Communities Housing Trust

  • Home
    • What We Do
    • Governance
    • Membership Sign Up
  • Community Led Housing
    • What is Community Led Housing? >
      • RouteMap
    • Our Services and Support
    • Case Studies
    • Climate Crisis
  • Housing
    • Current Opportunities
    • Future Opportunities
    • Surveys
    • Rural Housing Burden
  • Self Build
    • Scotland Self Build Loan Fund
    • Self Build Stories
    • Self Build Plots
    • What is Self Build >
      • Finding Land
      • Finance and Fees
      • Case Studies
    • Dr and Mrs J. Steven Faulds Memorial Fund
  • Projects
    • Rent To Buy
    • Strontian Community School
    • Greener Homes
    • Empty Homes
    • Woodland Crofts
    • The Glengarry Model
    • Long Lease
    • Key Worker Housing
    • Skills Development Programme
  • Tenants
    • TENANT INFO
    • Tenant Testimonials
  • News
    • Blog
    • Recruitment
  • Contact
    • Employee List
    • Complaints Procedure
  • Privacy Statement
    • Opt Out Page
    • Subject Access Requests
    • Withdrawal Consent Form
  • Home
    • What We Do
    • Governance
    • Membership Sign Up
  • Community Led Housing
    • What is Community Led Housing? >
      • RouteMap
    • Our Services and Support
    • Case Studies
    • Climate Crisis
  • Housing
    • Current Opportunities
    • Future Opportunities
    • Surveys
    • Rural Housing Burden
  • Self Build
    • Scotland Self Build Loan Fund
    • Self Build Stories
    • Self Build Plots
    • What is Self Build >
      • Finding Land
      • Finance and Fees
      • Case Studies
    • Dr and Mrs J. Steven Faulds Memorial Fund
  • Projects
    • Rent To Buy
    • Strontian Community School
    • Greener Homes
    • Empty Homes
    • Woodland Crofts
    • The Glengarry Model
    • Long Lease
    • Key Worker Housing
    • Skills Development Programme
  • Tenants
    • TENANT INFO
    • Tenant Testimonials
  • News
    • Blog
    • Recruitment
  • Contact
    • Employee List
    • Complaints Procedure
  • Privacy Statement
    • Opt Out Page
    • Subject Access Requests
    • Withdrawal Consent Form

Innovative Rothiemurchus housing development shortlisted for national award

9/9/2021

Comments

 
Picture
​The Old Sawmill development at Rothiemurchus near Aviemore has been selected as a finalist in the Rural Housing category of the Scottish Land & Estates Helping It Happen Awards.

The development is a collaboration between members of the local community, the Rothiemurchus Estate, and the Communities Housing Trust.

It 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.

Aviemore is a highly desirable area, with challenges of land availability and planning, limited available housing stock, and even less affordable housing.

​With an urgent need for new and fair middle-market opportunities and solutions, several local families formed a co-operative and approached Johnnie Grant of Rothiemurchus to tackle the issue, with the Communities Housing Trust brokering the unique cross-subsidy model to provide the plots. 
The high-quality family homes use local and sustainable materials where possible, and embody the Rothiemurchus vernacular with larch cladding and tin roofing. The homes, each built to individual specifications, are highly energy-efficient and air-tight for environmental reasons and to reduce running costs, another aspect of affordable homes, with air-source heat pumps. There is also a 12-year tree-planting plan on the site.

The Old Sawmill development is the first project to benefit from the Dr & Mrs Steven Faulds Memorial Fund, which is dedicated to buying land, servicing plots and facilitating self-builds, and is administered by the Communities Housing Trust.

Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “We’re extremely grateful that this ‘no public subsidy’ model has been recognised by Scottish Land & Estates - it’s a win-win collaboration on estate land to secure affordable housing using self-build, within the Cairngorms National Park. We’ve supported four local families to build their own homes and remain in the area – which may not otherwise have been possible – while meeting the objectives of the Local Authority and Scottish Government, and we are very hopeful this development can be replicated in other areas where there are few affordable properties to rent or buy.”

Johnnie Grant of Rothiemurchus, said: “It took nearly ten years of investment and the determination of the members of the Old Sawmill co-operative and the Communities Housing Trust to make this happen – thank you to them. I have always wanted people to have a fair opportunity to bring up their families in the place they call home; I hope that selection for the final will provide the confidence and support for this solution to be repeated both here and elsewhere.”

Lesley McKenna, co-operative member and Old Sawmill resident, said: “We’re really aware how difficult it is as a local person working in this area to find a house and especially to build your own house, but we know it’s possible now. It wasn’t easy and it took a while! But it has worked, and it’s our wish that going through this unwieldy planning process can, and should, make it easier for local residents undertaking such ventures in the future.”

The winners of the Scottish Land & Estates Helping It Happen Awards will be announced in an online ceremony on 27 October 2021.
Comments

    CHT Blog

    This blog features a variety of CHT’s developments and projects located throughout the central and northern Scotland. It also includes the latest news and updates regarding the Trust.

    Archives

    April 2025
    February 2025
    November 2024
    September 2023
    August 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    April 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    Archives

    April 2025
    February 2025
    November 2024
    September 2023
    August 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    June 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    April 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    October 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    November 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    April 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Acharacle
    Achiltibuie
    AGM
    Alness
    Announcements
    Applecross
    Ardgeal
    Arisaig
    Assynt
    Aviemore
    Awards
    Balmacara
    Balmaha
    Boat Of Garten
    Cairngorms
    Call For Sites
    Cannich
    Climate Crisis
    Colonsay
    Community Led Housing
    Community-led Housing
    Community Led Housing In Scotland Blog Series
    Community Owned
    Community Projects
    Conversion
    Crofting
    Dornoch
    Dufftown
    Dunkeld
    Edderton
    EGM
    Empty Homes
    Enterprise
    Events
    Funding
    Gairloch
    Glendale
    Glengarry
    Grant
    Greener Homes
    Helmsdale
    Highland Council
    Highland Self Build Loan Fund
    Isle Of Skye
    Keyworker Housing
    Kilbeg
    Kilchoan
    Knoydart
    Land Reform
    Lochaber
    Lochaber Housing Association
    Lochbroom
    Lochcarron
    Lochinver
    Lochyside
    Mallaig
    Minginish
    Mount Blair
    Mull & Iona
    Partnership
    Perthshire
    PH8
    Policy
    Raasay
    Regeneration
    Renovation
    Rented Properties
    Rent To Buy
    Repopulation
    R House
    Rothiemurchus
    Rural Housing Fund
    Scottish Government
    Scourie
    Self Build
    Self Build Loan Fund
    Skills Development Programme
    Social Housing
    Staffin
    Stratherrick & Foyers
    Strathmashie
    Strontian
    Sutherland
    Tomintoul
    Training
    Ullapool
    Woodland Crofts

Work & Services

News
Housing Opportunities​
Community Led Housing
Self Build Loan Fund

Company

What We Do
Board and Advisors
Articles of Association

Support

Contact
Employee List
Tenant Repairs 
Communities Housing Trust Logo