Services

Local Housing Strategy and Housing Need and Demand Assessment

Statutory housing duties and how Argyll and Bute Council and its partners will tackle the housing issues in our area.

The Council's Role

The Council no longer has its own housing since transferring stock to ACHA in 2006. However, as the Strategic Housing Authority, the council has a number of statutory duties and responsibilities in terms of delivery and investment of affordable housing, and improving house condition across all housing sectors. The documents below set out our statutory housing duties and show how Argyll and Bute Council and its partners will tackle the housing issues in our area. They detail the housing issues, the positive improvements that we want to see and what we are doing to help make these changes happen. 

Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 2022-2027 

The Argyll and Bute Local Housing Strategy (LHS), outlining the council’s vision and investment priorities for the area’s housing sector over the next 5 years, from 2022 to 2027, was formally launched in March 2022, following approval by the Scottish Government. The LHS sets out the joint approach the Council and its partners will take to delivering high quality housing and housing-related services across Argyll and Bute. The overarching vision is that “Everyone in Argyll & Bute has access to a suitable, high quality home which is affordable and located within a vibrant, sustainable and connected community.”

For further information or clarification please contact:

Local Housing Strategy Team - localhousingstrategy@argyll-bute.gov.uk 

We will review this page throughout the LHS development process to keep our communities updated with progress. 

To watch and listen to the briefing papers on YouTube click on the following links:

Local Housing Strategy (LHS) 2022-2027 Annual Updates

Housing Need and Demand Assessment (HNDA) 2021

Local strategic planning for housing is driven by the assessment of housing need. The Housing (Scotland) Act 2001 places a duty on local authorities to develop Local Housing Strategies, informed by an assessment of housing need and demand in their area. 

HNDA supporting documents:

Community Housing Assessment Toolkit (CHAT)

Demand for housing in Argyll and Bute is high and many communities and organisations are keen to improve local supply of housing. One of the initial challenges can be to define what housing is required in the community, whom it is for, and where it is most needed. 

The Argyll and Bute Council Community Housing Assessment Toolkit (CHAT) is a framework to support organisations to assess housing needs within local communities, which will help to plan and deliver the right homes in the right places. By assessing localised information, the toolkit can identify specific local needs, and will help you approach your housing need in a structured manner that meets Scottish Government criteria. This allows housing needs across the local authority area to be assessed against standardised data; streamlines decision-making; makes partnership working easier; and supports funding applications.

The CHAT is for any group who have an interest in housing development in the Argyll and Bute area.  This can include: Community Councils, Local Development Trusts, Local employers, Registered Social Landlords, Private developers, land owners and estates and Special Interest Groups, etc.

The Local Housing Strategy team can support organisations to undertake CHAT assessment for your community.   

If you are interested in using the CHAT tool to carry out a community housing need assessment, please contact the housing strategy team for further information at localhousingstrategy@argyll-bute.gov.uk or call 01369 800503

Housing and Health and Care Needs

Housing Contribution Statements provide the main link between the strategic planning processes for housing and for health & social care at a local level. Following the establishment of the Integration Authority and localities, the Housing Contribution Statement (HCS) is intended to become an integral part of the Strategic Plan. It sets out an  overarching strategic statement on how housing services intend to work with the Integration Authority, whether functions have been delegated to it or not, to deliver its outcomes. The Housing Contribution Statement and links to the Argyll and Bute Joint Strategic Plan are available below:

 Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 

The Strategic Housing Investment plan (SHIP) is the key statement of housing development priorities in the Argyll & Bute area. This plan guides the allocation of government and other funding and is an essential adjunct to the LHS.  The SHIP is available below.

Section 72 Statement of Assistance for Private Sector Housing

The Housing (Scotland) Act 2006 requires the local authority to prepare a statement setting out the assistance available for private sector owners, landlords and tenants to improve the condition of their housing and provide adaptations for disabled people. Click on this link for a copy Section 72 Statement of Assistance.

Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) 2019 – 2024

The Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan (RRTP) 2019 – 2024 for Argyll and Bute was agreed by the Council in November 2018. The RRTP is a new planning framework for local authorities and their partners to transition to a Rapid Rehousing and Housing First approach. Rapid Rehousing is an ambitious proposal which should be delivered in the context of creating and sustaining mixed and diverse communities across the whole of Argyll and Bute. Click on this link for a copy RRTP.

Contact Details

If you require any further information regarding any of the information on this page or have a query regarding housing strategies please do not hesitate to contact the team at:

Housing Services 
Telephone: 01369 800503
Email: localhousingstrategy@argyll-bute.gov.uk 

Accessibility

Due to certain constraints, we have had to include documents on this page that may cause accessibility issues for people using assistive technologies. We are working hard to make all the information on this site as accessible as possible.

For more information on accessibility and details on how to get accessible versions of the documents on this page, please see our Accessibility statement.

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