draft report - Scottish Crofting Federation

To identify governmental input that could help e.g.
• Rural exception policies
• Land Reform (Scotland) Act
• Access to services
• Increased funds from SE
• Affordable land initiative
To identify impacts resulting from this activity on croft land.
To identify low-cost, sustainable, energy-efficient building techniques appropriate to the area.
1.2. Methodology
The research has involved two distinct approaches:
1. an examination of the existing problem through a literature & data review and interviews with
crofting and housing agencies to quantify the level and character of housing need in the crofting counties
and to identify the constraints to the release of crofting land for housing.
2. and research to identify possible solutions to meeting housing need in crofting communities,
highlighting existing practice, innovation and new ideas to enable the utilisation of croft land for housing
without damaging crofting, through a literature and data review and interviews with government, crofting
communities and bodies, housing and development agencies.
The research involved interviews with crofting communities in Lewis, Harris, Tiree, Skye, Lochalsh and
Badenoch, along with interviews of key housing and crofting agencies in the Highlands & Islands.
Houses on Crofting Land Rural Housing Service 2007
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