Rural Affairs and Environment Committee, 21 Nov 2007

Meeting date: Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Official Report 289KB pdf

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Rural Housing

Agenda item 2 concerns our rural housing inquiry. It is a brief item to allow us to consider appointing a reporter to a conference in February, organised by the Rural Housing Service, that is of direct importance to our inquiry. There will be a variety of workshops on topics such as ways of restricting second home ownership, alternative housing providers, progress towards 2012, a review of Scottish planning policy 3 "Planning for Housing", opportunities for new rural settlements and land banking options from community land trusts to national bodies. We might very well find such discussions useful.

I asked members to consider whether they wanted to go to the conference, which is on Friday 29 February 2008, but thus far nobody has rushed forward. I am prepared to go because it is in Dunkeld.

Agreed.

Well, I say that with some qualification because I am not entirely certain that the convener also being a reporter is necessarily the best approach. I ask for members' agreement in principle that we will appoint a reporter to the conference. Are we agreed?

Members indicated agreement.

We will put the matter on to the next meeting's agenda for agreement about who that reporter might be. I ask committee members to think seriously about who might wish to go. A clerk will also go, so the reporter will not be on their ownsome, if committee members are worried about that. I do not want everybody to jump at the fact that I happen to live closest, because there are issues with the convener also being a reporter, which is not hugely to be recommended.