Berneray looks to the future as community buy-out moves to
a new stage
As part of the Bays of Harris Estate, the Isle of Berneray stands to benefit from the latest developments in the community buy-out process, which is now ongoing. This process has now taken a significant step forward with the formation of the Bays of Harris Community Estate as a company limited by guarantee.
The newly formed company includes representatives from Berneray, as well as the other main areas of the Estate – the Bays and Northton. It will now take the buyout process forward to the point of purchase, at which point full elections will be held to create a democratic and accountable board which will take the community estate on to its next phase.
The group is now set to meet both with representatives of the Scottish Land Fund, who are expected to fund 95% of the purchase price of the Estate, and also in the coming weeks with the Hitchcock family, the current private landowner.
These developments follow the decisive vote in favour of a community buy-out, which was held in September 2022 and which recorded a vote in favour across the community of 63% on a turnout of 70%. This followed a decade of hard work by a buyout steering group, which had commissioned a feasibility study, two valuations and had met with the current Estate owners on a number of occasions.
Once the purchase has been concluded, the Berneray community, along with the rest of the Estate, will be able to take advantage of the opportunities identified in the feasibility studies. These include an annual income of around £100,000, which can be directed towards the community’s priorities, rather than being reserved for private gain.
“I am delighted at the progress which we have been able to make recently,” says Euan Galloway, Chair of the Bays of Harris Community Estate. “The work that we are carrying out just now opens the door for an exciting new phase of community development, enterprise and renewal, which will be made possible once land ownership is in the hands of the community. I really believe that day is not too far away now!”
The community company is working very hard to ensure full and proper representation for all residents in all areas of the Estate, while recognising there are a number of challenges to achieving this, due to the unusual geography of the Estate.
“In order to bring people along with us on this exciting journey and to maximise our engagement with the community, we have a number of initiatives in the pipeline for the near future,” says Euan Galloway. “These will include giving residents of the Estate area the opportunity to join the company as members. We are also planning a series of public engagement sessions which will be held throughout the Estate in the coming weeks, as well as local newsletters and social media.”
Details of upcoming public engagement sessions will be made available in due course.
Full details on Facebook.
