There is a widely accepted view that there are not enough new homes being built to meet housing need and demand in rural Scotland, which is evidenced by the publication of the Rural and Islands Housing Action Plan (RIHAP) and declarations of housing emergencies by councils such as Argyll and Bute and the Scottish Borders.

In an earlier report commissioned by the Scottish Land Commission, Reid et al (2020) examined the role of land in enabling and/or constraining the supply of new housing in rural and remote rural areas of Scotland. They argued that a wide range of factors –including land ownership constraints, land prices, costs of development, site effectiveness, limited skills and resources, and planning constraints, for example – were preventing rural sites from being developed.

Increasing the supply of new build, affordable housing in rural Scotland is key to meeting housing need, as well as reversing depopulation and supporting economic growth opportunities (where these exist) in rural areas. The prescription offered by Reid et al was improving planning and engagement, supporting innovations where they prove effective and consolidating support structures (ibid: 4).

In this report, we pick up where they left off. Our aim is to build on their conclusions by making some practical recommendations to help deliver a 10-year pipeline of developable land for new housing development in rural Scotland.