Officers from the Housing Service Team are commencing in-person engagement towards the forthcoming Local Housing Strategy 2024-2029. We will be at the locations below and we would welcome your attendance to discuss the following:
- The vision for the housing system in the Outer Hebrides
- The main challenges facing the housing system in the Outer Hebrides
- What actions will address these issues?
- The Conference Room, CnES, Balivanich, on Monday 6 May 2024 at 2pm for the afternoon session, or 7pm for the evening session;
- the UHI Learning Centre, Castlebay, on Tuesday 7 May 2024 at 2pm for the afternoon session, or 7pm for the evening session; and
- we will attend the end of year student BBQ at the UHI Campus in Stornoway on 21 May 2024 between 11am - 2:30pm.
Common themes in this consultation phase were as follows:
- Supply of housing - more social homes required
- There is a need to support communities to develop housing options but finance is a stumbling block
- Issues with empty homes and poor house condition need to be addressed
- Demographics – how to encourage young people to remain, return, or move to Islands, and how to care for elderly
- Impact of short-term lets on communities, but recognition of the value of tourism
- Issues of key workers accessing housing
- Insufficiency of croft-house grant
- Support to maintain tenancies
Further community events to help inform the strategy are planned to take place in other areas in due course. Any feedback received will be analysed and amalgamated and published in one final report.
Following conclusion of remaining community events in 2025, and analysis of all feedback and responses, all key themes have been incorporated into the narrative of the LHS, and a new Outcome has been included on Supporting Communities, in addition to the previous priority areas of Supply, Housing Quality, Homelessness and Independent Living.
There were many suggestions made in respect of how local housing services could be improved and we have considered all feasible suggestions and incorporated them into LHS actions where appropriate.
Where suggestions were not taken forward, it was generally because they were not viable financially or in another capacity; or they were outside the remit of the LHS.
Officers from the Housing Service Team are commencing in-person engagement towards the forthcoming Local Housing Strategy 2024-2029.
We will be at the locations below and we would welcome your attendance to discuss the following:
- The vision for the housing system in the Outer Hebrides
- The main challenges facing the housing system in the Outer Hebrides
- What actions will address these issues?
- The Conference Room, CnES, Balivanich, on Monday 6 May 2024 at 2pm for the afternoon session, or 7pm for the evening session;
- the UHI Learning Centre, Castlebay, on Tuesday 7 May 2024 at 2pm for the afternoon session, or 7pm for the evening session; and
- we will attend the end of year student BBQ at the UHI Campus in Stornoway on 21 May 2024 between 11am and 2:30pm.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is preparing the next Local Housing Strategy for the Outer Hebrides.
The Local Housing Strategy Steering Group will analyse feedback and prepare outcomes and associated actions for further consultation with the public.
Contact Us
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
Sandwick Road
Stornoway
Isle of Lewis
HS1 2BW
United Kingdom
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