Hansard

I congratulate my colleague Alasdair Allan on bringing the debate to the chamber; I know that housing is a topic of real concern to the communities that he represents, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate the Presiding Officer allowing me to leave before the end of the debate because of the late start, as I have a meeting to discuss ferry matters with my island constituents.

?The motion that was lodged by Alasdair Allan mentions the threat of losing Gaelic as a living local language. As the situation in my constituency demonstrates, that threat is all too real. The 1901 census indicates that between 50 and 74 per cent of west Arran’s population, and between 25 and 49 per cent of the population in the east, spoke Gaelic. By 1992, however, Arran’s last native Gaelic speaker had sadly passed away. Such a loss must be prevented in Gaelic’s Western Isles heartland.

?I have raised the issue of island depopulation in the chamber previously, and island constituents?continue to contact me about it. Over decades, there has been an on-going shift in island demography as a result of?new incoming residents, who are often financially?established and are able buy family homes with relative ease. They have an economic advantage over indigenous working-age islanders, who cannot compete on price. That causes young islanders to move to the mainland, often never to return.

On Arran, following such displacement, only around a third of the 4,600 islanders are native to the island.? Although newcomers often have skills and infuse the community with energy and ideas, they are disproportionately elderly. A huge number of properties are now second homes or holiday homes, and planning restrictions further diminish the options that are available. The lack of affordable housing for?younger people makes it more difficult to meet the demand for workers, particularly in health and social care settings, including care at home.

I sympathise with the suggestion of a tiered system whereby properties are first advertised only locally, but how could such a system be implemented where it impacts on a private transaction? An owner who wishes to move on always wants the best price possible. Measures to encourage folk to sell local?are worth exploring. However, a better way to counter the shortage would be to build more affordable homes.

I was delighted when the Scottish Government awarded £3.612 million to the Arran Development Trust last year from its rural and islands housing funds. The new-build development at Brathwic Terrace in Brodick has a total budget of £6.5 million; it was?the largest grant awarded to a?community group from the fund and is part of a wider £8.5 million package to provide 43 affordable homes for rent. Arran Development Trust has also applied for £400,000 from the Scottish land fund to buy development land at Rowarden, and I wish it every success with its application.

Nevertheless, continuing to build properties while others lie empty is not sustainable or desirable. Particularly in west Arran, there are numerous private properties that require more investment than many sellers or potential buyers can afford. Who will modernise, rewire and replumb homes that are still in the same condition as they were in the 1960s or 1970s? Such properties often do not even make it on to the market and fall into further disrepair.

Through Home Energy Scotland, the Scottish Government has made up to £38,500 per home available to make energy efficiency improvements. Although it is enormously helpful that grants are available and loans are interest free, they are only available to owner-occupiers. Properties needing the most work often cannot be occupied before renovation is complete.

Improved grants for conversion and restrictions on which properties receive grants, so that they cannot be used for holiday or second homes, would be helpful, as would a fund to purchase such homes, which tend to be scattered around islands, for social rent, rather than having affordable homes only in mini-housing schemes.

In 2013, the Scottish ministers provided local authorities with discretion to vary council tax on unoccupied properties, a measure that saved those renovating or trying to sell thousands of pounds. Initially, a discount of between 10 and 50 per cent is required, but once a property is unoccupied for 12 months, or 24 months if actively marketed for sale or let, an increase of up to 100 per cent may be imposed to encourage owners to bring the home back into use.

However, although guidance provides discretion to consider the location that a dwelling is in and examine the circumstances case by case, evidence to the Local Government and Communities Committee shows that some local authorities do not exercise enough flexibility, even where empty homes officers are in post.

A scheme to reduce single occupancy in underoccupied housing through incentives and elderly-friendly housing developments would be of help.

We value Scotland’s island communities and must enable young people to stay on their beautiful islands, raise children and sustain their communities and culture.