Affordable Housing
The local community has come together as Tayvallich Initiative (a company limited by guarantee, with charitable status) to manage community-owned land and houses. Some land and a house was gifted to our community by previous owners of Tayvallich Estate, and further land and a second house was purchased in 2023 from Highlands Rewilding Ltd with an award from Scottish Land Fund.
Community-owned houses
Tayvallich Initiative manage two community-owned houses which have been renovated with support from Scottish Land Fund and Tayvallich Initiative community funding. Both properties are currently rented out by Tayvallich Initiative (registered landlord number 513378/130/30112) in accordance with the TI Housing Allocations Policy, which can be viewed by clicking here.
Rural Housing Burdens to support homes and local livelihoods
Tayvallich Initiative was granted Rural Housing Body status by the Scottish Government in November 2024. This status will assist the community to safeguard affordable housing for future generations by being able to oversee Rural Housing Burdens on houses in the area with the aim that such housing remains available to local people.
Rural Housing Burdens come with a commitment to live in a property as the primary residence (either as owner occupier or as tenant with a private residential tenancy), and this helps to ensure that there’s housing stock for those living and working in the area. The commitment passes to each new owner at each sale so that there’s continuity generation after generation. This set-up does not undervalue the economic benefits of holiday lets, which bring money into the economy and allow many people to enjoy time in Knapdale, but Rural Housing Burdens help to keep a balance of options for both holiday lets and permanent residents.
A number of houses on the Tayvallich peninsular have been sold with a Rural Housing Burden. In 2024/25 Highlands Rewilding Ltd (HRL) opened an offer to sell certain properties to tenants and new home owners (as well as selling other parts of the estate). It wasn’t expected that Rural Housing Burdens would be applied so soon after TI became a Rural Housing Body, but with this offer and with HRL’s commitment in the Memorandum of Understanding to apply these to sales of properties or plots, a number of Rural Housing Burdens have now been established at Tayvallich. Anyone in the area can, if they wish, add a Rural Housing Burden to their home, and further information is available from info@tayvallichinitiative.org
Our community-led housing project
Our community-led housing project is taking an active approach to tackling the local housing crisis and commissioned a needs analysis and engaged in several community meetings to ensure that the housing needs were identified and that the housing project would meet the expectations and requirements of our community.
With funding from the Scottish Land Fund, a Project Development Manager for housing was recruited in February 2024 to lead the development of the Community Housing Project.
A development and delivery housing partner was sought in early 2024 through an open procurement process, with community discussions at TI Community Steering Group meetings. TI Board of Directors approved Communities Housing Trust as the preferred community housing partner at the July 2024 board meeting.
In 2026 Communities Housing Trust is working with Tayvallich Initiative to do a detailed feasibility study for housing at Polldearg. Designs were worked up for a community consultation afternoon in May 2026. This study is funded by a grant from Argyll & Bute Council.
Who are Community Housing Trust?
Communities Housing Trust (CHT) is a registered charity and social enterprise focused on building sustainable rural communities across central and northern Scotland.
CHT is the leading organisation for facilitating community-led housing in Scotland.
Founded in 1998 as the Highlands Small Communities Housing Trust, CHT has earned a reputation for providing essential affordable housing and accompanying amenities such as shops, services and schools, which are all key to the sustainable social and economic wealth and wellbeing of our communities.
Taking a holistic view and a creative approach that looks beyond just housing, CHT works cooperatively with a wide range of public and private stakeholders to actively tackle repopulation and find viable solutions to the evolving challenges of community development in less well-served places.
Since their inception, CHT have worked at the forefront of the sector, dedicating themselves to supporting communities and identifying inequalities. Since 1998 CHT have worked on more than 120 community-led projects, often in remote, rural areas, to provide over 1,000 crucial affordable homes and other amenities.
CHT have pioneered a range of housing tenure, financial and technical solutions (such as the Rural Housing Burden) that provide choice and support, giving groups confidence to grow their communities over time and in a sustainable manner. Part of this work frequently includes supporting communities to transfer land and assets into community ownership.
What does our Tayvallich Initiative housing project look like?
Our community housing development aims are to:
- Fundraise and build approximately ten affordable homes at Polldearg, on community-owned land.
- Rent affordable homes to local community and key workers.
- Deliver long-term management of the rental houses which will likely be undertaken by the Communities Housing Trust.
- Make available two self-build plots for sale with rural housing burden applied or sell two houses with rural housing burden applied.
- Create a network of paths as part of the site, which could include a children’s nature trail and cycling options, linking the paths to the village and to existing surrounding walking trails.