VISION FOR NORTHMAVINE – 5 YEARS AHEAD………………….. ➢ We’ll have a mix of social and private housing ➢ The Scottish Government has a permanent Rural Homes scheme ➢ Housing is constructed in very small, mixed developments to share the costs of services and site development ➢ A land bank register of potential house sites is available to the public ➢ Land is set aside for starter social housing ➢ We have a ‘Bank of Northmavine’ for self-build mortgages ➢ Grants are widely available to help refurbish empty properties ➢ New accommodation brings in more residents ➢ There are three primary schools, able to cope with the population increase ➢ The population of Northmavine is almost 900 (increased by almost 100) ➢ Small changes can make a big difference here – two or three families in each area can make a change ➢ Community-run café and crafts space is up and running ➢ Northmavine is a desirable suburb of a built-up Brae
Current positive aspects of Northmavine ➢ We are a self-reliant community. People are willing to do thing for themselves here! Housing, clubs, halls etc ➢ Folk are committed to the community: community groups, voluntary work and community improvements ➢ Primary school numbers are steadily increasing ➢ Some older houses are being renovated ➢ Four social homes built since 2010 ➢ 11 planning applications for approved for private/self/build homes since 2010. 9 complete ➢ Tourism is thriving in Eshaness – opportunity for tourists/visitors to spend money there ➢ 5000 visitors to Tangwick Haa museum (2014) ➢ 14000 or 15000 visitors to Braewick Café (2014) ➢ Young people are moving to Northmavine, creating a thriving community ➢ Employment is available relatively closely – SVT, Gas Plant, Scatsta, Aquaculture ➢ Crofts here produce food for the local market – lamb. Beef etc ➢ The number of households in Northmavine has risen to 353 in 2014 from 328 in 2007. A gain of 25. ➢ There is housing demand; it might be classed by the local authority and housing association as small, but it is demand
Northmavine – the challenges General comments: ➢ We need to keep a body of services (health centre, fire service, social care workers) ➢ Shetland has difficulty filling GP posts; possible threat to rural services ➢ Service provision in rural areas needs to be flexible ➢ Rural communities are cyclic ➢ Having critical mass is a challenge ➢ Childcare is a challenge ➢ Folk need a car ➢ Fuel costs ➢ There’s a perception of remoteness Housing: ➢ It’s difficult to get a site to build a house ➢ Private housing lets are expensive and prohibitive to local people ➢ It’s a challenge to build more social housing ➢ Difficult to build affordable housing ➢ A lack of housing for young people ➢ A low turn-over of social housing ➢ Lots of social houses have been sold to the tenant ➢ Difficult to access self-build mortgages Transport and Young People: ➢ Public transport to allow young folk to meet up with friends/attend events in Lerwick ➢ Some bus journeys take longer with the rejigged timetables ➢ Lack of things for young folk to do locally Communications: ➢ Poor broadband speeds and reliability in many areas of Northmavine Employment: ➢ Risks are involved in being self-employed ➢ Difficult to recruit staff and find accommodation for potential new staff Crofting: ➢ Could some of the big landusers split/share land to encourage new entrants into crofting? ➢ Young people need access to croft land ➢ The Crofting Commission regulatory role is lacking ➢ Crofting regulation puts people off
Northmavine – the opportunities Business and Employment ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Opportunity for young people to train in the oil and gas industry Look for potential business opportunities and gaps in current provision Provide support for people who would potentially like to become self employed GPS have trained in Northmavine in the past – this could help attract future GPs
Housing ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢ ➢
Create a community housing association Develop innovative housing options Consider very affordable housing options NCDC owns land – this could be used for several uses, including housing Could the site at the old Urafirth School be developed as potential house sites? Folk in the community could get together and build houses between them Raise funds locally for self-build houses Create a ‘dating agency’ for house sites – put potential builders together with landowners Identify possible land for housing and feed this into the Shetland Local Development Plan Northmavine is a good alternative to live in for those who work at SVT, Scatsta etc
Tourism ➢ There is great potential for tourism but there needs to be mechanisms to create income for local people ➢ Adventure tourism: guided walks, kayaking, caving, coasteering ➢ Create tourism packages; walks, coasteering, croft visits etc ➢ Could we offer a factoring service to people who own second homes in Northmavine. These could be let to tourists as self-catering for part of the season when the owners were not there? Crofting ➢ Encourage a larger base of crofters in Northmavine ➢ Agriculture is important to Northmavine in terms of income/lifestyle/opportunity for housing but also important to Shetland as a whole in terms of food production