In 2017 Rural Housing Scotland undertook research looking at the level of Scottish Government investment being made to build affordable rural housing (read the full report). These are the key findings:
- Rural Scotland is home to 17.29% of the population but received just 6.16% of Scottish Government investment in 2015/16.
- Rural areas have received a third of the level of investment their population merits since 2012/13.
- Most house completions classified as “rural” by the Scottish Government are in fact built in small towns or other urban areas.
- In 2016/17 just 28% of “rural completions” were built in communities of less than 3000 people – the official Scottish Government definition of rural.
- 72% of homes built with Scottish Government funding and reported as being “rural” were built in small towns and urban areas.
- 52 more “rural” homes were built urban areas like Inverness, Dumfries and Ayr than in actual rural communities – 351 in towns and cities compared with 299 in settlements of less than 3000 people
- The number of affordable homes built with Scottish Government grant investment in rural communities fell from 715 in 2010/11 to 299 in 2016/17.
- In remote rural areas the number of affordable homes built has fallen from 418 in 2010/11 to 158 in 2016/17.
- Accessible rural areas in particular are losing out with only 141 affordable homes built in these communities which are home to 11% of the population.