draft report - Scottish Crofting Federation

5 Constraints on the Release of Croft Land to Relieve Housing Pressure
5.1. Introduction
The release of croft land by crofters for house sites to enable new households to build their own home is
not unusual in the crofting counties. Crofters have for decades decrofted land for a house site for family
members. Some will have gifted or sold land at a nominal price for house sites solely recouping the legal
costs of decrofting and selling - when approached by friends or other members of their community. This
land release has been important in helping local people access housing in their community.
5.2. Crofters attitudes towards release of land for housing
This practice continues today but many crofters are becoming wary of their generosity being taken
advantage of in a rising housing market. Anecdotes of sites sold in good faith for nominal sums being soldon
on the open market, or houses built on land sold by crofters for low prices being sold for huge prices as
holiday homes are becoming common place within crofting circles. Although actual examples of crofter s
generosity being exploited are rare, the fear of being ripped off is changing some crofters attitudes to land
release at low cost.
The attitude of individual crofters and common grazings committees is crucial to whether land for
affordable housing is available in crofting communities. Many grazings committees are very resistant to the
idea of giving up common grazings land for housing particularly social housing. This is perceived to be
accompanied by problem families, anti social behaviour and social work involvement. Resistance to the
release of land is also due to a wish to protect crofting some perceive the sale of land for housing as
whittling away at the viability of the crofting way of life.
Whilst some grazings committees are motivated from a desire to protect crofting, others have just not
considered the idea, or have no idea as to how to go about the process. Others have not pursued the idea
because they have not received reassurances on matters such as Right to buy, local lettings, anti social
behaviour, or continued affordability of houses for sale, and it all appears too difficult. Although common
grazings continues to be an untapped source of land for housing, some grazings committees have
released land for house plots to individuals but not to housing associations; whilst others have been
proactive in developing links with housing associations to build housing for rent and sale.
In Plockton, the Grazings Committee have agreed to release land for the local housing association to
develop housing for rent. there was a great deal of debate amongst the shareholders however as some
had long memories and remembered that crofters had released land for council housing in the village
which had subsequently been sold through right to buy and then sold on as holiday homes. They needed
reassurance that a sale to a housing association would not see history repeating itself.
Houses on Crofting Land Rural Housing Service 2007
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