Dear Resident of Banff and Macduff,
AN INVITATION TO HAVE YOUR SAY
ABOUT HOUSING ISSUES IN BANFF AND MACDUFF
What are the good and bad points about the availability of housing in Banff
and Macduff?
What type of home do you and your family hope to live in, in the future?
What can be done to encourage young people and families to make their future
in Banff and Macduff?
On behalf of the Banff and Macduff Strategy Steering Group (part of the Aberdeenshire Towns Partnership) I am pleased to invite you to a public consultation event on housing issues for Banff and Macduff, to be held at the Fife Lodge Hotel on Saturday 26th November 2005.
The main aim of our group is the “regeneration and modernisation of Banff and Macduff”. We bring together the main public agencies with an interest in this, including Aberdeenshire Council, Communities Scotland and Scottish Enterprise Grampian. We seek to make Banff and Macduff “attractive places to live, work and visit” so that we can have vibrant communities in which people can make their future.
The availability of good quality, affordable housing, in an attractive environment
is obviously very important. To give the people of Banff and Macduff the opportunity
to say what is important TO YOU, we are holding a public consultation event
which will give you that chance to talk about these issues with other people
in the community and with staff from the different agencies involved.
The event details will be as follows:
| Date: | 26th November |
| Time: | 9.30am registration for a 10am start (the event will finish at 1pm and will be followed by a buffet lunch) |
| Location: | Fife Lodge Hotel, Banff. |
Please feel free to attend on the day. However, if possible, we would be grateful if you could contact Elspet Brown at the event organisers, IBP, to let them know you will be attending and to advise if you have any needs in terms of diet or access, which we will take care of. Elspet can be contacted on 01698 743045 or at e.brown@ibp.eu.com.
Of course, you may not be able to make it to the event, but still want to have your say. Attached you will find a brief overview of some of the housing issues affecting Banff and Macduff and a brief one-page questionnaire. Why not complete this and send it back to IBP at their Freepost address. Alternatively, you can complete it online at www.ibp.eu.com/banffandmacduff.
Whether you can attend the event, or complete the questionnaire, please accept my thanks for your contribution to this consultation.
Yours sincerely
Michael J. Roy
Town Co-ordinator
BANFF AND MACDUFF
BANFF – Background
Banff has a population of around 3,930 people, living in around 1,950 homes. Just under 10% of the population are aged 16-24 and 26% are aged 25-44. The population aged over 60 is about 27% of the total.
The breakdown of homes is as follows:
| Privately owned | 59% |
| Council | 27% |
| Housing Association | 6% |
| Other (including privately rented) | 8% |
The Aberdeenshire Local Plan shows a number of sites potentially available for housing throughout Banff. There are also several smaller historical sites which it is hoped to refurbish as part of the Banff Renaissance Project.
The current housing waiting list in Banff identifies 141 people who have Banff as their first choice. Just under two-thirds of these are people looking for two apartment homes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that there has been a shortage of affordable homes, especially for families. Annual income levels are often below £20,000 with many people unable to buy a property in the private sector. It has also been suggested that there is a lack of accommodation for people with particular needs.
The quality of the Council and Housing Association homes is generally good, but a recent “Planning for Real” consultation exercise noted that there was a need to improve the appearance and reputation of some areas in the town.
MACDUFF – Background
Macduff has a population of around 3,632 people living in around 1,800 homes. Almost 30% of the population is aged 25-44 and it has slightly fewer people aged over 60 than Banff (about 23% of the total).
The breakdown of homes in Macduff is as follows:
| Privately owned | 61% |
| Council | 29% |
| Housing Association | 4% |
| Other (including privately rented) | 6% |
There is only limited capacity for new homes on sites zoned for housing and many of these have existing planning permission. The town is beginning to see the effects of economic slowdown in key industries, affecting the vibrancy of the town.
The Council’s waiting list has 92 people on it, and 56 of these are people seeking two apartment homes. The most common income range is £10-£15,000, which means that many people cannot afford to purchase properties on the open market. Over the last couple of years there has been an increase in the demand for temporary accommodation, with the small private rented sector offering few opportunities for people.
As in Banff, the fabric of most homes is good, but residents have suggested that improvements to the environment in some areas would improve residents’ quality of life.
FEEDBACK QUESTIONNAIRE
Thank you for taking the time to complete this questionnaire.