Housing strategies and policies

This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Local Housing Strategy for 2024-2029, setting out the evidence, priorities and actions needed to improve housing supply, quality and access across the islands. It aims to deliver 1,035 new homes over 10 years, bring empty homes back into use, improve energy efficiency and reduce fuel poverty, while supporting homelessness prevention and independent living. The strategy focuses on More Homes, Quality Warm Homes, and Access and Choice of Housing for All, with progress monitored through regular partnership reviews.

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This document contains a report on consultation for Orkney Islands Council’s Local Housing Strategy 2024–2029. It summarises 62 responses on the strategy’s vision, priorities, outcomes and action plan, including concerns about housing supply, empty and holiday homes, housing quality, affordability and fair access across the islands. The report also covers equality and island community impacts, and feedback from the Scottish Government. The final strategy strengthens its focus on families, local communities, island housing needs, empty homes and support for older and disabled people.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan for September 2025, setting out housing needs, funding and development priorities for the next 10 years. It identifies a need for 1,035 new homes across Orkney, including 638 affordable homes, with 320 affordable homes planned between 2026 and 2031. The plan covers sites, housing types, support for older people and essential workers, bringing empty homes back into use, and work with housing providers and island development trusts.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s assessment of housing need and demand from 2023 to 2042, covering population, affordability, housing stock, market pressures and specialist housing. It reports a current need for 198 households and estimates 1,837 additional homes under the main scenario, with a range of 562 to 3,214 homes under lower and higher migration scenarios. It also examines the need for accessible and wheelchair housing, student and worker accommodation, temporary housing, care homes and support services.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Homelessness Strategy for 2023 to 2028. It explains homelessness in Orkney, including its causes, household needs, temporary accommodation, support services and access to settled homes. The strategy sets out actions to prevent homelessness, provide early advice, reduce time in temporary accommodation, improve housing options and support people to keep their homes, with progress monitored and reported each year.

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This document contains an overview of homelessness in Orkney for 2023 to 2028. It examines population, employment and housing trends, homelessness figures and causes, including relationship breakdown and families or friends being unable to provide accommodation. It also reviews consultation with people using services, temporary housing, prevention work and support from the Council and partner organisations. It identifies key challenges, including limited affordable housing, an ageing population and the need to improve early help.

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This document contains an update on Orkney Islands Council’s Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan, covering homelessness trends, temporary accommodation, prevention, support and settled housing up to June 2023. There were 142 homeless applications in 2022/23, with single households making up 79% of applicants and 72 households in temporary accommodation at 31 March 2023. The update reports progress including 41 homeless households rehoused permanently, nine additional temporary accommodation units and renewed advice-service accreditation, while noting continuing housing shortages, long waiting times and limited resources.

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This document contains Orkney’s Fuel Poverty Strategy for 2017 to 2022, outlining the causes of high fuel poverty, including low incomes, expensive heating, older homes and the local climate. It sets targets to reduce fuel poverty to the national average by 2022 and eradicate it by 2032. Actions include improving energy advice, home insulation and heating, helping households find better electricity tariffs, making better use of renewable energy, influencing national policy and strengthening partnership working. Progress will be reviewed each year.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Tenant Participation Strategy for 2026 to 2031. It explains how tenants can help shape housing services through panels, residents’ groups, surveys, meetings and other forms of engagement. The strategy aims to make participation inclusive, remove barriers and show how feedback influences decisions, while setting out plans for training, resources, performance monitoring and possible tenant-led scrutiny. An appendix explains how tenants’ organisations and residents’ associations can register with the Council.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s Advice and Information Strategy for 2017 to 2021. It sets out how the Council and its partners will provide accurate, accessible housing advice to prevent homelessness, support housing choices and help people keep their homes. It covers legal duties, service standards and challenges such as rural access, older people, fuel poverty, changing rules and limited resources, with actions for partnership working, quality improvement and monitoring.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s 2016 policy for repairing and maintaining its homes. It explains legal duties, Council and tenant responsibilities, emergency and routine repair timescales, rechargeable repairs, access, safety and support for tenants with particular needs. It also covers tenant involvement, staff training, service standards, performance monitoring and plans to meet Scottish housing quality and energy efficiency standards.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy for making housing services accessible and fair to all service users. It explains legal duties, reasonable adjustments, accessible information in different formats and languages, staff training, service standards and ways to monitor performance. It also includes a checklist for reviewing documents, ethnic background categories and contacts for interpreting, translation, signing and communication support.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s 2019 policy for preventing and dealing with antisocial behaviour in its housing services. It explains the law, types of behaviour found in Orkney and the Council’s approach, including prevention, early action, partnership working, support and legal enforcement. It also covers related housing policies, staff training, performance monitoring, tenant consultation and appeals.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s May 2021 Equality and Diversity Policy for housing services. It explains the legal and regulatory duties around equality and sets objectives for fair, respectful and accessible services. It covers action plans, data collection, equality impact assessments, staff training, performance monitoring, positive action and partnership working. It also describes how tenants can raise appeals or complaints and how they are consulted on policy reviews.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s 2016 policy for allocating rented housing. It explains how to apply, how housing need is assessed, and how priority is given for circumstances such as homelessness, overcrowding, medical needs and unsuitable housing. It also covers household size, special housing, nominations, mutual exchanges, reasons an offer may be withheld, annual reviews and appeals. The policy aims to provide fair, equal and accessible access to housing while making best use of available homes.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s procedure for tenants keeping pets, including the general right to keep up to two domestic pets. It explains when written permission is needed, which animals may be refused, and tenants’ responsibilities for pet welfare, control, cleanliness, noise and damage. It also covers warnings, withdrawal of permission, tenancy enforcement, appeals and the forms and letters used by housing staff.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s May 2021 policy for preventing homelessness and helping people keep or find suitable housing. It explains how early advice, housing options interviews, money advice, mediation, housing support and partnership working can prevent homelessness or stop it happening again. It covers support for families, young people, care leavers, people leaving hospital or prison, people facing domestic abuse, and those with health, debt or addiction problems. It also sets targets and measures outcomes.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s policy and procedures for its removal grant scheme. The scheme helps eligible Scottish Secure Council tenants who are under-occupying their homes move to smaller properties, mainly in high-demand areas, with grants of £830 to £1,310 depending on the size reduction. It explains eligibility, priority levels, exclusions, application steps, inspections, deductions and payment arrangements. It also covers monitoring, tenant consultation and the right to appeal a refusal within 21 days.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s 2016 policy for preventing and recovering rent arrears from current and former tenants. It explains payment arrangements, early support, benefit advice and affordable repayment plans, with eviction treated as a last resort after other steps. The policy also covers legal duties, equality, tenant consultation, staff training, debt recovery and performance monitoring.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s August 2011 policy for setting rents for its council homes. It explains how rents should balance affordability, housing management and maintenance costs, loan payments and future improvements. Rents are calculated using points for property type, size, outdoor space and location, with adjustments for island areas and new homes. The policy also covers tenant consultation, monitoring, service charges, reviews, appeals and complaints.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s September 2021 policy on tenants’ rights to repairs and compensation for home improvements. It explains repair categories and timescales, including emergency, urgent and routine work, and when tenants may receive compensation or use another contractor. It also covers permission for alterations, compensation claims, rechargeable repairs, complaints, appeals and other remedies. The policy sets out how the Council will consult tenants, monitor performance and meet legal and housing standards.

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This document contains guidance for new affordable housing developments included in Orkney’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan. It sets out quality, space and funding expectations, including priorities for mid-market rented homes, particularly for essential workers. It also explains the approval and delivery steps for Council projects, registered social landlords and development trusts, covering site selection, planning, funding, construction and completion.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s current guidance on how affordable housing is defined and applied in housing policy and development proposals. It explains that Orkney’s target of 1,030 new homes over 10 years aims for 60% affordable and 40% private housing. Affordable housing can include social and mid-market rented homes, shared ownership or equity, discounted homes, and supported self-build or low-cost homes. The mix for each development will be agreed site by site, and the guidance may change as costs, values and subsidy arrangements change.

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This document contains Orkney Islands Council’s guidance on its Strategic Housing Investment Plan and land for affordable housing. It outlines the target for 1,030 new homes over 10 years, with 60% affordable housing, and explains expectations for sustainable, well-planned communities. It also summarises planned affordable housing land for housing providers, how Council-owned land will be valued and sold, and factors affecting Scottish Government funding.

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This document contains a note of the Orkney Housing Market Partnership meeting held on 26 March 2026. It covers progress on the Local Housing Strategy, including new and warmer homes, homelessness, housing needs and modular housing. Places for People Scotland outlined plans to develop a pipeline of 500 homes, while partners discussed affordable housing, local building work and community facilities. The note records agreed actions, including a housing needs briefing and a review workshop.

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This document contains the Housing Market Partnership’s quarterly update for March 2026, covering progress under Orkney’s local housing strategy. It reports work to deliver more homes, including a target of 103 homes a year, new and planned developments, island projects, energy-efficiency support, and improvements to housing access and student accommodation. It also records 104 households awaiting permanent homes, including 81 in temporary accommodation, and planned reviews to support independent living.

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This document contains a presentation on the strategic cooperation agreement between Places for People and Orkney Islands Council. The agreement supports a land pipeline for 500 new homes, with 60% planned as affordable homes, and includes a joint working group and local procurement commitments. It outlines identified development sites, architectural procurement and target dates, including construction from January 2028 and completion of the first homes in January 2029.

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This document contains a note of the Orkney Housing Market Partnership meeting held on 12 December 2025. It outlines the Strategic Housing Investment Plan, including a 10-year target of 1,030 homes, planned projects and delivery partners, with progress dependent on Scottish Government funding. It also records plans to increase the Local Development Plan’s housing land requirement to 1,650 homes, alongside discussions about construction capacity, training, suppliers, risks and future meetings.

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This document contains a note of the Orkney Housing Market Partnership meeting held on 31 October 2025. Members discussed the Local Housing Strategy annual report, homelessness, temporary accommodation, student housing, affordable housing delivery and delays caused by approvals and supply chain pressures. The partnership approved the report for consideration by the Education, Leisure and Housing Committee and heard about Orkney Housing Association Limited’s new 10-year community housing bond, which aims to raise at least £1m for affordable housing.

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This document contains notes from the Orkney Housing Market Partnership meeting on 29 May 2025. It covers progress on the Local Housing Strategy, including new homes, empty properties, energy improvements, short-term lets and homelessness. It also outlines planned housing developments, the review of the Local Development Plan, improved communication with house builders and measures to reduce temporary accommodation. The partnership will continue meeting quarterly, with the next meeting scheduled for 28 August 2025.

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This document contains notes from the Orkney Islands Council house builders meeting held on 7 March 2025. House builders raised concerns about a proposed additional affordable housing provider and called for local contractors, fair procurement, high standards and continued support for local housing organisations. The Council explained the need for 437 affordable homes over five years, the possible benefits of more providers and the need to follow transparent legal and procurement processes. Discussions covered funding, locations, planning, tenant services and the provider’s ongoing legal agreement.

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This document contains notes from a 30 January 2025 meeting between Orkney Islands Council, the Scottish Government, housing organisations and local builders about the Local Housing Strategy. It outlines the need for 1,035 new homes, including affordable and mid-market rented housing, and discusses involving another housing association to increase investment and use available grant funding. Builders raised concerns about consultation, local contracts and the mix of homes, while the Council confirmed no contracts had been signed and agreed to continue discussions through the Housing Market Partnership.

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This document contains the Orkney Housing Market Partnership’s quarterly update for June 2026. It covers housing demand and prices, affordable home building and investment, empty homes, future housing funding, energy efficiency and fuel poverty. It also reports rising homelessness pressures, longer stays in temporary accommodation and the need for permanent homes, alongside progress by the Council and its partners in delivering new housing.

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This document contains the note of the Orkney Housing Market Partnership meeting held on 25 June 2026, focusing on progress against the Local Housing Strategy. It covers housing market pressures, affordable housing delivery, empty homes, fuel poverty, energy efficiency, homelessness and access to social housing. Members noted high house prices and building costs, increased homelessness and pressure on temporary accommodation, while Orkney exceeded its annual affordable housing funding allocation. The update will inform a report to the Education, Communities and Housing Committee in September.

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