ReRIC Rural Housing Challenges

ReRIC Rural Housing Challenges

Housing supply and affordability in rural and island Scotland: ReRIC persistent challenge 1

In the ReRIC project, we are aiming to generate new understandings of three persistent challenges that have impacted on rural and island residents for many years, and in some cases many decades. The first challenge we are exploring is lack of access to affordable housing.

The Rural and Islands Insights Report 2023 analysed and presented data on a number of housing related issues, including house prices, the scale of new house building, the geographical distribution of second and vacant homes and the affordability of housing.

In ReRIC, alongside this analysis of secondary data, we will:

• Set up a new survey (link to it once available) on our Rural Exchange to gather views from rural and island residents about the housing issue
• Interview representatives of key stakeholder organisations to discuss how the challenges of housing supply and affordability have evolved over recent decades and how they might evolve in future
• Identify and explore a small number of rural/island case study areas or projects relating to housing
• Speak to those working in rural development in other relevant countries to see if there is anything we can learn from them
• Based on the evidence collected, and taking into account the current political, socio-economic and environmental context and wider Scottish Government policy priorities, summarise potential future solutions.