Housing Need and Housing Pressures in St Andrews

In 2012 a group of local organisations resolved to promote a serious study of the housing situation in the town. To carry out this task, they established the ‘St Andrews Town Commission on Housing’ composed of people who would bring a wide range of experience and skill to the study and could be relied on to be
independent in their work. The objective was to identify and examine housing need and housing pressures in St Andrews, how these are currently being met and how they might be better met in the future.

The Commission gathered evidence from a questionnaire (circulated to the student community and town households) and from interviews with local organisations, town residents, the University, Fife Council and a variety of housing providers. We also interrogated census and local authority demographic and housing data and conducted a survey of published literature and documentary
sources. From this evidence it became apparent that two issues overrode all others, (i) scarcity of affordable housing and (ii) pressure on accommodation from University students who represent an unusually high proportion of the town’s population. These became the focus for the study.