Housing hinders architect’s expansion plans

An architecture business is struggling to set up shop in Orkney, citing the county’s notorious housing problems.

HRI Munro, which is working on a range of local projects, is keen to open a new office in Kirkwall or Stromness.

But the firm, which has offices in Inverness and Thurso, says it has been unable to attract professional staff to the islands, largely due to the problems of accommodation and cost.

“This is a great opportunity for a young ambitious architect and we have talked to a number of candidates,” said HRI Munro’s associate director Alan Gray.

“But the availability and cost of housing is a problem.”

The challenges are well known. Orkney Islands Council has set a target of building 1,030 new homes over the next ten years, with a 60/40 split between affordable and private housing.

Appeals for accommodation have been a regular feature of social media feeds, from people saying they have found work in the county but without a place to stay.

In June, it was Heriot-Watt University’s Professor Sandy Kerr who sounded the alarm. He said that the desperate lack of housing was putting Orkney at severe risk of missing out on talented people and an economic boost.

HRI Munro’s director says that demand, both locally and for incoming workers, exceeds supply and costs to buy or rent are often excessive.

Mr Gray added: “We work with local authorities and social housing providers elsewhere in the Highlands and the tourist market and short term let-able demand sucks otherwise available housing for sale or long term let, out of reach of most young families or salaried incomers.”

He said the high specifications that social housing providers are required to meet inflates the cost of each new house and reduces the number that can be supplied.

Add to that the high cost of land and ever increasing planning and statutory requirements and the result is shortage, the director added.

“Businesses like ours want to expand and invest locally and this problem is preventing that,” Mr Gray continued.

“We suspect that we are one of many organisations in this position.”

Mr Gray added: “Action needs to be taken and creative thinking and risk-taking is needed, as increasingly, traditional procurement models aren’t meeting housing need.”

He believes there are possibilities for bringing the key players together to look at creative and pragmatic approaches to the problem — through land release, revisions to housing specifications, greater density of developments and more flexible financing options.

“We are working with UHI Orkney on locally assembled modular based designs for student accommodation and there are real possibilities there,” said Mr Gray.

Other innovative ideas might be discussed in an open “development forum” type of setting, involving the council, Orkney Housing Association, contractors, developers and a range of other stakeholders.

“Shortage of affordable housing is a Highlands and Islands wide — and national — problem,” the architecture boss added.

“But we strongly believe that Orkney could become a source of innovative, creative, pragmatic and achievable solutions.”