Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has welcomed the announcement of an investment of £43million for the Affordable Housing Supply Programme in the Outer Hebrides.

The Scottish Government recently confirmed the Resource Planning Assumption (RPA) for the five-year period from 2021-2026 which will see up to £43m of new housing investment being made available for the Comhairle area. This builds on the previous allocation of £25m over the past three years, which saw over 120 new homes being completed and over 150 currently in development. This new allocation should make a significant contribution to the provision of affordable homes, and to the economy.

Following the announcement, the Comhairle met with its main delivery partner, Hebridean Housing Partnership (HHP), and representatives from the contracting sector to discuss approaches to the delivery of the programme over the next period.

-- Advertisement --

Cllr. Kenny John MacLeod, Chairman of the Communities and Housing Committee, said: "The recent announcement of £43m for the Outer Hebrides is excellent news that has the potential to deliver significant numbers of new affordable homes over the next five years. The meeting with HHP and contracting sector were positive about the investment opportunities ahead and there is good commitment to deliver on the opportunity. All parties believe, however, that a more flexible approach will be essential to ensure the full £43m allocation is utilised. A range of ideas were discussed at the meetings and we will be collating and further developing these to discuss with the Scottish Government."

Comhairle Leader, Cllr Roddie MacKay said: "The Comhairle is highly committed to continued investment in our housing sector and economy. We are keen to ensure the RPA is fully utilised and alongside HHP we will work to maximise the potential through the traditional affordable housing framework. I believe innovation and flexibility will, however, be required to address the very specific housing needs in the Outer Hebrides. In particular I am keen that we invest in housing that will offer young families a route onto the housing ladder, that will bring empty and under-utilised properties back into productive use and that will help provide new homes around emerging business opportunities. I am keen that we find a way to invest in some of our more peripheral communities where demand may not be apparent through the traditional mechanisms of assessing demand. I am hopeful that the Scottish Government will allow us this flexibility and we will be developing some new approaches and pilots to present to the Minister over the next weeks."