Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is hosting a series of community conversations to gather public views on the 2025-2030 Outer Hebrides Local Housing Strategy.
The following questions were asked at each event to guide discussions, though the discussion was allowed to flow freely:
- Is the LHS vision still the correct one?
- What should the priorities for the next LHS be?
- What actions will help us achieve these priorities?
The following themes were common at engagement events:
Population issues:
- Key question is how to enable young people, people of working age, and families to remain here or move here?
- How do we support our older population to live well?
The supply of housing:
- More affordable homes are required to sustain communities, encourage people to move here, and stop young people moving away.
- Tenure diversification with affordable options to help young people get on to the housing ladder, and serviced plots made available.
- Establish need and demand in different areas.
- Supporting rural communities and making the supply of rural homes a priority.
- Enabling community groups to develop housing locally.
Financial Considerations:
- Prohibitive cost of development, whether private or public.
- Access to funding for development.
- Access to grants for building or repairing and maintaining homes.
- Fuel poverty and the cost of heating homes.
All of these themes are 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.
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar is hosting a series of community conversations to gather public views on the 2025-2030 Outer Hebrides Local Housing Strategy, as follows:
Lochs
Date: Wednesday, 19 February 2025 at 7pm
Location: Resource Centre, Kershader
Uig and Bernera
Date: Friday, 21 February 2025 at 7pm
Location: Bernera Community Centre, Bernera
Stornoway
Date: Tuesday, 25 February 2025 at 6pm
Location: Committee Room 3, Council Offices, Stornoway
North/ West Lewis
Date: Thursday, 6 March 2025 at 7pm
Location: Grinneabhat, Bragar
Harris
Date: Tuesday, 11 March 2025 at 7pm
Location: Tarbert Community Centre, Tarbert
The above community conversations are not strictly area specific, and members of the public are welcome to attend any meeting.
If you are unable to attend a meeting in person there will be further opportunities to contribute to the process as we will also be asking for feedback on a draft of the Local Housing Strategy later this year.
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
Equalities Monitoring
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This is used by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar to provide essential statistical information about who participates in our consultations. The data is managed confidentially, is not personally attributable, and is processed in accordance with the Data Protection Act.