Applecross housing project welcomes lottery land fund boost in bid to tackle 'crisis'
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A PROJECT to build homes for the elderly or vulnerable adults in Applecross has received a lottery boost.
Applecross Community Company has been awarded £11,900 to purchase part of the garden of Applecross Surgery from NHS Highland and develop three two-bedroom properties for affordable housing aimed to support older people in the community.
Roslyn Clarke, local development officer with ACC, said it was great news and would make a big difference in addressing the housing crisis in Applecross.
"This is the first purchase of land the community has undertaken through the Community Asset Transfer process. Receiving funding from the Scottish Land Fund will empower the community to address its housing shortage.”
She said the total cost of the Camusterrach Housing project will be about £440,000 and they would be applying to the Rural Housing Fund to support the project and Scottish and Southern Energy have pledged £56,000 from its sustainable development fund.
"We will be prioritising the houses for people with care needs or vulnerable adults. The project is for three two-bedroom “all-access” houses for affordable rent ."
ACC was formed in 2008 and runs the local filling station on the peninsula and the public toilets at Applecross and secured community broadband for the area.
They are hopeful the housing project will be completed by March 2021.
The project is modelled as an affordable housing project and will be fully owned by the Applecross Community Company.
Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Land Reform Roseanna Cunningham said: “This substantial set of Scottish Land Fund grants will enable eight diverse projects across the country to buy up key assets for the benefit of local people and put the ownership and responsibility of key services and facilities right at the heart of the community.
“The Scottish Land Fund supports a wide range of community ownership projects. Behind each one lies a story, as well as a great deal of hard work and commitment from local residents to unlock the opportunity that this funding brings."
The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2016. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by the National Lottery Community Fund and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
