NPF4 objectives met by these projects: Local Living and 20 minute neighbourhoods; Quality homes; Design, quality and place; Brownfield, vacant and derelict land and empty buildings; Rural homes; Energy. 

The affordability and availability of housing in Dunoon is a key local challenge fuelling poverty and feeding into depopulation and limited economic growth. In 22/23 there were 114 homeless presentations in Cowal, including Dunoon. Despite Argyll and Bute Council declaring a Housing Crisis, also in 2023, innovation in this area is slow. The costs of building and retro fitting homes and tackling depopulation through the provision of housing has not yet resulted in major change. 

In Dunoon, for every social rented property, there are 3 people waiting for a property.  

Dunoon has high levels of single adult households, including older people living in family sized homes. Although there is demand for larger family properties there are not the mechanisms or housing stock to meet the needs of families who want larger afforable homes and older people who want smaller homes that are easy to maintain. 

Although house prices in this area of Argyll and Bute are relatively low, low wages and high levels of people on benefits makes private housing unaffordable.  

In addition, housing age and condition makes homes more challenging to heat and upgrade. The high levels of rainfall increases the levels of damp in properties, which in-turn impacts on health and fuel poverty, as these homes are more challenging to heat. 

Inappropriate repairs to older buildings, including over cladding, poorly fitted windows and insulation can result in situations where issues like damp are exacerbated. The CARS project which has focused on bringing older buildings back into use within  Dunoon’s conservation area has attempted to work with local contractors to support professional development, but this work has been challenging. 

According to housing tenure patterns in Dunoon (Jan 2023), there are 429 homes that are ineffective. Holiday and second homes will account for some of this problem, but complex and unknown ownership situations and poor repair and maintenance may also be key factors. 

Community Action Plan 

• Respond more effectively to the local housing crisis, help the community retain young people and look after vulnerable people by prioritising the construction of more affordable homes in Dunoon in partnership with social housing providers and key sectors, including health and forestry. 

• Bring innovation, carbon reduction, forestry, construction and education stakeholders together to explore how to make Dunoon and Kirn a centre of excellence for the sustainable construction of homes and forestry research.  

• Be inspired by the story of What Have We Dunoon, build on the historic connections the area has to forestry through Benmore Botanic Gardens, Kilmun Arboretum and Forestry and Land Scotland, and the CARS project to develop training that supports the development of a home-grown retro fitting task force, bringing high quality jobs and training opportunities for young people into the town. 

• Innovate to attract working age people into the town. Look at providing a range of housing options including co-housing, retro fitting and refurbishement of older properties. shared equity, and self-build plots