A number of uninhabitable houses are to be demolished and replaced with new-build properties, as part of ongoing efforts by Argyll and Bute Council to address the area's housing emergency alleviate the current housing shortage facing residents.

The council has approved the demolition of 44 uninhabitable housing units at Dalintober in Campbeltown and replace them with 24 new-build properties. The units are currently not economically viable to repair and cannot be brought up to current Scottish Housing Quality Standards.

Councillors also agreed to a request from ACHA to sell a further seven properties on the open market in Campbeltown, and four properties in Dunoon, that are no longer suitable to retain within its current housing stock due to age, disrepair, and ongoing maintenance costs.

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The Strategic Housing Fund (SHF) annual report was also presented to councillors and outlined the council’s plan to use the fund to support the affordable housing development programme, including the delivery of a further 1,395 affordable houses.

Over the last few months, the council and its partners have also delivered several key actions from its Housing Emergency Plan to help alleviate the area’s housing shortage.

These actions include:

• Working with Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) to unlock new housing development sites and leverage external funding. In total, the council granted planning consent for 223 houses between June and November 2023.

• Approved more than £700k of funding to repurpose empty homes back into use and begin work on key worker housing

• Started key worker housing site at Tobermory

• Site investigations have been carried out at various council-owned sites to explore potential housing re-development

• Approved over £700k of funding to repurpose empty homes back into use and start work on key worker housing

• Continued engagement directly with national house builders to discuss their strategic plans and see what opportunities there are to unlock development in Argyll and Bute

• Options appraisals carried out on Islay and in Oban to explore potential housing re-development

• Funding approved to appoint a Housing Emergency Project Officer to help unlock sites.

• Approved and adopted the Local Development Plan 2 Funding approved for Strategic Development Plans for Oban/North Lorn and Helensburgh and Lomond