The first blocks are laid

The Meavaig Housing project responds to the community’s pressing need for more affordable homes for rent. There have been numerous Housing Needs Assessments in recent years that confirm the demand. The challenge has been finding a viable route to deliver new homes.

In 2019, the North Harris Trust (NHT) carried out its own Housing Needs Survey in North Harris. The most surprising fact uncovered was the number of people looking for rental accommodation that didn’t even register with the local social landlord -as they felt it would be pointless. There are so many young people, keen to become independent, but still having to live at home. Local employers were surveyed by Harris Development Limited. They reported that the lack of available accommodation was giving them problems recruiting and growing their businesses.

The 2019 NHT study aligned with us trying to develop an area of land at Ardvourlie for affordable homes. A Feasibility Study ruled out modular building techniques but could not come up with a viable traditional build solution. We priced a larger development to get economies of scale but were then laden with the additional cost of pavements, streetlights and turning heads. A smaller development meant large utility connection costs could not be aggregated.

In 2020 an opportunity arose to purchase a partially developed site. We had already worked with the previous owner to de-croft the house site - so knew it well. The neighbours in Meavaig North were very supportive of the project and are keen to see new homes and new families arriving.

Partially developed site purchased

One of the big barriers to development in any rural community is the cost of connection to services. The site at Meavaig already had water and electricity, and planning permission for a 4 bedroom house.

The following two years have been spent trying to find a viable way of developing the site, bearing in mind the end product is affordable homes with a capped rent. Again, we tried the traditional build route and was quoted nearly £1M for a 2 and a 3 bed house on a site with services and a pad. Finally, at the start of 2023 one of our directors was on holiday on the Isle of Barra and popped in to the Modular West factory for a look. Following that visit, we investigated modular-build housing in more detail.

It has taken the best part of two years to get through the Planning and Building Control processes and then to construct a funding package that suits. With the help of G&GA Architecture, we secured planning approval at the start of 2024. The Community-led Local Development’s (CLLD) fund contributed to the fees. Six months later we secured a Building Warrant which allowed us to finally get a firm price from Modular West. With this in hand, we applied to both ScotGov Rural Housing Fund and the SSE Renewables Hydro Community Fund to match our own contribution. Late 2024/early 2025 brought success on both fronts. We could then commit to the build and get the house construction scheduled in the factory.

The final funding package totaled just over £800K and was made up:

North Harris Trust 46%

Rural Housing Fund 33%

SSE Renewables Hydro Community Fund 18%

Other 3%

Work starts to extend the pad

The permitted design is for two detached houses. Both are single storey -one steel clad and one timber clad to  fit in with the existing housing in the township. The existing pad has been extended to allow the two houses to sit side by side looking out over the loch. The smaller house will be black - burned larch clad. It will have two bedrooms. The larger house which will be rusty red – steel-clad will have three bedrooms and a family bathroom as well as an en-suite. The houses are well insulated with mechanical heat recovery systems for efficient heating and the removal of moisture.

Proposed houses

The first blocks have now been laid for the foundations. The groundworks will complete over the next few weeks. Then there will be the long wait till the buildings come off the production line. We hope to see the buildings on site at the end of the summer with keys being handed over in September.

The first blocks are laid on the foundation

Developing affordable houses in remote rural communities takes time and patience -so a few more months is bearable. By this time next year though, the issues and routine set-backs involved in construction will all have been forgotten and we will be seeking out our next opportunity to help build a sustainable community in North Harris.