Taigheadas
Housing
We understand that affordable housing provision is vital for our community to retain its young people and allow local economic growth. However, there are significant challenges to building houses in Harris, and it is recognised that partnership working is central to the delivery of housing projects.
A joint housing strategy has been developed through the Harris Forum for this purpose and we are ready to work with any and all partners to increase local housing provision.
​
Over the years, sites have been identified and land made available where feasible, most notably to Hebridean Housing Partnership, as the local housing association. This continues to be the primary method by which affordable housing is delivered in North Harris, however we have also built our own housing and currently own four units which are rented out to local families and young people at affordable rentals.
As and when these units become available for rental, they are widely advertised in the community and there is always strong interest in the tenancy.
Given this demand, the North Harris Trust is attempting to develop more of its own sites, as well as working with partners to develop housing projects. Although the estate is large, much of the land in not developable, being too far from existing services or development being regulated under crofting tenure. The high build costs, and lack of available funding, is a significant obstacle and an ongoing challenge to the realisation of these projects.