Support for crofters to improve housing

More than a million pounds has been awarded this year to support crofters to get better housing.

The Scottish Government's Croft House Grant Scheme provides grants for crofters to improve and maintain the standards of crofter housing, with the aim of attracting and retaining people within the crofting areas of Scotland.

Funding may be used for:

• major repairs
• internal improvements
• rebuilding work

​In the latest funding round of Croft House Grant awards, 11 crofters will share over £363,000, bringing the total awarded in 2018 to over £1 million. Since 2007 over £18 million of grant payments have been awarded to more than 900 crofters to upgrade housing or build new homes.

Announcing the latest funding, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said:

"Good quality housing is essential for crofters and their families as it helps to attract more people to come or to stay in some of our most remote and rural communities. This latest award means we have now approved more than £1 million to crofters this year alone, to enable them to upgrade or build new properties, helping them to fulfil their duty to live on or close to their croft.

"The future sustainability of some of our most remote and rural areas depends on our ability to attract and retain people, particularly young families, and the Croft House Grant has proved successful in doing just that."

Visit the Rural Payments and Services website to find out more about the Croft House Grant Scheme.