| 1969: Latest community buy-out goes ahead in West Harris |
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Residents in south-west Harris will next week formally take control of the three crofting estates on which they live following completion of the first community-led buy-out of Scottish Government-owned land. Ownership of the 6,000 hectares of land covering the townships of Luskentyre, Sheilebost, Horgabost, Borve and Scaristavore — probably the most photographed part of the Outer Hebrides — will be handed over to the West Harris Trust by environment minister Roseanna Cunningham on Monday. Islanders hope the buy-out will help stem depopulation, and encourage people to stay and set up business in an area which currently has a high percentage of holiday homes, and where the number of school-age children has dwindled in recent years. The current population of 134 includes only one child under school age. The creation of new crofts and 10 house sites on common grazings, and a hydro-electric scheme on the Glen Dubhlinn River, are among the trust’s initial plans. A business plan produced by the trust estimates the hydro scheme will generate over £40,000 annually, and allow the community to become more self-reliant. Trust secretary Neil Campbell said he had been “encouraged” by the interest he had received from people seeking to obtain one of the new homes or croft holdings. Of the 15-20 parties expressing an interest in relocating to Harris, proposals have been suggested for a diverse range of industries that include tourism, catering, horticulture and tailoring in Harris Tweed, the trust say. Other sources of income identified by the business plan include a renegotiation of the rents communication giants Vodafone pay for the lease of two sites for mobile phone masts. The two sites, one at Borve and one at Luskentyre, are each leased for a nominal £1 a year — a fee more in keeping with the tradition of low-level rents for crofting use. When these leases expire in 2015 and in 2016 respectively, the landlords would then be free to negotiate open market rents, which on current market value would be in the region of £25,000, the trust believe. To acquire the land and to enable the trust’s project plans to get underway, the Community Land Unit at Highlands and Islands Enterpise has provided £23,600. Comhairle nan Eilean Siar have offered funding of £15,000 towards the plans. In a ballot in October 2008, 77 per cent of the area’s residents voted to approve the purchase. Ms Cunningham will use Monday’s handover to deliver a keynote speech at Sheilebost School ahead of the Future of Crofting Conference which takes place in Stornoway the following day. The trust’s board has members from each of the townships involved, who have been encouraged by events in the north of Harris where locals succeeded in a buy-out of the North Harris Estate in 2003 |
