THE finalists have been announced for the Auction House Scotland 11th Scottish Empty Home Awards.
The awards celebrate work carried out to bring back many of the country’s 43,000 long-term empty homes.
One new category is ‘Best Old Wreck’, a ‘tongue-in-cheek’ name for an award to honour the work that goes into restoring houses that may have been empty for several decades.
Winners will be announced on March 22 at the Scottish Empty Homes Conference, which will be held at the COSLA Conference Centre in Edinburgh.
Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for social justice, housing & local government, said, “These awards are important for celebrating the inspirational and innovative work that goes into bringing Scotland’s empty homes back into use, and I congratulate all finalists on being shortlisted. Tackling empty homes remains a key priority and the actions in Housing to 2040 will help to ensure that these wasted resources are brought back into residential use.”
The finalists for this year’s awards are as follows:
Best Before and After – This award recognises the best transformation of an empty home. Finalists:
- Ardbeg Road, Argyll & Bute Council
- Cullipool, Argyll & Bute Council
- Tonge, Western Isles Council
Outstanding Individual – This award is to recognise a practitioner who has come up with a particularly innovative solution for empty homes work, or shown tenacity, dedication, and hard work to develop an empty homes service.
Finalists:
- Anu Kasim, Aberdeen Council
- Dawn Cadwell, East Ayrshire Council
- Elaine Hall, Falkirk Council
Outstanding Team – This award is for an exceptional team of people working together to tackle empty homes and bringing homes back into use.
Finalists:
- Argyll & Bute Council
- Falkirk Council
- South Ayrshire Council
Best Old Wreck – This award is for the best restoration of a long-term empty home. Finalists:
- Cullipool, Argyll & Bute Council
- Langholm Police Station, SOSCH (South of Scotland Community Housing)
- The Sheiling, Argyll & Bute Council
Shaheena Din, national project manager, Scottish Empty Homes Partnership, said, “The entries we received for this year’s awards were of a very high standard, and we thank all those who took the time to submit nominations. The process of bringing empty homes back into use is often complex and we are proud to be showcasing the work of outstanding teams and individuals involved in the sector across Scotland.”
Finalists and winners will be presented with wooden plaques handmade by social enterprise Clydesdale Community Initiatives (CCI).
Tickets for the 11th Scottish Empty Homes Conference are available via Eventbrite.
