OUTER HEBRIDES LOCAL HOUSING STRATEGY 2017-2022 Housing provision and services in the Outer Hebrides should make a strong contribution to health and well-being, encourage population retention, and support the sustainability of our communities. OUTER HEBRIDES LOCAL HOUSING STRATEGY 2017-2022 CONTENTS FOREWORD - CHAIR 1. INTRODUCTION 1-18 2. LOCAL CONTEXT 19-30 3. STRATEGIC PRIORITY ONE HOUSING QUALITY 31-42 4. STRATEGIC PRIORITY TWO HOUSING SUPPLY 43-63 5. STRATEGIC PRIORITY THREE HOMELESSNESS 64-78 6. STRATEGIC PRIORITY FOUR INDEPENDENT LIVING 79-93 7. OUTCOMES TABLES 94-98 APPENDICES: 1. SUMMARY OF CONSULTATION RESPONSES 99-100 2. EQIA 101-113 3. SEA STATEMENT 114 4. HOUSING CONTRIBUTION STATEMENT 115-122 5. ABBREVIATIONS / GLOSSARY 123-127 LINKS: 1. OUTER HEBRIDES LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN 2. FUEL POVERTY ACTION PLAN 3. DRAFT LOIP 4. SHIP 2018/19 - 2021/22 5. OUTER HEBRIDES HNDA Front Cover: 13a Strond, Isle of Harris George Stewart FOREWORD I am pleased to introduce the Outer Hebrides Local Housing Strategy 2017-2022 (LHS), which presents our vision that: “Housing provision and services in the Outer Hebrides should make a strong contribution to health and well-being, encourage population retention, and support the sustainability of our communities”. This vision reflects the priorities identified by respondents to the LHS consultation process and echoes the wider ambitions of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar as set out in the emerging reviewed Corporate Strategy, and those of our Community Planning Partners, as evidenced in the new Local Outcome Improvement Plan. The timing of the new Housing Strategy and these other linked documents is opportune, as the new Comhairle elected in May 2017 has been able to influence and take ownership of the overall strategic direction and confirm their commitment to it. This has been done in the context of the Outer Hebrides being on the cusp of an unprecedented period of both opportunity through the ongoing “Our Islands Our Futures” programme and the potential integral “Islands Deal”, and of challenges arising from an ever-increasing ageing population and resultant demographic imbalance. The specific focus of this LHS is therefore two-fold: to assist population retention and the regeneration and sustainability of our rural areas by increasing housing supply and introducing new housing options; and to help address the significant potential impact of our population profile on demand for health and social care services and ensure the availability of appropriate housing and related services to maximise care at home and independent living. We begin working towards achievement of our vision at a time when, like all local authorities, the Comhairle faces another period of general financial constraint, and is very aware that a joint approach with both current and new external partners will be needed if the strategy is to be successfully delivered. However, we gratefully acknowledge the increased resources to be made available for Affordable Housing provision between 2018 and 2021 and will look for opportunities to work with community landowners and other stakeholders to ensure it is used to best effect throughout the Islands. We are also hopeful that the Islands Deal will come to fruition during the life of the LHS and bring enhanced levels of Scottish and UK Government funding and increased autonomy over its use. I therefore introduce the LHS 2017 - 2022 with a sense of cautious optimism that the ambitions which it seeks to assist will be progressed to the long-term benefit of the communities of the Outer Hebrides. Councillor Kenny John Macleod Communities and Housing Committee November 2017 CHAPTER 1 – INTRODUCTION: 1.1 Legislative Context and Purpose of the Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 1.1.1 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar undertook a whole-stock transfer in 2006 but retains the responsibilities of Strategic Housing Authority for the area. Our Local Housing Strategy (LHS) has been developed in terms of the statutory duty imposed on Local Authorities by Section 89 of The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001. It is primarily based on the findings of a Housing Needs and Demand Assessment carried out in line with Scottish Government Guidance using the recommended on-line model and assessed as “robust and credible” by the Centre for Housing Market Analysis at the Scottish Government and has regard to guidance provided by the Scottish Government in August 2014. 1.1.2 This LHS sets out the ambitions of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and our partner agencies for the delivery of housing and related services across all tenures in the years 2017-2022. These ambitions are designed to facilitate wider corporate objectives relating to reversing population decline and enhancing the provision of health and social care services in the face of challenging demographics. The strategy also ensures that our core statutory responsibilities to: tackle fuel poverty; improve house conditions and energy efficiency; reduce homelessness; increase housing supply; and provide housing support; as well as a plethora of other housing related issues, are addressed in a manner appropriate to the local context while also supporting Scottish Government National Outcomes and Targets. 1.1.3 The Strategy is based on priorities identified from a range of credible evidence bases and the outcomes of a stakeholder consultation exercise and continues the strategic emphasis of the LHS 2011-2016. It also draws on the results of a consultation undertaken by the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership (OHCPP) using the Place Standard Tool, which has informed the content of the draft Local Outcome Improvement Plan. The outcomes and actions detailed in this document provide a framework for joint working which will optimise the use of our resources and expertise and will address the issues currently affecting the distinctive Outer Hebrides local housing system and through that support the wider priorities of the Community Planning Partners. 1.1.4 The LHS aims to: Fulfil our statutory obligations and take account of Scottish Government Policy priorities; Demonstrate our commitment to ensuring that the Outer Hebrides offers good quality, appropriate housing stock and related services to facilitate the social, economic and physical well-being of island residents; Set out the links between the LHS and other corporate strategies; Provide clarity on the housing contribution to the vision and objectives of the Outer Hebrides Health and Social Care Partnership (OHHSCP); Show how housing can assist the aims of the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership, particularly in relation to addressing population decline and the demographic imbalance; Build on the experiences and successes of the LHS 2011-2016; Address the key issues identified through the Housing Needs and Demand Assessment; Reflect the feedback received from stakeholders during the consultation phase of LHS preparation; Clearly demonstrate the strategic direction for housing investment during the lifespan of the LHS. - 1 - 1.2 The Strategic Framework: National Priorities 1.2.1 In 2011, the Scottish Government launched the national housing policy document ‘Homes Fit for the 21st Century’. This set out the vision and strategy for the decade to 2020 with an end goal of a housing system which provides an affordable home for all. 1.2.2 To support the strategy the Scottish Government introduced Housing and Regeneration Outcomes Framework linked to the National Outcomes for Scotland. Local Authorities must ensure that their Local Housing Strategies support the central vision and contribute to achievement of the national outcomes. Source: Scottish Government 1.2.3 There is a raft of other national legislation and policy priorities which impinge on the LHS and help to underpin the outcomes framework. The following is not an exhaustive list, but identifies those which we consider the most significant in terms of influencing the direction and delivery of the LHS. Housing (Scotland) Acts - 2001, 2006, 2010, 2014 et al Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) and Land Use Strategy Private Rented Housing (Scotland) Act 2011 Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 Age Home and Community – a Strategy for Housing Scotland’s Older People 2012-2021 Public Bodies (Joint Working Act) 2014 Scotland’s Sustainable Housing Strategy Welfare Reform Agenda - 2 - 1.3 The Local Strategic Planning Framework 1.3.1 It is crucial that the LHS links clearly to the ambitions of the Outer Hebrides Community Planning Partnership, the Comhairle’s Corporate Plan and the Development Plan. 1.3.2 The LHS is also aligned with the OHHSCP Strategic Plan and other impinging local plans and strategies. LHS STRATEGIC CONTEXT SG Strategic Priorities Priorities Development Corporate Plan Strategy Local Housing Strategy Health and Community Social Care Planning 1.3.3 The LHS is being developed at a particularly opportune time in relation to the wider local strategic framework. This gives us an opportunity to identify the high level strategic direction which will support other evolving agendas, but means that beyond the early years of the strategy, the detail of some areas of housing activity - for example the location of new housing provision - cannot currently be determined, as the intention is that these link to as yet unspecified initiatives to support population retention. - 3 - 1.4 Draft Local Outcome Improvement Plan 1.4.1 The OHCPP is required to produce a long term strategic plan, the Local Outcome Improvement Plan, which identifies the key priorities and outcomes for our communities. 1.4.2 The Partnership’s approach is based on the principle of the Outer Hebrides as a special place. The geography, culture, history, and environment are all elements that contribute so much to the quality of life that our communities enjoy as evidenced in many studies which identify the Islands as one of the best places to live in Scotland and the UK. 1.4.3 The Islands, however, face significant challenges. The economy is fragile, and the demographic of our population is, currently, the second worst in Scotland with the trend projected to get worse over the next twenty years.