Rural and islands housing action plan: business and regulatory impact assessment (BRIA)

C: Consultation

C1. Within Government

13. The Action Plan has been developed collaboratively with Land Reform, Rural and Islands Policy Division which includes the Islands Policy Unit, Land Reform, Land Use Strategy and Rural Communities Policy Unit, Natural Capital and Community Land Unit, and the Rural Economy Policy Unit.

14. We have engaged with More Homes Division Area Managers who lead on delivery of the Affordable Housing Supply Programme across Scotland.

15. We have engaged with Planning and Architecture Directorate to align with proposals in National Planning Framework 4.

16. We have engaged with Fair Work and Skills Division to ensure alignment with the Skills Action Plan for Rural Scotland.

17. We have engaged with the Population and Migration Team to align with commitments included in ‘A Scotland for the Future: opportunities and challenges of Scotland’s changing population’ which was published in March 2021.

18. We have engaged with Regional Economic Development Division, Local Economic Delivery, Water Policy and DECC Operations, and Transport Scotland.

C2. Public Consultation

19. Extensive engagement has previously been undertaken with rural and island communities to inform both the content of both Housing to 2040 as well as the National Islands Plan. Housing to 2040 has set out what our key ambitions are for housing, and the primary focus of the Action Plan is around how these could be implemented in rural and island areas. Likewise, the National Islands Plan makes a number of key commitments that will fit within the deliverables of the Action Plan.

20. To help inform the development of the Action Plan, we engaged with the following organisations. The list is not exhaustive:-

Agencies

• South of Scotland Enterprise
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise
• Scottish Forestry
• Scottish Water
• Scottish Land Commission
• Forestry Land Scotland
• Nature Scot
• Scottish Land and Estates
• Bòrd na Gàidhlig
• Crofting Commission
• Community Land Scotland
• Scottish Crofting Federation
• National Farmers Union Scotland
• Crown Estate Scotland
• Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Authority
• Cairngorms National Park Authority

Local Government

• Argyll & Bute Council
• South Lanarkshire Council
• Highland Council
• North Ayrshire Council
• Comhairle nan Eilean Siar
• Aberdeen City Council
• Orkney Council
• Moray Council
• Shetland Council
• Midlothian Council
• Scottish Borders Council
• Dumfries & Galloway Council
• Angus Council
• South Ayrshire Council
• Perth and Kinross Council
• East Ayrshire Council

Other Stakeholders

• Convention of Highland and Islands
• Convention of the South of Scotland
• Rural and Island Housing Association Forum
• Scottish Rural Network
• Rural Housing Scotland
• Scottish Island Federation
• South of Scotland Community Housing
• Scottish Rural Action
• Communities Housing Trust

Business Representatives

• Salmon Scotland
• Scottish Council for Development and Industry (SCDI)
• Sonas Hospitality (Skeabost) Ltd
• Shetland Building and Allied Trades Association & Shetland Construction Trading Group
• Cothrom Ltd
• MacLeod Construction
• T. Fleming Homes Ltd
• Border Safeguard Ltd.
• Chivas Brothers
• Ortak Ltd
• Katoni
• Portavadie
• Cairngorms Group
• Tulloch Homes
• Openreach
• The Springfield Group

C3. Business

21. The Scottish Government has had constructive engagement with bodies with a strong interest in delivery of housing in remote, rural and island communities. This has included local authorities summarised in the table above and numerous housing associations. We engaged with rural housing enablers including Communities Housing Trust, South of Scotland Community Housing, Rural Housing Scotland and a number of Development Trusts representing remote, rural and island communities.

22. We engaged with a range of organisations in a Rural Session with Scottish Government Officials and Developing the Young Workforce Chairs. These included Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and South of Scotland Enterprise as well as most of the businesses named in the table above. Housing was an agenda item discussed at the meeting, amongst other things, and primarily focused on the lack of affordable housing for employees and the high proportion of second homes in rural areas.

23. We have engaged with a range of businesses that operate in remote, rural and island areas. We met with the Director of Strategic Engagement of Salmon Scotland. Discussions focused on employee housing of various tenures (long-term homes, temporary HMOs). Local businesses are keen to engage more and have resource to spend – they would like greater guidance and advice on how best to utilise their resources to support SG ambitions.

24. As part of a summer tour of engagement on rural housing, the Minister for Housing engaged with SCDI. SCDI have a wide range of members representing industries across Scotland. Present at the meeting alongside SCDI representatives were The Springfield Group, Tulloch Homes and Openreach.

25. The Minister also engaged with organisations with sectoral and business interests as part of the summer engagement. This included organisations such as Scottish Crofting Federation and National Farmers Union Scotland, as well as the Scottish Islands Federation and the Rural and Islands Housing Association Forum, whose members represent varied interests across all of Scotland’s rural and island communities.

26. Additionally, the Minister held a roundtable event in Perth, primarily to discuss opportunities around land amongst other things. Representatives at the meeting included Community Land Scotland, Scottish Land and Estates, Enterprise Agencies and the National Park Authorities, amongst others.

27. The businesses we have engaged with represent a wide variety of sizes and sectors, from local enterprises to nation-wide and multi-national companies, from fishing, tourism and construction. We have had significant engagement with both HIE and SOSE on the Action Plan and both organisations widely represent local businesses and their interests.