Housing crisis on Arran leaves hundreds of islanders without homes (The Guardian, 22 Apr 2019)

• Housing crisis on Arran leaves hundreds of islanders without homes

• By Severin Carrell and James McEnaney. Published in the Guardian on 22 April 2019

• https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/22/housing-crisis-on-arran-leaves-hundreds-of-islanders-without-homes

• Summary:

  • The Arran Economic Group (AEG) hopes to be the first community organisation in Scotland to use government funds to build dozens of affordable homes aimed at local workers, which will be given out based on economic rather than social need.

  • The group, made up of local business people and community activists, believes houses on the island are among the least affordable in the UK. Arran’s average annual wage is £24,000, but average house prices are eight to 10 times that, giving it an affordability ratio nearly as bad as in London.

  • The problem has been exacerbated by the number of properties used for tourists or bought by retirees, who take up a significant number of homes on the island, pushing up prices and resulting in shortages of homes to rent.

  • An investigation by the Guardian has found that 23% of the houses on Arran are used for holiday homes or second homes. This is one of the highest rates in the UK, and is thought to be second only to St Ives in Cornwall where a quarter of properties are holiday homes.

• Keywords: Arran, Arran Economic Group, AEG, Scotland, United Kingdom, UK, affordability, property market, tourism, holiday homes, second hoes, St Ives, Cornwall, England