Hansard

I thank Alasdair Allan for bringing this important debate to the chamber. I did not intend, when I got up this morning, to speak in the debate, but when I thought about it a bit more, I realised that the issue is one that was driven home to the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee when we visited various islands during consideration of the Islands (Scotland) Bill.

I am sympathetic to many of the points that Alasdair Allan raised, and I firmly agree that action must be taken to stop rural depopulation. Part of that action definitely involves housing. It is not a magic bullet to solve the overarching problems that cause rural depopulation, but it is an important issue that must be taken seriously.

As Alasdair Allan notes in his motion, there has been a significant uptick in property interest in the Western Isles, and across much of the Highlands and Islands region, during the Covid-19 pandemic, with interest not only from England, but from countries and regions further afield, including Hong Kong. Much of that has been described as “urban flight”: people seeking to get away from densely populated areas during the pandemic.

Although I am sure that all members in the Parliament welcome migration, we know from experience that, all too often, property that is purchased in the region is not to be lived in permanently, as Dr Allan said, but is either to be lived in for a few weeks a year, or to be rented out to others who are visiting temporarily. Of course, I accept that tourism is important for the economy of the Highlands and Islands, but it cannot and should not come with detriment to those who live, work and have families in the region.

According to the Scottish Government’s national islands plan, the population of Orkney and Shetland is set to fall by 2.2 per cent by 2041, and that of the Western Isles is set to fall by a staggering 14 per cent. That is deeply worrying to me.

I am aware of the worries and concerns that are expressed by people who live in our island communities across Argyll and Bute and the islands. Although it is evident that there is a problem with housing being bought for use as holiday homes or for self-catering accommodation, for example, it is also clear that we are not building enough new and affordable houses in our island communities.

I know from casework that there are many empty properties, including old and neglected croft homes, that could be brought back into use, but have not been.

Part of the problem appears to be the ineffectiveness of the rural and islands housing funds. Although the intentions appear to be good, a recent freedom of information response showed that the two schemes have delivered a total of only 68 new homes in the past four years, which is well short of the target of 500 houses that should have been delivered by the rural housing fund alone.

I am led to understand that the rural housing fund uses a cost per unit of £83,000 for affordable housing, despite the fact that, as I am sure Dr Allan knows, the costs of building a house on an island are much higher. That amount might have to be increased so that we can afford to build more affordable homes across our islands. In addition to that, we should be more mindful of the need for more social housing in our island communities.

I reiterate my thanks to Dr Allan for bringing the motion to the chamber, which can spark a wider debate in civic Scotland about how best we can preserve our population in rural and remote parts of the country. Our solutions must be innovative, and it is clear that the creation of new high-quality affordable housing will be key to that. I hope that the debate will stimulate that conversation, and I look forward to taking forward some of the ideas that have been mentioned in it.