The Marr Area Committee were scheduled to meet to discuss the Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2026-2031, and an Education Scotland Inspection Report for Crathes Primary School. Some applications to the Aberdeenshire Charities Trust were also scheduled to be considered in private.

Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2026-2031

The committee were scheduled to consider the draft Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2026-2031, ahead of its presentation to the Communities Committee on 6 November 2025.

The SHIP is a statement of affordable housing investment priorities, guiding the application of Scottish Government funding. It sets out investment priorities for affordable housing over a five-year period, detailing how these will be delivered and identifying the resources required.

The draft SHIP included details of the 53 affordable homes completed in Marr in 2024/25, in Aboyne, Alford and Banchory.

Across Aberdeenshire, the SHIP could potentially deliver 2291 new affordable homes, with around 617 suitable for Particular Needs¹ and around 1793 units for social rent. For Marr, 235 homes were proposed, with 172 for social rent, 29 for mid market rent and 34 for low cost shared equity.

The report pack noted that there were around 632 households on the waiting list in the Marr area as at June 2025.

The report pack also noted challenges within the construction sector, including the impact of interest rates on borrowing costs and the affordability of construction projects. It stated that a high proportion of affordable housing development is a consequence of contributions from the private development industry through the Local Development Plan's Affordable Housing Policy².

Appendix 1 to the report pack contained the full Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2026-2031. It stated that the SHIP would enable the delivery of high quality and energy efficient homes, reduce fuel poverty and carbon emissions, and support the Scottish Government's Housing to 2040 vision.

The SHIP is informed by the Local Housing Strategy 2024 -2029, which sets out Aberdeenshire Council's key strategic housing priorities and outcomes. The SHIP contributes to the delivery of the Council Plan and the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan through a place-making approach as part of the wider Place Strategy.

The SHIP also aims to address the pressure on 1-bedroom units and larger family-size properties.

The SHIP noted that key workers are essential to providing services to the public, and that difficulties in recruitment and retention of key workers can be detrimental to local economic growth.

The SHIP continues to support independent living with the delivery of projects for particular needs clients, and collaboration between Housing and Aberdeenshire Health & Social Care Partnership colleagues enables individuals to live in the community with appropriate housing and support.

The SHIP also aims to ensure that minority ethnic communities, including Gypsy/Travellers, have access to appropriate land, housing and support encouraging social integration.

The SHIP also recognises the distinct challenges created by rurality in relation to child poverty, and focuses on preventative approaches to address this.

The SHIP is informed by the Housing Need and Demand Assessment 2023, which estimates the number of housing units required to meet housing need and demand in the future.

The SHIP noted that while house prices in Aberdeenshire are still above the Scottish average, this gap has been narrowing since 2016.

The SHIP also included details of affordable housing completions during the period April 2024 to March 2025, and work recently completed or currently on site.

The SHIP noted that Aberdeenshire Council have made available a dedicated funding resource to supplement existing funding streams, and that this funding will be awarded where it is considered that without 'gap funding' the developments would not otherwise proceed.

The SHIP also included details of second homes and empty homes in Aberdeenshire, and the number of empty homes brought back into use as affordable housing.

The SHIP noted that a significant proportion of current and future programmes will be as a consequence of the Affordable Housing Policy, and that as such, timing and alignment with Scottish Government funding will be fundamental to the effective planning and deliverability of the future programme.

The SHIP also detailed a number of delivery models, including Low Cost Shared Equity, Create Homes Aberdeenshire MMR, Open Market Shared Equity, Rural Housing Fund and Community Led Housing, Rural Key Workers Housing Fund, and Housing Infrastructure Fund.

The SHIP noted that Scottish Government Strategic Housing Investment Plan guidance states research shows clear evidence of potential cost savings of up to 8% from larger minimum development sizes of around 40-50 units irrespective of construction type , and that given the rural nature of the Aberdeenshire area, there continues to be challenges around offsite and modular construction.

Appendix 2 to the report pack contained Strategic Housing Investment Plan 2026-2031 project details.

Appendix 3 to the report pack contained an Integrated Impact Assessment.

Education Scotland Inspection Report - Crathes Primary School

The committee were scheduled to consider the Education Scotland Inspection Report for Crathes Primary School, following a visit by inspectors on 21 April 2025.

The inspection team found strengths in the school's work, including that:

Children are confident, creative and articulate. They engage well across the curriculum and in wider school life. Children demonstrate important skills and qualities as learners and as caring citizens.

Inspectors also identified areas for improvement, including the need to continue to develop high-quality teaching and learning approaches, and to continue to develop planning and assessment for children's skills across the curriculum.

Education Scotland's evaluations for Crathes School were:

• Learning, teaching and assessment: Good
• Raising attainment and achievement: Good

ACT2 (Aberdeenshire Charities Trust) Applications

The committee were scheduled to consider some applications to the Aberdeenshire Charities Trust. This item was scheduled to be discussed with the press and public excluded.