This blog is part of a monthly series about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, facilitating well over 1,000 affordable homes.
 
Scotland’s involvement in European events and networks like the International Social Housing Festival, Sustainable Housing for Inclusive and Cohesive Cities (SHICC), and the European Community Land Trust Network sparks innovation and forges cross-cultural connection.

​Collaborating on research and testing pilot initiatives together pools limited resource.

More importantly, it helps us keep our ideas sharp so that we give the best tried and tested support to communities here in Scotland. Recognition of Scottish projects on the European stage also reminds us that our communities inspire others beyond our borders and connect us with policy, practice, and people elsewhere. Community is at the heart of our work in more ways than one.

​Scottish community-led housing received international attention in June as the regeneration of Achtercairn in Gairloch on the coast of Wester Ross won at the European Responsible Housing Awards in Finland.

The awards are held annually as part of the International Social Housing Festival, organised by Housing Europe, a network of 43,000 housing providers across 25 countries, to showcase outstanding examples from affordable housing providers from the continent.

The project in Gairloch won the ‘More Than A Roof’ category, recognising it as a development where impacts go beyond ‘just’ homes and where equal opportunities for the community are supported.

This is deserving recognition for a small rural community who were keen to tackle the difficulties of depopulation, declining services, and lack of affordable homes and business premises that are affecting communities across the region. Rural communities pay more for less housing, which is less secure, even as they earn less than urban areas, and the cost of living is higher[1] – which makes this project a model for change.

With European countries recognising the model and all we’ve jointly been able to achieve in Scotland by working with communities who lack the capacity themselves, it was therefore disappointing to see such little recognition on home turf: in the media, by authorities, and by policymakers. How loud must communities shout?

The Communities Housing Trust facilitated the regeneration, together with around 50 partner organisations and input from local residents.
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Together they transformed the derelict brownfield site into a thriving new geographic centre for the village.

Achtercairn now includes 25 affordable homes (five affordable housing tenures, with three different providers); Gairloch Farm Shop, which also houses the local vet; Air Training Corps facility; and the GALE Centre which is Scotland’s first public building to be awarded Passivhaus status. The Centre includes a Tourist Information Hub, a community-run shop and café, an outlet to support the wider region, community rooms to rent, and veg-growing and composting area for the café. A University of the Highlands and Islands classroom which enables people of all ages to access learning opportunities has moved to larger premises.

​​Importantly for the long term, the homes are secure, provided by the local authority (Highland Council), a housing association (Albyn Housing Society), and the Communities Housing Trust. They are also highly energy efficient to help reduce living costs. The Rural Housing Burden is applied to the homes for sale which protects affordability and use for the local community in perpetuity.

​The awards’ focus on ‘responsible’ housing looks for projects that show co-creation and involvement of partners; innovation; and true sustainable development, both for climate and community. This echoes the Communities Housing Trust’s and SOSCH’s practical work in community-led development as an excellent way to provide housing which creates truly affordable, decent homes for many generations to come.

The clear advantage of community-led development is that it allows residents to think and act broadly and holistically about their needs: How can we reduce bills? Are there any spaces for community groups to meet? Is there a key service lacking locally? How can businesses grow, or set up? Are all ages catered for? What happens when children wish to leave home and work locally? How can tackling climate change be integrated? 

Because of the broad approach and long-term view, community-led developments give more bang per buck.[2] But it’s about so much more than just the money. When primary school rolls rise, a diverse range of businesses can pop up, and local residents are guaranteed secure homes forever, it helps to reverse a trend of outward migration and struggling rural areas. Residents can put down roots and thrive as vibrant communities into the future.

Achtercairn is one of many projects that shows what’s possible for rural communities in Scotland, as well as elsewhere in the UK – and Europe.

​The Communities Housing Trust’s recent award continues a trend of Scottish involvement in the European community-led housing scene. In 2020, SOSCH were invited to become the formal Scottish partner in a North-West European Interreg knowledge exchange programme between seven countries. ‘Sustainable Housing for Inclusive and Cohesive Cities’ (SHICC) tackled rising house prices and unsuitable living conditions in urban areas. SOSCH’s involvement was catalysed by  its support to the ground-breaking Midsteeple Quarter project in Dumfries Town Centre.

Midsteeple Quarter now have five buildings in community ownership and continue to pioneer community-led regeneration of a High Street in decline—a challenge that many urban areas around the continent face in the wake of Covid. Midsteeple Quarter also partnered with SHICC member Community Land Trust Brussels (CLTB) to test new governance tools within the Generative Commons Living Lab Horizon 2020 project, emphasising the lasting links of collaboration.

Although the programme formally ended in 2021, SOSCH are now founding members of the European Community Land Trust Network (ECLTN). The next phase of this important information exchange includes learning from best practice in delivery models, innovative net zero and economic modelling, but also sharing some of the excellent work being delivered in community-led housing here in Scotland. SOSCH’s involvement in the creation of the ECTLN means the Scottish community-led housing network will support the development of new CLH organisations and projects beyond our borders.

The new ECLTN brings community land trusts and community-led housing enablers from SHICC together with design agencies, social entrepreneurs, and researchers to develop a comprehensive response to the dual housing and climate crises. This initial stage of network development (January-June 2022) is funded by €100,000 from the Laudes Foundation. SOSCH returned to Amsterdam last week for a second series of workshops designed to kickstart the network.

SOSCH, along with our European CLT Network partners, are also jointly submitting proposals to Interreg and Horizon Europe programmes to grow the important work we have begun together. These programmes intend to test the effectiveness of community-led housing initiatives as circular developers, studying the community-led housing sector’s unique ability to deliver on social and environmental objectives in tandem for a truly just transition.
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Scottish participation in international learning exchange networks has been valuable for our enabling work. Community-led housing takes different forms and responds to various local challenges, but cross-border collaboration indicates it is consistently impactful as a place-making approach to combat speculative markets and unaffordable homes. This will become only more important as Scotland experiences a cost-of-living crisis—another reminder that we operate within a broad European context.  We believe Scottish participation in collaborative learning projects such as the European Network for Community Land Trusts should be encouraged and supported by the Scottish Government.

We are asking the Scottish Government to firmly support community-led housing, and community-led facilitators, by giving them a central position within affordable housing and place-making policy and funding streams. The important contributions of the community-led housing sector are being recognised beyond our borders in our neighbouring European countries, many of whom have progressive and well-established policy support.

SOSCH and CHT are asking for full recognition of the community-led model and related support - particularly for small communities who lack the capacity to undertake projects themselves -  here at home.

You can read more about CHT's award on the European Responsible Housing website, and more about the project here on CHT's own website. 
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You can read more about SOSCH’s participation in the SHICC project and European CLT Network in a recent blog.

References

​[1] See Registers of Scotland Property Market Report 2021 p47 https://www.ros.gov.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0019/189001/Property-Market-Report-2020-21.pdf; the Scottish Government’s Poverty In Rural Scotland Evidence Review 2021: https://www.gov.scot/publications/poverty-rural-scotland-review-evidence/pages/5/ and https://www.gov.scot/publications/poverty-rural-scotland-review-evidence/pages/6/

[2] See e.g. Capital Economics’ report (2020) ‘Housing by the community, for the community’ https://www.communitylandtrusts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/999-final-report-capital-economics-housing-by-the-community-for-the-community-sept-2020-2.pdf and Community Land Scotland’s report (2020) ‘Home Delivery: Community Led Housing in rural Scotland’ https://www.communitylandscotland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Home-delivery_Community-led-rural-housing.pdf

Winners will be announced at the end of May.

It's great to see a project from the Highlands make it to the shortlist, and be able to showcase what partnership working and rural communities are capable of. Community-led development is the way forward!

More info: https://myplacescotland.org.uk/my-place-awards-2022/

This is the first in a series of monthly blogs about community-led housing in Scotland, jointly written by Mike Staples, Chief Executive at South of Scotland Community Housing (SOSCH), and Ronnie MacRae, Chief Executive at Communities Housing Trust (CHT). Between us we’ve worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland, providing well over 1,000 affordable homes.

Amid all the noise about Glasgow’s COP26 and the world’s net zero targets, progressive and creative climate action has been quietly taking place in communities across Scotland.

Scotland has ambitious climate goals. We’ve committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2045 and having 1 million zero-emission homes by 2030. The built environment has widely been acknowledged as a key area for opportunity in meeting these goals, and communities are making great progress through community-led housing.

This isn’t new. Community Land Scotland’s recently commissioned research, Community Landowners and the Climate Emergency, finds that communities are good at climate-friendly regeneration and that environmental sustainability is a key tenet within their activities. The report finds that communities have “an over-riding concern to care for the community and the local environment,” (p.7).

A second report by the Community Land Trust Network of England and Wales finds that community-led housing organisations in the UK routinely meet and exceed local and national carbon reduction requirements.

Why? Because communities focus on their experiences, their needs, and their aspirations for the future. They look long-term. They want to thrive. They prioritise wellbeing. And this all translates into genuine, grassroots commitment to sustainability and environmental protections that we find in so much of their activities.

Both SOSCH and CHT know this to be true. We frequently work with communities who are generating their own power through, for example, hydro schemes, rather than relying on fossil fuels. We work with communities retrofitting abandoned buildings and bringing them back into productive use as low-energy homes. We work with communities using vacant and derelict land to develop diverse and creative combinations of housing, services, and social and green spaces. Providing homes and services within easy reach contributes to the national aim of 20-minute neighbourhoods and reduces travel.
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These are just a few aspects of a wide picture of how we’re supporting communities in working towards net zero, and indeed carbon negative.

Affordable housing developments in Aviemore and Gairloch won awards at the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH) Scotland Housing Awards last night in Glasgow.

The developments were both led by the needs of the local communities, and undertaken by the Communities Housing Trust (CHT).

Held annually by CIH, the awards recognise and celebrate the creativity, passion, and innovation of housing organisations and individuals across the sector in Scotland.  

The Achtercairn site in Gairloch won the ‘Excellence in Regeneration’ award. The community-led project was undertaken by CHT in collaboration with many local and regional partners, and completed in 2020 during lockdown. It includes a mix of affordable housing, new shops and commercial space, and the GALE Centre which is Scotland’s first public building to be awarded Passivhaus status.

It is an example of a climate-friendly ‘20-Minute Neighbourhood’, where key services and amenities are a 20-minute walk, cycle or drive from home. It supports the local circular economy and wider area, while reducing the need to travel.
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The regeneration project has given the village a bustling new centre, while addressing some of the inequalities faced by rural communities, such as access to affordable housing, education opportunities, and shops and services. 

CHT were also awarded ‘Excellence in Housing Innovation’ for the Old Sawmill development at Rothiemurchus near Aviemore, in partnership with members of the local community and the Rothiemurchus Estate.

It provided a total of six self-build homes: four affordable plots for the local community that required no public subsidy, and two open-market plots, within the Cairngorms National Park.

The affordable self-build homes all have the Rural Housing Burden attached, a legal title condition which protects the property’s affordability in perpetuity and prioritises the local community in future sales, helping prevent holiday- and second-home ownership.

Details on both developments now feature in the CIH Scotland Good Practice Compendium 2021. 

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “It’s brilliant to have two of our community-led projects in the Highlands recognised in this way, we’re extremely grateful to CIH for the two awards. It also shows what can be achieved through working collaboratively, and we’re glad to be able to show what’s possible for other rural communities in Scotland, as well as elsewhere in the UK. We’ve housed local families and keyworkers in energy-efficient, affordable homes built with sustainable materials. Both developments reduce rural inequalities and the need to travel, and support and promote the local circular economy, while meeting the objectives of the Local Authority and Scottish Government. Thank you and well done to our many partners, and thank you to our funder Nationwide Foundation for supporting community-led development in Scotland.”

Janet Miles, the managing director of Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE), said: “Everyone at GALE is delighted that Gairloch has been recognised for its achievements in regeneration. We're very proud of the part GALE has played in this, having been driving community-led regeneration in the area for over 20 years now. Our vision was to create a community-owned, social and economic hub in the derelict centre of the village - a physical heart to the community. The development has enabled us to turn this vision into a reality.”

Commenting on the awards, Callum Chomczuk, CIH Scotland director, said: “I am so pleased we have been able to return to our in-person Scotland Housing Awards for 2021. The Awards and accompanying Good Practice Compendium is one of the most important activities for CIH Scotland undertakes each year.

“It promotes and highlights how housing professionals make a difference across Scotland and impact the wider public policy objectives that make a difference to all our lives. Never has this been more important as navigate our way through the twin challenges of an unprecedented global pandemic and climate emergency.
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“My congratulations to all our winners but also all our nominees. The standard of application was as ever incredibly high and a testament to the innovation and delivery that our profession should be proud of.”

The regeneration of the Achtercairn site in Gairloch, north west Highlands, has won ‘Best Regeneration Project – Rural & Suburban’ at the Inside Housing Development Awards in London yesterday.

The awards celebrate the very best residential developments across the UK, and recognise innovation in striving for more sustainable and net zero solutions.

The regeneration of Achtercairn, led by the needs of the community and undertaken by the Communities Housing Trust (CHT), was completed in 2020 during lockdown. It includes a mix of affordable housing, new shops and commercial space, and the GALE Centre which is Scotland’s first public building to be awarded Passivhaus status.

​The development is an example of a climate-friendly ‘20-Minute Neighbourhood’, where key services and amenities are a 20-minute walk, cycle or drive from home. It supports the local circular economy and wider area, while reducing the need to travel. 

The regeneration project has given the village a bustling new centre, while addressing some of the inequalities faced by rural communities, such as access to affordable housing, education opportunities, and shops and services.

The project was made possible with support from the Scottish Government through funding and flexible policies that are empowering many more communities to follow Gairloch’s example. The Highland Council’s support for a wide range of affordable housing tenures that provide choice to communities and those in housing need was also crucial. Other key partners include Albyn Housing Society, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Gairloch Estate, the Ministry Of Defence, the Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE), and many others within the community.

A former brownfield site in the centre of Gairloch with a derelict hotel, Achtercairn was an eyesore for the village which is on the North Coast 500 route popular with tourists. In addition, the number of pupils in the primary school was dropping as families struggled to find suitable accommodation locally.

Working closely with the Gairloch community, CHT acquired several pieces of land and brought together many partners to provide 25 affordable homes of five different tenures with three housing providers; the GALE Centre with offices, Tourist Information Hub, community shop and café, and classroom for learning of all ages. The GALE Centre receives over 40,000 visitors per year and supports 100 people locally by selling their crafts and produce. Also on site is the Gairloch Farm Shop, vet clinic, and a new Air Training Corps facility providing skills and education opportunities.

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “It’s great to be recognised for this community-led development, showing a 20-Minute Neighbourhood in practice, particularly during the week of COP26. The development has provided a new village centre with a low-energy Passivhaus as the focal point, as well as housing local families and keyworkers in energy-efficient homes built with sustainable materials. It’s reducing rural inequalities and need to travel, and is supporting and promoting the local circular economy.

“All of these factors work towards addressing the climate crisis, and we’re glad to be able to show what’s possible for other rural communities in Scotland, as well as elsewhere in the UK. We’d like to congratulate all other finalists in the category, and thank IHDA for the award. Finally, a thank you to our funder the Nationwide Foundation for enabling us to spread this work nationally, and to all our partners in Gairloch who worked tirelessly to make this a reality, for the future of their village.”

Janet Miles, the managing director of Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE), said: “Everyone at GALE is delighted that Gairloch has received this award and been recognised for its achievements in regeneration. We're very proud of the part GALE has played in this, having been driving community-led regeneration in the area for over 20 years now. Our vision was to create a community-owned, social and economic hub in the derelict centre of the village - a physical heart to the community. The development has enabled us to turn this vision into a reality.”

Wendy Watson, owner of Gairloch Farm Shop, said: “The school roll is now a bit higher, we have more people in our local school. The numbers were declining.

​“Having this little area that’s now been developed, it stops people going straight out the village… ultimately the housing and everything else that’s here, I would say the difference is phenomenal to our village.”

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> Read more about how the development is helping to address the climate crisis

> Read more about the Achtercairn project

On 23 September 2021, we welcomed around 60 people to our virtual AGM and event on "20 years of 20-Minute Neighbourhoods in Scotland: circular economies in rural areas."

We explored the environmental and socio-economic benefits of the 20-Minute Neighbourhood concept, and what that looks like in practice, in rural Scotland. We shared a few of our developments, to help inspire other communities, looking particularly at developing rural circular economies. 

The video recording of the event is above. 

Speakers (in order of appearance):

Stefanie O'Gorman, Director of Sustainable Economics, Ramboll UK
An introduction to 20-Minute Neighbourhoods

Ronnie Macrae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust
CHT's approach to 20-Minute Neighbourhoods & examples in action

Janet Miles, managing director of Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE)
GALE Centre case study, Gairloch

Hamish Trench, Chief Executive of the Scottish Land Commission 
Scotland context: role of land and land reform in supporting 20-Minute Neighbourhoods

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For more detail of CHT projects showing the 20-Minute Neighbourhood concept in action, see our Community-Led Case Studies, and Community Projects.

Communities Housing Trust is delighted that two of our developments have been shortlisted in the Chartered Institute of Housing (CIH)'s Scotland Housing Awards 2021. 

Our collaborative development with Rothiemurchus and members of the Aviemore community has been shortlisted ​in the Excellence in Housing Innovation category.

The Old Sawmill development provided a total of six self-build homes on Rothiemurchus land: four affordable plots for the local community that required no public subsidy, and two open-market plots, within the Cairngorms National Park.

The affordable self-build homes all have the Rural Housing Burden attached, a legal title condition which protects the property’s affordability in perpetuity and prioritises the local community in future sales, helping prevent holiday- and second-home ownership.

The community-led development at Achtercairn in Gairloch has been shortlisted ​In the Excellence in Regeneration category.

This large-scale development to regenerate a derelict brownfield site in the centre of the village provided 25 affordable homes of mixed tenures; the GALE Centre tourist information hub, community shop & cafe (Scotland's first public building to be awarded Passivhaus status); farm shop; Air Training Corps facility; and further sites for development. We worked closely with the local community and a broad range of partners including Albyn Housing Association, Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE), HIE, Highland Council, and University of the Highlands & Islands. 

​The winners of the CIH Scotland Housing Awards will be announced in a ceremony in Glasgow on 25 November 2021. Congratulations to all other finalists and a range of projects! 

Thursday 23 September 2021, 11am (online, virtual)

This year for our AGM we're delving into the environmental and socio-economic benefits of the 20-Minute Neighbourhood concept, and what that looks like in practice, in rural Scotland. We'll be sharing a few of our developments, to help inspire other communities, looking particularly at developing rural circular economies. 

We are extremely pleased to welcome our guest speakers:

• Stefanie O'Gorman, Director of Sustainable Economics, Ramboll UK
• Janet Miles, managing director of Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE)
• Hamish Trench, Chief Executive of the Scottish Land Commission 

​The AGM is free and open to all, including non members. Community groups and development trusts are especially welcome. Please register to attend with the form below. 

20 Years of 20-Minute Neighbourhoods in Scotland: 
Circular economies in rural areas
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11am         AGM
11.15am   20-Minute Neighbourhood introduction: Stefanie O'Gorman, Ramboll UK
11.25am   CHT approach and examples to 20-Minute Neighbourhoods
11.35am   Gairloch case study: Janet Miles, MD of Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE)
11.45am   Keynote: Hamish Trench, Scottish Land Commission 
11.55am   Discussion: Q&A with audience (20-30mins)
​12.15pm-ish   Event end