Aims

The aim of SEDA Land’s Building Futures series is to stimulate more sustainable placemaking in rural Scotland in order to reverse depopulation – through a focus on housing, communal spaces, workplaces, economic development and infrastructure, including good broadband connections.

In the fourth Conversation, we will look at what the Scottish Government can do to speed up the creation of more sustainable communities, referring back to obstacles identified in the previous discussions:

• How can communities access more land to build new homes?

• Can social value be clearly defined as a legally-binding benchmark, attracting recognition of the wider and multiple benefits that sustainable placemaking brings including better health? Could this justify the redirection of funds from other government departments such as NHS Scotland?

• Can funds be better distributed between communities and intermediary organisations such as the Communities Housing Trust?

The previous Building Futures events have looked at how local government might engage more proactively with communities, housing associations, housing co-operatives and self builders to promote more public interest-led developments. We have investigated alternative funding models and asked communities what obstacles they face.

information

Thursday 22nd February 2024.

4pm-6pm

Macdonald Highland Resort, Aviemore and online

This event is part of the Rural Housing Scotland Conference 2024.

ARTISTIC INTERLUDES have been especially commissioned for this event. You will be the first to hear traditional musician Moteh Parrott sing 'Our Hands'.and poet Chris Powici. read ‘Rothiemurchus’ and ‘Aviemore’.

Megan MacInnes

Applecross Community Company

Megan has over 20 years' experience working on land reform in Scotland and internationally, particularly throughout Southeast Asia, with community groups, NGOs, governments, international organisations and large agribusiness companies. She has considerable expertise in protecting land rights, land management, community empowerment, natural resource governance and human rights. She grew up on Skye and is now part of a crofting family in Applecross. She was a Scottish Land Commissioner until December 2023 and is the Local Development Manager for the Applecross Community Company, where she is responsible for delivering a community-led affordable housing project.

Morven Fancey

Head of skills and population, Highlands & Islands Enterprise

Morven investigates the link between housing and economic growth in the Highlands and Islands and why national policies to support both need to be aligned and adjusted to fit with the specific conditions of remote rural and island communities. She works in the Highlands and Islands Population Working Group addressing depopulation. Morven has 30 years’ experience of working in rural economic development in the region. More recently she has focussed on addressing depopulation in rural locations in island and west coast communities where the lack of housing is now recognised as the major barrier to sustaining and growing the population AND the economy.

Helen MacDonald

Housing Development Manager, Mull and Iona Community Trust

Helen MacDonald has worked for Mull and Iona Community Trust since 2014, successfully delivering two award-winning phases of affordable rental housing at Ulva Ferry on the island.  Helen is now working on a variety of innovative projects across Mull and Iona to facilitate increasing the supply of affordable homes, including a joint project with Argyll & Bute Council to deliver worker accommodation, a crofting feasibility study and a workable shared equity ownership scheme for the islands.

A graduate of Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities, Helen has spent over 20 years working in the Scottish public and third sector – previously in Edinburgh and Glasgow, before returning home to Tobermory 10 years ago with her young family.

Ronnie MacRae

Chief executive, Communities Housing Trust

Ronnie ischief executive at Communities Housing Trust. He has worked with hundreds of communities across Scotland and facilitating well over 1,000 affordable homes.

Chris Morgan

Director, John Gilbert Architects

Chris is an architect and a Director at John Gilbert Architects with over 30 years’ experience in ecological design and sustainable development. He has maintained a range of experience from masterplanning and energy infrastructure, through to award-winning and innovative architecture, research and teaching. Previously a Chair of the Scottish Ecological Design, Chris is one of only four architects with advanced sustainable architecture accreditation from the RIAS. He is a design review panellist for Architecture + Design Scotland and has certification in Passivhaus design, building biology and permaculture.