Westray Development TrustNews

Housing Needs Assessment Update

The Housing Needs Assessment tendering process is about to commence on the 12th February. With partial funding and support from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise we aim to develop a broader understanding of the housing needs of Westray now and also into the future.

We intend to use this information, should a need be identified, to apply to the Scottish Land Fund for grant assistance to purchase the land and assist with any early development costs.

The full briefing paper can be found by following this link, Westray Housing Project Consultation Brief but you will find a summary below.

To compliment this study, the board has asked Andy to attend the Rural Housing Scotland conference, which is being held in Dunkeld in February 2016.

The Purpose of the Housing Needs Brief is…..

To fully appreciate all aspects of the island’s social and financial economy and how best to support this with a housing development agenda, the Trustees require a strategic study of:

  • Knowledge of the current and future staffing needs of the major commercial operators, service providers and authorities on the island in the form of testimonials.
  • An understanding of the potential to develop partnerships with the commercial operators, service & utility providers and authorities.
  • Knowledge of structured housing development options, such as Rural Housing Bodies.
  • Identification of the available land plots and access to services of each plot
  • Knowledge of the potential capital and revenue funding opportunities to purchase land and develop housing and/or commercial units.
  • An understanding of the community’s expectations and attitude towards housing and housing development
  • A housing valuations study, incorporating local, Orkney wide and national valuations
  • The potential to link in with any of the other projects and initiatives currently being developed by the Trust.
  • Knowledge of a range of available exit strategies
  • Identify potential partners (such as Local Authority, Housing Association or other Registered Social Landlord) to manage the lettings/maintenance/sales, and the costs of this.

This work will identify opportunities for the Trust to participate in housing provision, and inform the Trustees with regard to next steps.  This might include submitting funding applications for land/asset purchase (such as the Scottish Land Fund) and capital development (such as the forthcoming Scottish Government Rural Housing Initiative).

Key skills we are looking for in the consultant are….

In order to gather this intelligence, the following required skills and experience will be required:

  • Preparation of business plans to inform decision making and to be used in support of funding applications
  • Working with community organisations involved in owning and managing domestic and commercial assets
  • Working with community organisations involved in owning and developing a housing project
  • Proven effective communication with volunteers in community organisations and with the wider community
  • Knowledge of funding schemes and initiatives beneficial to both developer and purchaser
  • Knowledge of the Community Empowerment Bill and Land Reform Act

Their key Tasks will be…….

In order to  present a robust business case for funding bids for land/asset purchase, and go on to develop a range of domestic and commercial properties, on Westray, the following key outputs are required. Where possible, the maximum use of local workforce/materials and use of sustainable systems/products, etc are to be considered.

  • A report of the land availability, currently marketed or otherwise
  • An options appraisal for each area of identified land, detailing the potential of developing a range of both domestic and commercial properties
  • A report of funding opportunities for; land purchase, domestic and commercial property development and revenue costs of developing these.
  • An appraisal of the current and future employment needs of the main employment providers and their attitude towards supporting a housing project.
  • A comparative study of the current market values of a broad range of commercial and domestic properties on Westray, in Orkney and National
  • The delivery of and a report of community engagement exercises, exploring local people’s attitudes towards a housing development project
  • A report, including running costs, of organisations with the ability to manage the lettings and maintenance of the domestic and commercial properties
  • An exploration of emerging opportunities to link with any local and national projects, maximising the benefit of developing housing and commercial properties.
  • Identification of areas of land where the potential exists to use legislation to transfer ownership, for the purposes of building development, to the community.

If you have any questions about any aspect of this project, please contact the Trust staff team on (01857) 677858

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