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Rural Housing Service
Annual Conference 2010
Sponsored By
      
Building Inclusive Rural Communities
Rural
Housing Service Annual Conference - took place on February 25/26, The Birnam
Institute, By Dunkeld, Perthshire.
The Rural Housing Service Annual Conference 2010 featured debate
and discussion on the significant issues facing rural Scotland today
from building affordable housing without grant aid and the
sustainability of rural life to community action planning and the
prominence of the rural perspective in national policy.
Highlights
included a Ministerial Address from Alex Neil MSP, Minister for
Housing and Communities.
The Minister
announced at the Conference that from 1 April, the rent assumption
used to calculate HAG for affordable housing projects in areas
classified as remote rural or remote small towns will be discounted
by 5%.
The following link takes you into the Scottish Government website
and to a map detailing the Scottish Government’s 6-Fold Urban Rural
Classification, which from 1 April will apply to the AHIP. This
should allow the Scottish Government to more accurately assess the
impact of affordable housing investment in rural Scotland:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/07/29152642/3
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/07/29152642/3
.
The review of rural housing grants underlined the valuable
contribution which they make to an important niche in the rural
housing market. It is likely that a number of adjustments will be
made to the operation of RHOGs, including targeting funding more
closely to Scotland’s most rural areas. An announcement on the
changes is expected early in the new financial year. The positive
feedback on the Rural Homes for Rent pilot is welcomed and
consideration into the possibility of a second round of funding is
underway.
As
well as the address by Alex Neil MSP, there were speakers/workshop
sessions by Hugh Raven of the Soil Association/Sustainable
Development Commission; Victoria Pymm from the Commission for Rural Communities on
rural proofing government policy; Neil Clapperton of Grampian
Housing Association on
building affordable housing without grant aid;
Neil Stephen from leading rural architects Dualchas on
rural housing
design; and David James, RHE Monmouthshire and South Powys, on the
Welsh experience of rural housing enablers .
Presentations
available to view by clicking on the links in the above section or
here:
Rural Proofing - Victoria Pymm
Affordable Housing with no Grant Aid - Neil
Clapperton
Rural
Housing Design - Neil Stephen
Rural
Housing Enablers in Wales - David James
For
further information please contact
Derek Logie
on 07824318337
derek@ruralhousingscotland.org
or
Amanda Harvey on 01361884698 amanda@ruralhousingscotland.org
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