotland was growing faster than the rest of the country

and the average property price is higher.

Compounding these problems are the facts that,

compared to urban areas, rural Scotland has fewer

flats and more bungalows, more empty properties,

and a higher prevalence of second-home ownership.

Landowners tend to play a more significant role in

providing local housing for rent and high levels of part-

time working mean mortgages are very difficult to obtain.

In response, the Scottish government has committed

to a target of 50,000 affordable homes over the next

10 years in rural Scotland and the RHF hopes to help

contribute 500 homes to that target. However, funding

is not the only obstacle.

“One of the biggest challenges facing rural house

building is actually the planning policy,” explains

Debbie who is also a board member of RHS. “We have

variable planning policies across rural areas in Scotland,

which can make it very challenging to build anything.

In addition, the planning system has suffered from an

urban-centric approach for generations.This has resulted

in it being overly protectionist to rural areas, to the

detriment of development that could be the life-blood

for rural communities.

“Getting the infrastructure in place – access, sewage

and IT – is also very expensive,” she adds. “The high

standards of lighting and access demanded by planning

and transportation authorities can be inappropriate

and more complex than is strictly necessary. We believe

there’s a need for planning and transport officers to

HOME ON

THE LAND

The amount of housing in rural Scotland

falls far short of demand, but is that set

to change with more community housing

projects and last year’s announcements

of new government funding?

“WHEN HOUSES

ARE BUILT AND

WE GET TO

SEE FAMILIES

MOVE OUT OF

POOR QUALITY

HOUSING OR

EVEN CARAVANS,

IT IS VERY

SATISFYING TO

KNOW THAT WE

HAVE HELPED”