Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan

A new Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan will support the Scottish Government’s commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable homes by 2032, with 10% in rural and island areas.

Housing plays an important role in sustaining rural communities and supporting them to thrive. Housing of the right type in the right place to meet identified local needs, can have a powerful and generational impact, supporting people to access the homes they need, enabling young people to stay in the communities in which they grew up and supporting local businesses and services to retain and attract employees.

The plan, published today, brings together the public and private sector working with local communities to deliver more homes where they are needed and help drive sustainable economic growth.

Commitments include:

• supporting affordable and community-led housing delivery
• bringing more empty homes back into use
• providing more homes for key workers
• commissioning research on affordable home ownership in rural and island areas
• addressing challenges with construction supply chains, skills and capacity

Housing Minister Paul McLennan said:

“The Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan includes a range of commitments which will be taken forward with public and private sector partners to deliver the right homes in the right places, generate sustainable local economic growth and help rural and island communities to thrive.

“This plan supports Scotland’s long term housing strategy Housing to 2040 and will help bolster the commitment to deliver 110,000 affordable homes up to 2032, of which 70% will be for social rent and 10% in rural and island areas. It has been informed by extensive engagement with a wide range of organisations representing rural and island housing interests. 

“Despite the challenges we face due to Brexit and high inflation, this plan demonstrates our continued commitment to supporting families, communities and businesses, and to unleashing the full economic potential of our rural and island areas.”

Background

Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan

The plan recognises that Community-Led Housing plays an important role in our broad approach to deliver more affordable homes in rural and island areas.

The Scottish Government recently announced package of financial support, co-funded with Nationwide Foundation, of up to £960,000 over the period 2023-24 - 2025-26 to support the staff capacity and expertise across Communities Housing Trust and South of Scotland Community Housing to take forward affordable housing projects.