Scottish Government home buyer schemes not fit for purpose in remote rural and island Scotland

National home ownership support schemes often fail to meet their full potential in rural and island areas as they do not recognise that the circumstances surrounding housing are different to those in urban areas. Open Market Shared Equity (OMSE) is one such scheme. It helps eligible buyers, on low to moderate incomes, buy a homecontinue reading

Why working to tackle the rural housing crisis matters to me: Interview with Kirsty Glover

Our newest team member and recent graduate, Kirsty Glover, tells us about her passion for rural issues which led to her dissertation comparing rural depopulation in northern Spain and the Scottish Highlands. As a resident of Applecross, Kirsty also shares her thoughts on what better rural housing would mean to communities like hers and explorescontinue reading

Plans submitted for new community-led homes in Cairngorms National Park

A planning application has been submitted for 15 new affordable homes in the village of Braemar, Aberdeenshire.  The proposal has been developed as a result of extensive community consultation and assessment of local housing need and includes 1-bed, 2-bed and 3-bed homes as well as wheelchair accessible flats. The application was made following a publiccontinue reading

Rural Housing Summit Announced for 2021

A new online summit, bringing together individuals, organisations and businesses working to tackle the rural housing crisis across the UK and beyond, has been announced for 2021. The Rural Housing Summit will use examples of on-the-ground work, policy and practical support for sustainable housing development in rural areas across the globe to showcase good practice,continue reading

Attention to local needs at the heart of social housing success

Calum Macaulay worked in housing associations and co-operatives for 37 years, latterly as Housing Manager and then Chief Executive for the largest housing association in the Highlands – Albyn Housing. He was also one of the founders of what is now Highland Homeless Trust and of TIGHRA – a tenant participation organisation for the Highlands, Islandscontinue reading

Fuel Poverty and Rural Homes

Marjan van de Weg is the senior data consultant with Changeworks, Scotland’s leading environmental charity delivering solutions for low carbon living. She recently worked with Citizens Advice Scotland on the ’Mind the Fuel Poverty Gap’ report, which explored how the eligibility for the Warm Home Discount scheme fits with the Scottish Government’s recently amended fuelcontinue reading