The Highlands and Islands is a place which constantly punches above its weight, leading in renewable energy, agriculture, and landscapes that inspire our local artists as well as those who are part of the seemingly exponential growth of visitors every year.
But increasingly, we are also constantly fighting the symptoms of depopulation.
Growing up here, I saw first-hand the struggle of young people and families to stay in the communities they love. Friends left for opportunities elsewhere, not because they wanted to, but because they felt that’s what they had to do – often spurred on by parents who repeated the myth that there are no opportunities here.
As the former minister responsible for population issues, I know it’s a complex issue. But for me, knowing that there are endless exciting opportunities for young people in the Highlands and Islands, and believing it is fundamentally a great place to live, I always return to the same question: Are we building homes for people, or merely for profit?
Speculators and portfolio landlords drive up prices in places they know tourists will come, and very quickly, people who “just” want to live in the community can’t afford to.
Once school rolls dwindle to mothballing levels, restaurants cut opening times during off-season, and public services start to cut back in the area in response to low use, the fight to restore a community becomes far more difficult.
This isn’t some abstract demographic trend; it’s a lived reality that impacts every aspect of the places it is affecting.
Take for example, a small village on the Isle of Skye, where a young family, both working in good jobs that locals needed done, found themselves priced out of buying or renting even a modest home.
Every available property seemed to be either a second home sitting empty for much of the year, or a short-term holiday let commanding astronomical rates.
When one did come on the market, it disappeared the same day, purchased sight-unseen by someone who knew they could rake in cash for it over the summer.
How can we expect our nurses, our teachers, our farmers, and our volunteers to stay and contribute to our communities if there’s simply nowhere for them to live?
This isn’t to say that tourism isn’t useful to our local economy – it absolutely is. Many people rely on it. But we have reached a point where the balance is dangerously skewed.
We have seen communities like Ullapool, where average house prices have soared – partly due to the proliferation of short-term lets – suffer from a lack of cleaners and other workers.
This isn’t just about affordability; it’s about the very fabric of our society. A holiday let, no matter how charmingly it might be presented, doesn’t send its children to the local school, volunteer for the RNLI, or serve on the community council.
Homes must primarily be for people who contribute to the daily life and sustainability of our communities.
This challenge isn’t confined to our rural areas. Even in the fast-growing capital of the Highlands, Inverness, the housing crisis is acute.
Despite exciting developments in industries like whisky, renewables, and exciting research, the sheer pace of urban sprawl is barely keeping up with demand, and often, the homes being built are simply out of reach for many.
Young people in particular are finding themselves priced out, forced to choose between leaving the region or enduring frustrating and lengthy commutes from more affordable areas.
We’re seeing a paradox where a city attracting significant investment in renewables and green industries struggles to house the very workforce it needs to fulfil its promises.
The Inverness and Cromarty Firth Green Freeport, for instance, is projected to bring thousands of new jobs, yet the Highland Council estimates over 24,000 new homes are needed in the next decade to meet demand – double the usual build rate.
If we don’t address this, the very opportunities we’re creating risk being undermined by a lack of fundamental infrastructure: Homes.
The solution will always start with housing. We need to see houses primarily as homes for people who work, volunteer, and raise their families here.
This means a relentless focus on increasing the supply of genuinely affordable housing across the Highlands and Islands.
We’re seeing positive steps, with initiatives like the Rural and Islands Housing Fund. I was particularly encouraged to see the recent completion of new family homes in Aviemore, specifically allocated for local key workers at a mid-market rent, supported by the Highland Housing Alliance and with Scottish Government funding. This is exactly the kind of targeted action that’s needed to tackle the local housing crisis.
We must go further. We need to empower our local authorities and community land trusts – like the fantastic work being done by the Communities Housing Trust, visible across the region – to acquire land and develop housing that is truly for local people.
We must explore all avenues, from supporting self-builders to bringing empty homes back into use, and –critically – effectively regulating the short-term let market.
The Scottish Government’s work on licensing short-term lets is a crucial step, but we must remain vigilant to ensure it has the desired impact and is reactive to any loopholes that emerge.
And community leaders need to take charge in identifying where stronger, localised planning controls are necessary to stem the fast flow of housing towards holiday letting.
Depopulation is not an insurmountable challenge, but it requires us to prioritise our people, communities, and future.
By ensuring that homes in the Highlands and Islands are first and foremost for those who call them home, we can reverse this trend and ensure our communities and out culture thrive for generations to come.
It’s time to put people before profit, and truly build homes for the future of our region.
Featured image via Natalie Hora / Shutterstock.
