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- Help with sourcing housing and practice buildings
Help with sourcing housing and practice buildings
Access to affordable housing is a key factor for both recruitment and retention, and one that communities may find it difficult to support alone without central and/or local government investment. In some remote areas, there may be no housing available at all, affordable or otherwise, particularly when there is a high percentage of second homes. We heard repeated concerns about the selling off of tied housing, whether for healthcare workers or teachers, police officers and others. A few places are lucky enough to still have some tied housing available, and some communities are looking to re-establish tied accommodation and low rent properties for key workers.
Creative local solutions have involved local residents who own a second property deciding to rent it only to key workers; community buy-outs; conversion/change of use of disused offices or clinic buildings into homes. Indeed, in some cases a community buy-out of a surgery building might also become an option, thus not requiring a new GP to invest in practice ownership. Alternatively, communities might be able to work with the local NHS to support or contribute to a buy-out of premises.
Despite these instances of community action, however, housing remains a difficult problem for communities to solve. The Scottish Government has announced an Affordable Housing Initiative for key workers in rural areas. Up to £25 million is being made available over five years to help councils identify affordable homes and to enable local authorities and registered social landlords to acquire or lease properties.
Tomintoul, Moray
The Tomintoul and Glenlivet Development Trust worked with the Communities Housing Trust to purchase a derelict secondary school which had been empty for two decades, demolish it and build 12 affordable homes. The properties have been allocated to people with a strong connection to the area and are protected from being used as holiday lets or second homes.
