The Croft House Grant Scheme (CHGS) is to improve and maintain the standards of crofter housing for crofting tenants. It is only available in crofting areas. Crofting areas do not cover all of the Highlands.
To be eligible to apply for a CHGS you must be one of the following:
- a crofting tenant or a cottar;
- an owner occupier of a croft, acquired from the landlord within the last 7 years.
And you must be inadequately housed because:
- your present accommodation does not provide sufficient accommodation for you and your immediate family or
- your present accommodation does not meet an adequate standard or
- you currently live with parents, are at least 21 years old, and can show you have worked the croft for at least 2 years or
- you are in need of a house on the croft because:
- you currently live more than 10 miles away or
- the type of agricultural activities requires your constant presence on the croft or
- the needs of an existing business, require you to live on the croft or
- you currently live in a council house (or other tenancy).
The following points should also be noted:
- Work must not start on the project until you receive written approval to do so.
- The assisted house must become your main residence; the scheme does not provide assistance for second homes.
- You must intend to work the croft.
- Approval for assistance should be in place prior to any decrofting direction being sought from the Crofters Commission. Decrofting of a house site is essentially taking the land out of crofting tenure which may make you ineligible for CHGS assistance.
The scheme is geographically targeted with three levels of grant determined by priority areas. The Highland Area has all three priority areas within its boundaries e.g. High, Standard and Low. The grant available for a) new houses and b) repair & improvement at each priority level is detailed below:-
Geographic Priority Area Grants for a New House
High - £22,000
Standard - £17,000
Low - £11,500
Geographic Priority Area Rebuild and Improvement Grants
High - 40% of costs up to a maximum of £22,000
Standard - 30% of costs up to a maximum of £17,000
Low - 20% of costs up to a maximum of £11,500
How do I apply?
Guidance booklets and application forms can be obtained from the Crofters Commission website www.crofterscommission.org.uk. Contact details are below:
Inverness Area office:
SERIPD
Longman House,
28 Longman Road,
Longman Estate,
Inverness
Tel: 01463 234 141
Fax: 01463 714 697
Thurso Area Office:
SGRPID,
Strathbeg House,
Clarence Street,
Thurso,
KW14 7JS
Tel: 01847 893 104
Fax: 01847 895 983
Portree Area Office:
SGRPID,
Estate Office,
Portree,
IV51 9DH
Tel: 01478 612 516
Fax: 01478 613 128
Lairg Area Office
SGRPID,
Ord Croft,
Lairg,
IV27 4AZ
Tel: 01549 402 167
Fax: 01549 402 117
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