Council and HHP in Harris housing clash

​In exchanges seen by the Gazette, the Comhairle has urged HHP to build 12 houses for rent on a site at Leverburgh pier while the housing agency contends that only six can be justified on grounds of demand.

The Comhairle has offered to cover “risk” involved in going ahead with 12 houses but this has been rejected by HHP. A council official wrote: “They are unwilling to progress, even with that offer and went through a range of reasons why the risk of proceeding with 12 is too high”.

As well as being of extreme importance to South Harris, the dispute has brought to the surface tensions between the HHP and the Comhairle over what it regards as a risk-averse approach to building houses in rural areas of the Western Isles.

One council source said: “HHP operate in a silo and do not have any interest in pursuing local targets regarding housing and jobs and the bigger goals of retaining and growing population”.

However, a statement from HHP said they were “very aware” of feeling with the community but would have to “re-profile” their investment plans in order to build 12 houses in Leverburgh. The HHP board was due to meet on Wednesday.

Harris councillor Paul Finnegan called for discussions to continue. He said: “There are 13 on the waiting list but the demand is much higher than that. We will be meeting HHP again in the next couple of weeks and I hope they can be persuaded of the case for 12 houses.

“They obviously have to take account of risk as they see it and we have to stress the importance of this to the community. South Harris Community Council are closely involved in making that case. We need to keep talking to get a solution”.

Councillor Norman Macdonald, vice-chair of the Comhairle’s sustainable development committee, said: “Housing is pivotal to economic development and sustainability in fragile economic areas like the Western Isles generally and places like Leverburgh specifically. We need to work together to find solutions, and soon”.

In a statement to the Gazette, HHP said: “The site capacity is 12 homes. HHP have applied for planning permission for 12 homes.

"Completion of the development is dependent on receiving planning permission, tender prices being affordable and having sustainable demand.

“The other factor is we have borrowing in place for 62 homes in 2023/24 so the SHIP (investment plan) will need to be reprofiled if Leverburgh is to be amended to 12 homes in 2023/24.

“The risk for development sits 100 per cent with HHP and our tenants. We are very aware of the strong feeling within the community that 12 homes should be built so we are working with the Comhairle to explore options for mitigating the risk of building 12 homes as opposed to the six currently identified in the SHIP for Leverburgh”.

South Harris has been particularly hard hit by a boom in demand for crofts and houses in scenic areas at prices far beyond local reach.

Local businesses and plans for economic development have faced problems due to families being unable to find accommodation, with the houses that do come on the market being sold way in excess of what those on ordinary wages can afford.

The community council have previously made it clear that there is no shortage of jobs in the local area, but companies are finding it difficult to attract individuals due to the accommodation situation.