The island tackling its 'chronic' housing shortage

An island community is making efforts to tackle its "chronic shortage" of affordable homes.

Housing has been a crisis issue on Raasay, off Skye, for the last 15 years, according to the local development trust.

The island has a population of just 179, but only about half of Raasay's homes are occupied full-time with about 34% of properties being second homes and a further 8% either empty or not used year-round.

Raasay Development Trust has sought to boost the availability of affordable homes through a building project, and it is also in the process of buying an existing property for community use.

Tom Lusink, a community development officer on Raasay, said families and young people were in need of homes.

There are currently 41 people on the local housing list. More than 4% of the population live in static caravans.

Mr Lusink said: "On the island of Raasay we do have a bit of a chronic housing shortage, and we have also got a general housing problem and that is with the quality of housing.

"A lot of it is subpar."

Raasay Development Trust is working with Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association and Communities Housing Trust to develop five new properties for affordable rent, and is also making available five serviced self-build plots.

Tom Lusink said there was a need for homes for families and young people

The trust is also in the process of purchasing an older terraced property in Inverarish, a historic village linked to iron ore mining which stopped just after the end of World War One.

Some previous house sales have seen the properties later being turned into holiday accommodation, and Raasay Development Trust was worried it would miss out on the recent sale because it can take six months to secure funding.

Skye and Raasay are popular tourist destinations, attracting as many as 800,000 visitors a year according to figures gathered for Highland Council.

Tourism is also important to jobs and hospitality and food and drink production are key employers.

Raasay Development Trust had to come up with another way to secure the Inverarish house.

Mr Lusink said: "It's been a lot of scratching of heads. There is not a pro forma for what is happening here."

Rather than waiting for funding, Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association has stepped in and is in the process of purchasing the house.

This has bought Raasay Development Trust time to get the money it needs, and would buy the property from the association.

Once ownership is secured, the trust intends make the house energy efficient.

Raasay is one of the Scottish government's six Carbon Neutral Islands.

The others are Barra, Great Cumbrae, Hoy, Islay and Yell and funding is available to help islanders reduce their carbon emissions.

Chrissie Gillies, a director of Raasay Development Trust, said community consultation had identified improving housing as the key issue for the project on Raasay.

According to the Carbon Neutral Islands - Raasay report published this year:

• Almost 45% of the island's homes used solid fuel for heating, such as a fire or stove

• Only 39% of islanders believed their roof was well-insulated

• 67% of residents were worried about energy costs

• 62% used a hot water bottle or electric blanket to keep warm in winter

It has been proposed to use £50,000 of Carbon Neutral Islands grant aid to pay for upgrades of the Inverarish house.

There is a plan to bring a terraced house in Inverarish into community ownership and to make it more energy efficient

According to properties website Rightmove, homes on Raasay had an overall average price of £156,529 over the last year.

Overall, sold prices on the island the last year were 134% up on the previous year but 15% down on the 2018 peak of £185,000.

Last summer, new research warned that up to 1,700 jobs across Skye and Lochalsh would sit vacant in 2022 because workers could not find a home in the area.

The Skye Business Housing Needs Study, described as the biggest of its kind, suggested a lack of affordable housing was worse than previously thought.