Lewis community to purchase local land
29 May 2014 03:42 PM
An estate on the Isle of Lewis will come into community ownership,
thanks to the latest Scottish Land Fund grants announced today (29
MAY).
With an investment of £207,500 the Carloway Estate
Trust will purchase over 11,000 acres of land on the north-west
coast of the Isle of Lewis that includes the renowned Callanish Standing
Stones, over 200 crofts spread across seven townships, and a number of outlying
Islands.
Announcing the funding, Scottish Land Fund Committee Chair,
John Watt, said: “We know from experience that communities can
achieve great things when they own and manage local land and property. The
Carloway Estate possesses a range of assets and has the advantage of being a
popular visitor destination thanks to the Callanish Stones and Dun Carloway
Broch, so there is great potential for tourism related development. This is one
of two projects receiving funding today which reflect the pioneering steps
people will take to address problems or challenges in their own
areas.”
KennyJohn MacLeannan, Chair of the Carloway Estate Trust,
said: "Carloway Estate Trust is absolutely delighted with the Scottish
Land Fund grant for the purchase of Carloway Estate on behalf of the community.
This grant will now allow us to progress the formal aspects of the community
buyout, and ultimately transfer the estate into community ownership. We would
like to thank everyone at Big Lottery and Highlands & Islands Enterprise
who helped us through the process and approved us as worthy recipients of the
grant. The grant will be put to good use, primarily to pay for the estate, but
also for legal costs and the employment of a Development Officer for a two year
period to help promote estate development plans. This is great news for the
Trust that started the buyout process less than two years ago.”
Minister for Environment and Climate Change, Paul
Wheelhouse, said: “The awards of these grants to communities
throughout Scotland to buy land and buildings will help them to make a real
difference to their future development.
“I am delighted to see a diverse range of community land and buildings
projects gaining financial support from the Scottish Land Fund from the Western
Isles to Dumfries and Galloway. I am confident that the grant awards from the
Land Fund will make a tangible difference to the development and future
sustainability of these communities. These projects – funding for an
estate and a building in a High Street - are examples of communities
identifying how land and buildings can be a catalyst for community development;
both creating and realising ambitions. The Scottish Government is committed to
supporting rural communities throughout Scotland buying land and land assets
for their sustainable development.”
Also receiving funding from the Scottish Land Fund today
is Upper Nithsdale Arts and Crafts Community Initiative
Ltd which will use its grant
of £62,442 to purchase a vacant three-storey
building and garden in the village of Sanquhar in Dumfries and Galloway.
The Scottish Land Fund is funded by £9 million from the Scottish
Government and administered by the Big Lottery Fund in partnership with
Highlands and Islands Enterprise.
For more information on this release please contact
Big Lottery Fund Scotland
landa.rolland@biglotteryfund.org.uk
0141 242 1458
Scottish Government Press Office
chris.nabney@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
0131 244 2018
Highland and Islands Enterprise Press Office
kim.thain@hient.co.uk
01463 244238
Notes to editors
• The Scottish Land Fund has £9 million over four years to
assist communities in rural Scotland to acquire, develop and manage local land
and land assets. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and
delivered in partnership by the Big Lottery Fund and Highlands and Islands
Enterprise, both of which have extensive experience of helping communities to
acquire and develop their assets for over a decade.
• The SLF Committee was appointed following the normal procedures for
public appointments. Committee members are non remunerated.
• The BIG Lottery Fund distributes lottery funding to health,
education, environment and charitable causes across the UK. It also uses its
expertise in grant-giving to distribute non-Lottery funding. Full details of
the BIG Lottery Fund programmes and grant awards are available on the
website: http://www.biglotteryfund.org.uk. BIG Lottery Fund Public
Enquiries Line call: 0300 123 7110
• Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) delivers the Scottish
Government Economic Strategy across more than half of Scotland - from Shetland
to Argyll and from the Hebrides to Moray. It aims to support businesses and
social enterprises; strengthen communities and fragile areas; develop key
sectors, and create the conditions for a competitive and low carbon region. HIE
has an annual budget of more than £75m and employs around 250 people in
locations around the Highlands and Islands. See more at www.hie.co.uk