Plan to build 10 homes on Glebe land at Lochinver is 'hugely important milestone'
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An application to build 10 new affordable semi-detached homes as part of a community-led housing project in Lochinver has been described as a “hugely important milestone” after plans were submitted to Highland Council.
The landmark proposal comes after Assynt residents were invited to have their say on the first phase design of the new development at a drop-in event last month.
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Greens MSP Ariane Burgess believes that the development, if approved, could be the difference in ensuring villages within the community “survive”.
Ms Burgess said: “Submitting planning for this development is a hugely important milestone for Assynt Development Trust and the next step in a years-long process to build the housing their community desperately needs.
“The shortage of high-quality, affordable homes is a key aspect of the depopulation we have seen in the north-west Highlands and I’ve been working hard to support communities like Assynt to find their own solutions to these problems.
“The challenges of building a few houses in our rural and island communities isn’t being addressed by the business model of volume house builders so communities are stepping in to fill the breach. That’s why we secured additional funding for rural housing enablers and developed the Rural and Island Housing Action Plan.
“Building even a small number of homes in villages like Lochinver can be the difference in keeping the primary school and shops open and ensuring villages thrive.”
Assynt Development Trust (ADT) were awarded £114,000 to progress the project in April, with investment from Highland Council’s Community Regeneration Fund, Crown Estate Scotland, Highland Council and the Scottish Government’s Rural and Islands Housing Fund.
Representatives of the ADT, Communities Housing Trust and the design team, led by Oberlanders Architects, met with members of the community on November 1 at Lochinver Village Hall.
The proposed site is already owned by the ADT, after the group bought the 55-acre former Glebe land from the Church of Scotland in 2021 with funding from the Scottish Land Fund.
Located on the Canisp Road to the east of Lochinver on Glebe ground, the area is not currently being utilised.
The application states that the new homes will be a mix of two and three bedroom properties, with a new footway to be installed and housing locations to be split across two sites.
Organised in a ‘clachan’ formation, eight homes will be located within Site A and two more in Site B.
The layout provides two parking spaces for each house, with visitor and accessible parking bays and a service pull-in bay.
If the planning application is approved, and if further funding is secured, the trust hopes to commission the design team to carry out work to building warrant and construction contract tendering in 2024.
