Taking on a community-led housing project can feel overwhelming and complicated, particularly for communities with limited time and resources.

Community-led housing is about local people playing a leading and fundamental role in solving their specific housing problems, creating long-term, affordable homes and strong, resilient communities in ways that are difficult to achieve through mainstream housing alone.

In Scotland, community-led housing is supported by the Scottish Government through the Rural and Islands Housing Fund, which was set up in 2016 and enables community groups to access grants to part-fund community-led ​housing projects. Read more about community-led housing in Scotland.
The free RouteMap resource has been created by the Communities Housing Trust in partnership with communities across Scotland, with funding support from the Nationwide Foundation. It is intended to help demystify and map out the main stages of the community-led housing process, to increase understanding, raise confidence, and ultimately support more communities to undertake projects of their own.
Our RouteMap is based on our experience of working with well over 100 communities to help facilitate community-led housing. ​

​Seeing the whole process laid out, of what happens when, with key questions and issues communities should consider, can help visualise a project from beginning to end.  We have simplified the stages, and recognise that in reality projects are complex and ultimately non-linear, but intend to give an overview nonetheless.​
The RouteMap covers five main project stages, with an overview of each stage plus more detailed questions and key issues communities come across.  Each stage also features a film case study (below) made by different communities and includes further detail and recommendations. 

Stage 1

ENQUIRY
Case study: Balmaha in Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park with more detail on the enquiry stage.
Key elements
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  • Establish clear aspirations and requirements
 
  • Information and advice
 
  • Assess need for affordable housing and complementary opportunities
 
  • Consider likely funding solutions
 
  • Determine capacity and support/advice needed​
​
  • Community and partner engagement​

Stage 2

FEASIBILITY 
Casy study: Staffin, in Skye, and their insight on the feasibility process and challenges. 
Key elements
​
  • Housing and Business Needs Survey

  • Land audit for availability of land (no land available – call for sites)

  • Feasibility/development funding

  • Technical appraisal of site and utilities

  • Business Plan, including initial Allocation Policy and tenure mix
​
  • Community input and partner engagement​

Stage 3

PROJECT DEVELOPMENT
Case study: Gairloch, where the regeneration of the Achtercairn site, involved development with different partners. 
Key elements
​​
  • Secure funding for land purchase and legal fees

  • Land acquisition (secure consents to develop land)

  • Consultants and Development Agent appointed

  • Agree procurement route to tender for project

  • Secure funding package for consents and construction project
​
  • Apply for planning and pre-construction consents​

Stage 4

CONSTRUCTION
Case study: Kincraig, in the Cairngorms National Park, and key aspects and recommendations for the construction phase.
Key elements
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  • Appoint contractor
 
  • Start building
 
  • Continue liaison with contractor and community
 
  • Manage funding package drawdowns
 
  • Handover of properties
 
  • Community Open Day – celebrate!
​
  • End of defects period (12 months after handover)​

Stage 5

HOUSING MANAGEMENT
Case study: Applecross shares insight and questions to consider for how the homes are managed long-term.
Key elements

  • Advertise properties

  • Allocate properties

  • Legal agreements to rent or buy

  • Residents move into new homes

  • Ongoing housing management: allocations, rent collection and sales
​
  • Ongoing housing maintenance: repairs, long-term maintenance and annual servicing​
More detail on each stage, and further Q&As, are available in the full RouteMap download

Thanks and acknowledgements

Communities Housing Trust has created this RouteMap for development trusts and community organisations in Scotland, with funding support from the Nationwide Foundation.
We formed the RouteMap with input from community organisations we work with. The accompanying films for each stage were also made by the communities themselves, in:
  • Balmaha
  • Staffin
  • Gairloch
  • Ardgeal
  • Applecross
This was a way to further support rural communities and enable them to tell their own stories.
​We'd like to thank the filmmakers Dave Arcari, Hugh Campbell, Nessie Gearing, David Russell and Ryan Terry, as well as all interviewees.