How community-led developments in rural Scotland are addressing the climate crisis
The Communities Housing Trust has now been working with communities across central and northern Scotland for over 20 years, providing affordable homes, amenities, infrastructure, and addressing social inequalities.
Over the years we've worked on some fantastic developments which echo Scotland's ambition to be net zero as a country by 2045.
The Scottish Government has announced its support for the idea of 20-Minute Neighbourhoods, enabling people to live better, healthier lives while meeting net zero ambitions. Our community-led projects demonstrate this idea in practice, helping address the climate emergency while repopulating and regenerating rural areas. All are based on the needs of communities, and combine extensive partnership working with innovative thinking.
Here we highlight just a few of our community-led projects which have addressed the climate emergency, in different ways, to share what's been done practically, to inspire others, and to raise confidence that solutions do exist.
These projects demonstrate that it's not 'just' about what is used to construct a home, or the carbon miles involved - but also how far a family may have to travel to school, to a shop, and what produce that shop stocks. Providing amenities such as this may also be crucially important - particularly in more rural or remote communities - and has huge positive knock-on environmental impacts.
Underlying all this is one of the most key aspects for addressing the climate crisis, and working towards a just transition: that of increasing communities' ability to have a say in and help create their own future. This is what community-led is all about. Expanding democratic processes so that the people within a place are brought into the planning and development process is fundamental to shifting power dynamics and relations to land and land use. This may be done through community ownership - but doesn't have to be. We have supported many, many communities to transfer land or other assets into community ownership, through the Scottish Land Fund. But that's just the beginning: with that land, we then work with communities to develop it according to their needs.
We believe we have some good models for rural housing and community development (tried and tested), suitable for meeting current and future climate needs, and we are continuing to listen to and work with communities to test new solutions.
The Communities Housing Trust has now been working with communities across central and northern Scotland for over 20 years, providing affordable homes, amenities, infrastructure, and addressing social inequalities.
Over the years we've worked on some fantastic developments which echo Scotland's ambition to be net zero as a country by 2045.
The Scottish Government has announced its support for the idea of 20-Minute Neighbourhoods, enabling people to live better, healthier lives while meeting net zero ambitions. Our community-led projects demonstrate this idea in practice, helping address the climate emergency while repopulating and regenerating rural areas. All are based on the needs of communities, and combine extensive partnership working with innovative thinking.
Here we highlight just a few of our community-led projects which have addressed the climate emergency, in different ways, to share what's been done practically, to inspire others, and to raise confidence that solutions do exist.
These projects demonstrate that it's not 'just' about what is used to construct a home, or the carbon miles involved - but also how far a family may have to travel to school, to a shop, and what produce that shop stocks. Providing amenities such as this may also be crucially important - particularly in more rural or remote communities - and has huge positive knock-on environmental impacts.
Underlying all this is one of the most key aspects for addressing the climate crisis, and working towards a just transition: that of increasing communities' ability to have a say in and help create their own future. This is what community-led is all about. Expanding democratic processes so that the people within a place are brought into the planning and development process is fundamental to shifting power dynamics and relations to land and land use. This may be done through community ownership - but doesn't have to be. We have supported many, many communities to transfer land or other assets into community ownership, through the Scottish Land Fund. But that's just the beginning: with that land, we then work with communities to develop it according to their needs.
We believe we have some good models for rural housing and community development (tried and tested), suitable for meeting current and future climate needs, and we are continuing to listen to and work with communities to test new solutions.
Gairloch
Image credit: Rupert Shanks Photography
We'll begin with Scotland's first public building to be awarded Passivhaus status. As well as being highly energy-efficient, the GALE Centre in Gairloch is a Tourist Information Hub, and includes a community shop and cafe which stocks produce from over 40 local suppliers, helping to support the local circular economy. It also provides office space for Gairloch & Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE), enabling them to employ staff year-round as a more stable rural community, and has rooms for community groups to use...
Image credits: Rupert Shanks Photography
...as well as growing space for veggies, fruit and herbs outside, for use in the community cafe! (Not to mention compost-making from cafe leftovers.)
The GALE Centre is part of the Achtercairn development, led by the needs of the community and undertaken by CHT. It's an award-winning regeneration of a derelict site which also included affordable housing, a shop and other amenities, creating a new centre for the village. The development is an example of a climate-friendly ‘20-Minute Neighbourhood’ in practice, 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.
Some of these amenities included a classroom for all ages in partnership with the University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI), and an Air Training Corps facility, providing doorstep education and skills opportunities. The UHI classroom has since had to move to larger premises - a good sign!
In addition, the affordable homes are highly insulated and energy efficient, with air-source heat pumps, and built with sustainable materials.
The GALE Centre is part of the Achtercairn development, led by the needs of the community and undertaken by CHT. It's an award-winning regeneration of a derelict site which also included affordable housing, a shop and other amenities, creating a new centre for the village. The development is an example of a climate-friendly ‘20-Minute Neighbourhood’ in practice, 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.
Some of these amenities included a classroom for all ages in partnership with the University of the Highlands & Islands (UHI), and an Air Training Corps facility, providing doorstep education and skills opportunities. The UHI classroom has since had to move to larger premises - a good sign!
In addition, the affordable homes are highly insulated and energy efficient, with air-source heat pumps, and built with sustainable materials.
Ardgeal, Cairngorms
The Ardgeal development near Kincraig in the Cairngorms National Park came about through a need to help keep the local primary school open, and to create affordable homes for local families which minimised impact to this environmentally sensitive site.
CHT obtained the former forestry land through the National Forest Land Scheme on behalf of the local community, and the timber felled from the site was used in the construction of the homes.
We worked with 39 local companies during construction, all within a 30 mile radius of the site, within which we also sourced some of the building materials.
To encourage active travel, there are footpaths and cycle tracks from the development into the village of Kincraig, to enable pupils to get to school easily.
Low-carbon and net zero homes, as well as green skills and land-based livelihoods are crucially important, so we also established a training scheme, employing local trainees in the construction of the homes. As well as skills training for the next generation, the scheme was aimed at supporting rural trades for low-carbon developments, and promoting sustainable use of local woodlands.
CHT obtained the former forestry land through the National Forest Land Scheme on behalf of the local community, and the timber felled from the site was used in the construction of the homes.
We worked with 39 local companies during construction, all within a 30 mile radius of the site, within which we also sourced some of the building materials.
To encourage active travel, there are footpaths and cycle tracks from the development into the village of Kincraig, to enable pupils to get to school easily.
Low-carbon and net zero homes, as well as green skills and land-based livelihoods are crucially important, so we also established a training scheme, employing local trainees in the construction of the homes. As well as skills training for the next generation, the scheme was aimed at supporting rural trades for low-carbon developments, and promoting sustainable use of local woodlands.
READ MORE:
|
RELATED:
|
Image credit: Rupert Shanks Photography
Salen, Ardnamurchan: A group of local families got together to come up with a solution to their housing issues. As foresters, they were also able to mill and use timber from on-site, and build much of the homes themselves.
|
Tomintoul, Cairngorms
Completed in March 2023, the 12 affordable homes in Tomintoul, Moray.
CHT supported the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust to acquire the site of the old school, and provide ongoing development support.
Built around a shared communal space to address social isolation, the development includes several live/work spaces to provide flexibility for work in a rural area, keeping travel low. There'll also be EV charging points and the homes will be highly energy-efficient to tackle fuel poverty.
CHT supported the Tomintoul & Glenlivet Development Trust to acquire the site of the old school, and provide ongoing development support.
Built around a shared communal space to address social isolation, the development includes several live/work spaces to provide flexibility for work in a rural area, keeping travel low. There'll also be EV charging points and the homes will be highly energy-efficient to tackle fuel poverty.
READ MORE:
Greener Homes Scheme
The Greener Homes scheme was a partnership between the Communities Housing Trust and the Highland Council, funded by the Scottish Government, to reduce carbon emissions in housing, invest in greener technologies, reduce fuel poverty, and support regional skills development and business opportunities in greener housing.
Though not strictly community-led, it was certainly led by the needs of the communities we were working with, and we envisaged the scheme in response to their situations.
Homes in Fodderty (pictured above), Arisaig, Lochcarron and Daviot were built in partnership with award winning MAKAR Construction Ltd. The homes were designed and constructed using sustainable Scottish timber. Further homes were constructed in Alness and Dornoch by CHT and the Highland Council.
Though not strictly community-led, it was certainly led by the needs of the communities we were working with, and we envisaged the scheme in response to their situations.
Homes in Fodderty (pictured above), Arisaig, Lochcarron and Daviot were built in partnership with award winning MAKAR Construction Ltd. The homes were designed and constructed using sustainable Scottish timber. Further homes were constructed in Alness and Dornoch by CHT and the Highland Council.
Glendale, Skye
Finally, and importantly, it's not just about new builds. We're not only facing the climate crisis and housing crisis, but a crisis of empty and derelict homes. One of the many solutions is to tackle this as a combined issue.
Here's an image of the old school and schoolhouse in Glendale, Skye, where we're working with the local community not only to provide affordable housing, but to use as a case study to make community-led retrofitting and renovating for the climate emergency easier and more effective. It's currently challenging to say the least, with barriers on many fronts, yet repurposing empty and derelict buildings well will be hugely important not only to help the housing crisis, but also the climate crisis. Part of this will be to encourage new opportunities for local specialist construction businesses to fill gaps in the market, instead of relying on central belt companies with associated travel and environmental costs.
Here's an image of the old school and schoolhouse in Glendale, Skye, where we're working with the local community not only to provide affordable housing, but to use as a case study to make community-led retrofitting and renovating for the climate emergency easier and more effective. It's currently challenging to say the least, with barriers on many fronts, yet repurposing empty and derelict buildings well will be hugely important not only to help the housing crisis, but also the climate crisis. Part of this will be to encourage new opportunities for local specialist construction businesses to fill gaps in the market, instead of relying on central belt companies with associated travel and environmental costs.
READ MORE:
Want to discuss climate-friendly developments for your community?