Communities
Housing
A key part of its work is SEBG's commitment to affordable rural housing. If rural Scotland is to flourish, it needs people to do so and those people must be able to afford to live in the communities in which they work.
Estates are the biggest providers of affordable rural housing in Scotland. Members of SEBG currently manage in excess of 3,000 private let properties across Scotland, mostly in rural areas, so the issues of maintaining rural housing are ones with which the Group has much experience.
- Lothian Estate is installing the services and marketing a 26 plot housing development in Jedburgh for self-build by buyers.
- Buccleuch Estate s has recently made available land for sheltered housing at Thornhill, and for 700 houses on the outskirts of Dalkeith. It also has a key role to play in planning regeneration, for example in Dalkeith.
- Atholl Estates has made land available for 32 housing association units and 12 private homes over the last 3 years, with plans for another 10 housing association units and 30 private units in next 2 years.
- Dunecht Estates are in a conservation area, so it takes a close interest in the design of local buildings. A number of plots of land have been sold for development, with the most recent a sale to the local housing association for 15 mainstream units and 4 affordable units.
- The Argyll Estate is represented on the Tiree Development Partnership and supports the provision of affordable housing. Plans have been developed to create affordable housing sites from common grazing on Mull with 50% of revenue going to the crofting tenants.
- Dalhousie Estates released land at Edzell in 2002 for the development of 41 houses, whilst 300 to 400 houses are to be built in 3 phases on land made available by the Estate at Brechin.
- The Abercorn Estates , Baronscourt Estate, provides 17 affordable cottages for local people to rent.
