Path to Community Ownership

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Path to Community Ownership

• Murdo Mackay West Harris Trust

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History of West Harris

• The West Side of Harris was re-established as a
  series of townships in the 1920s and 30s after
  land raids across the Highlands forced the Gov to
  purchase and re-settle the area
• The most radical state intervention in land
  holding for at least 200 years.
• The catalyst was the returning war weary WW1
  servicemen who expected the promises by Lloyd
  George in his land fit for Heroes Speech to be
  honoured
• The West Side of Harris prior to 1922 was made up
  of Sporting estates and large farms.

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Excerpt from Volume 1 of the Highland Cattle Herd
Book, 1885,

• Early in the century Mr. Donald Stewart, who
  came from Garth in Perthshire, took the farm of
  Luskentyre, in Harris from the Earl of Dunmore of
  Harris, the grandfather of the present Earl, and
  started a fold, which, from the care bestowed on
  it and the careful selection of bulls from
  leading folds in Perthshire, soon became known as
  one of the most famous in Scotland. 

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Crofts Common Grazings

• Luskentyre 2305ha
• Borve 3239ha
• Scaristamhor 1229ha
• Total 6,773 or 17,000 acres

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Three Estates, Luskentyre, Borve Scarista Mhor,
5 Townships 53 Crofts

• Scaristamhor - 10
• Borve - 7
• Horgabost - 8
• Seilebost - 18
• Luskentyre 10 crofts

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West Harris Buy Out Steering Group formed Jan 2007

• Steering Group negotiated with SG over the price,
  title conditions, clawback
• All problems were resolved.
• Eventually!
• West Harris was the first Scottish Gov owned
  estate to be sold, the next should be easier to
  manage!
• It still rankles that Market Value was the price
  that had to be paid especially given that part
  of Scarista was actually gifted to the Gov and
  not compulsorily purchased!

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Steering Group Activities

• Consult with community meetings and written
  communication
• Negotiate with Scottish Gov on terms of transfer
• Secure funding from HIE, CNES, TIG
• Applied for lottery funding to secure post
  purchase development money

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Transfer of Crofting Estates (Scotland) Act 1997

• The transfer of the estate was facilitated under
  this Act rather than the more recent Land Reform
  Act
• Steering Group received support from HIE and BIG
  lottery to carry out a feasibility study
• Study sent to every household followed by public
  meetings and vote
• Result was overwhelmingly in favour of Buy Out
• 76 in favour on a 94 turnout

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West Harris Trust

• 25th January 2010 3 Years after the first
  public meeting the formal handover took place.
• The Board of directors of the Trust is made up of
  5 nominated by township committees and the
  remainder elected from Trust Members
• This constitution guarantees Crofting
  representation on the Board

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Why Would You want to Buy this?
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WHAT HAVE WE DONE SINCE?

• Hydro Scheme
• Housing Sites
• Employed Dev Manager
• SRDP Applications for two townships
• Set up Website
• Secured a 380,000 Lottery Grant

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West Harris Trust

• Building Plots
• Grazings committees were approached to consider
  releasing areas of common
• 10 potential sites were identified
• Planning permission granted for 6 within the
  Trusts first year
• 3 Have already been allocated two other
  applications currently being assessed

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Rural Priorities

• The Trust have paid for a consultant to prepare
  and submit a SRDP application on behalf of two
  townships

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Hydro Project

• 100kw Run of River micro-hydro project
• Capital cost of 600,000
• Annual net income to Trust of 40,000 for 15
  years
• After loan repaid 105,000 annual income
• 50year design life
• Possibility to Scale Up to 200kw

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Other Plans For The Future

• There are no jetties on the West Side of Harris
  - possible development opportunity we are now
  looking at

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Wave Power?

• Looking at this now
• Possible pilot project in 2012

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Thank You