DUNVEGAN DIARY: Orbost crofts progress as housing survey deadline looms

Local development officer Mali MacLennan, with Dunvegan Community Trust chairman Jason Bold

With moves to create new crofts in north Skye progressing to the next stage, residents in the Dunvegan area are also being urged to fill in a housing needs survey before the deadline tomorrow (Friday).

Last month at the Dunvegan Community Trust’s AGM, there was unanimous support among the 20 resident members present, in addition to the board, to press ahead with the creation of two woodland crofts in Orbost, at Cruachan Wood (8.7 hectares) and Cnoc nan Craobh (0.6 hectares). The current owners are Highlands and Islands Enterprise and the DCT will now submit a Community Asset Transfer request.

Local development officer Mali MacLennan thought that HIE would “look favourably” on the request for the woodland transfer.

She told the Free Press: “With the land that HIE own in Orbost it was always the plan for it to go into community ownership, so we are feeling pretty positive it will go our way.”

The asset transfer could take as long as six months , but DCT will be expecting a decision before then as it is “not a contentious” request. After that, an application to the Crofting Commission to register the new crofts will be submitted. An earlier trust consultation revealed that there were 13 locals interested in acquiring croft tenancies.

Ms MacLennan also encouraged locals to fill in the housing need survey, being undertaken with the Community Housing Trust. The survey is available at www.chtrust.co.uk/dunvegan and can be completed before 7pm tomorrow (Friday)

“The results of this will have an impact on subsequent housing projects,” she said. Two properties being considered for asset transfers and future housing are a farmhouse, also owned by HIE, and the police house in Dunvegan itself.