New homes

Plans to regenerate the west Harris community have been boosted with the first modern social housing scheme being built in the district.

Six families have taken up the tenancy of recently completed affordable rental by Horgabost.

Kevin Stewart, Minister for Local Government and Housing, praised the initiative when he visited the Western Isles today.

He popped into see the Fraser family who moved from Aberdeen to Seilebost some years ago but found it near impossible to find accommodation locally.

Billy and Sandra Fraser and their sons Rory, 4, and three month old, Toby, are delighted with their new energy-efficient home which is supplied with electricity by a community-owned turbine.

The Fraser family

New homes boost community regeneration plans

5 December 2016

The housing scheme is a key project by West Harris Trust which purchased the 16,254-acre estate from the Scottish Government in January 2010.

At that time there was only one child of pre-school age and around a third of houses were holiday homes.

Along with the development of private housing plots, there are now five or six infants living in the area as younger families take up residence.

The community-owned trust aims to stem decline, re-populate and regenerate the area which is made up of three estates covering the townships of Scaristavore, Borve and Luskentyre.

There have been serious fears for its long term prospects unless new people are attracted into the community.

The trust hopes that other projects to create jobs and develop small scale renewable energy projects will also help reverse the trend of depopulation.

Regeneration plans were dealt a heavy blow when the comhairle shut the local school but the building of the six new homes for rent has delivered a welcomed boost.

Housing minister Kevin Stewart said: “The Scottish Government put £566,000 into this development and I am pleased to see we have ended up with wonderful homes.

“The Fraser family’s home seems to be pleasing for them and that makes me a happy man.”

The Scottish Government will work with Western Isles Council and Hebridean Housing Partnership, which owns the ex-council housing stock, to ensure more social housing developments “like this take place in the Western Isles,” he added.

Duncan Macpherson of the West Harris Trust said the small housing scheme is “extremely important” for the drive to revitalise the community.

Mr Macpherson explained: “Two things have been lacking in west Harris - housing and employment opportunities.

“These six houses are bringing a good number of people into the community, helping to turn it around from one that’s been declining into one that’s growing.”