LESLEY Riddoch shares a wide concern of lack of affordable homes across rural Scotland (Why I said I might set up a new party to challenge SNP after indyref2, October 17). Where communities own their land, affordable house sites with conditions are readily available. For example, in the John Muir Trust’s autumn 2019 newsletter it quotes the Knoydart Foundation stating they have provided eleven affordable rented homes compared to just two by Lochaber Housing Association, one by Highland Council and three privately rented.
READ MORE: Lesley Riddoch: Why I might make a new party after indyref2
Also the Scottish Crofting Federation produces a monthly digest of crofts for sale. Its October update lists 182 crofts for sale, including nine new additions since the previous month. 16 crofts have sold or are no longer listed. Average prices are £84,676.00 and over the past month 306.44 hectares/757.28 acres of croft land have been sold or are no longer on the market.
The hot spots such as the Isle of Skye have had only one crofting estate buyouts from a private owner but lots of land on the local crofting estates whose landlord is the Scottish Government. Crofters there could, if they so wished, take over these estates and provide land for homes on common grazings as part of a business plan.
As for David Morrison at Keoldale, Durness (Letters, October 20), the sheep club land he refers to does need local control, but like other community buyouts it would also be good to know what all the members think of a takeover. As a fairly recent member of the sheep club, I’m sure David Morrison could let us know how popular locally his buyout plans are.
To be sure, the acquisition of land for housing is the key to solving the acute shortage for working families. Local will and a need to cap sale prices of any land will require new laws in the next round of land reform. This was promised by land reform Cabinet secretary Roseanna Cunningham at the recent SNP conference in Aberdeen. It would be good to work together with her.
Rob Gibson
Evanton, Ross-shire
COUNCILLOR Andy Doig’s letter to the National (October 19) touched on the frequent ongoing neglect of private properties in key strategic locations in our towns and villages and the negative impact this can have on the communities affected.
There are many such examples in both urban and rural areas of Scotland. These neglected buildings – whose owners take no responsibility for their maintenance – can cause our towns to become unsightly, impact on the local economy and, in extreme cases, cause potential danger to the public.
I have a prime example in my ward in Ayr. The Station Hotel, once a wonderful iconic landmark of Ayr town centre, has been left to fall into ruin over the last 12 years by its overseas owner.
During that time, South Ayrshire Council has written endless correspondence to the owners, raising its concerns, almost all of which has been ignored.The Station Hotel is above Ayr Train Station. Last summer it became clear to South Ayrshire Council that the building was in such a state of neglect as to represent a danger to both rail passengers and the general public. It was forced to take a number of steps to ensure public safety including closing the Train Station and restricting the flow of traffic on important roads through Ayr. Not only did this have a huge impact on Ayr town centre but it also caused major disruption to rail travel in and out of Ayr and the whole of the south-west coast of Scotland.
Our train station has now reopened, although with only temporary facilities for rail staff and passengers, but we are left with a once iconic building shrouded in protective sheeting and indefinite disruption to traffic on key roads past the building.
This represents one of many examples of the negative impact the neglect of important, privately owned, buildings can have on our cities, towns and villages. The problem is only going to get worse without new legislation to put simple preventative measures in place.
Compulsory maintenance by building owners such as annual gutter cleaning would stop plants growing in gutters, blocking effective drainage and ultimately causing damage to roofs, pipework and masonry. Our towns and villages are scarred when owners neglect important buildings.
We need to able to enforce owners of such buildings to start to take some responsibility.
Cllr Siobhian Brown
Ayr West
EVEN with the UK being a member of the EU, Westminster has the power to involve us in America’s regime-changing invasions, collect ALL taxes, pass or change laws on immigration, capital punishment, drug regulations etc etc. If only the Scottish Government had the choices of powers as Westminster within the EU, it would make Scotland a normal country.
Bill Kerr
Cumbernauld
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