Plans unveiled to increase social housing on Arran

Action is underway to address Arran’s housing issues after a new report revealed the island is the second-most difficult place in the UK after London to access affordable housing.North Ayrshire Council has joined forces with Arran Economic Group to develop proposals to tackle the problem head on.These new properties will form part of a wider masterplan to build 1,000 new council homes across North Ayrshire Council within the next five years.The ambitious programme has been announced following a report from the Arran Economic Group which shows that across the UK, Arran is second only to London in terms of difficulty in accessing affordable housing in the UK.The study shows that Arran’s housing affordability ratio (based on an average salary of £24k) is ranked as 8.2 while London stands at 10.4. The average figure for the UK is 5.3 while the average in Scotland is 3.3.There are approximately 2,100 households on Arran, yet only about 16% (342) are social housing properties, operated by Trust Housing Association. The majority of properties on the island are privately owned with 22% of these classed as second homes – meaning a lack of affordable housing is available.The plan has the backing of Arran Economic Group, whose study illustrated the urgent need for more affordable housing on the island.