Community ownership for Tomatin woodland
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Forestry on Islay and an area of woodland in Tomatin, Inverness, are set to pass into community ownership following grants from the Scottish Land Fund.
At Tomatin, Strathdearn Community Development will use its grant of £356,934 to purchase an area of local woodland in order to create a more biodiverse and sustainable woodland environment, which will be used by the community for recreation and wellbeing.
Steven Knott, chair Strathdearn Community Developments, said: “The purchase of Hazelbank woods will be a fantastic achievement for our community and will help us meet long held aspirations to bring woodland in the heart of Tomatin into the custodianship of the community.
“We are hugely grateful to the Scottish Land Fund for providing us with this level of funding, which will be added to our community funds to facilitate the purchase of Hazelbank Woods.
"I’ve no doubt that the purchase will see the whole community brought together to celebrate the recreational, health and wellbeing and educational opportunities that community ownership will bring to Strathdearn.’’
Islay Development Initiative has received £619.12 to acquire Sgibba Forest near Port Charlotte. The group will develop the forest into a community woodland with crofts for affordable rent, a pathway network, community events and learning space, and it will utilise the timber to provide biomass fuel for a nearby distillery.
Meanwhile Harris Development Ltd has received £147,790 with which to purchase land in Tarbert, Harris in order to build modular accommodation units that will alleviate a shortage of housing for key workers.
The grants are amongst 11 totalling £2,381,927 that has been given to communities across the country in the latest round of awards by the Scottish Land Fund.
The Scottish Land Fund reopened to applications in April 2021. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and delivered in partnership by the National Lottery Community 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.
Mairi Gougeon, cabinet secretary, rural affairs, land reform and islands, said: “The Scottish Land Fund is a valuable tool, allowing local groups to develop projects that will provide lasting benefits to their communities, in both urban and rural areas.
“It is especially welcome to see projects that will positively impact not just people but local wildlife and biodiversity too. This aligns with our wider goal to ensure that communities can reap the benefits during our transition to a green future for Scotland.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the successful groups. It is their expertise and limitless passion that are the real drivers of change in our communities across the nation.”
Cara Gillespie, Scottish Land Fund Committee chair said: “This current round of funding demonstrates the importance of the Scottish Land Fund in helping both urban and rural areas to achieve their goals. SLF grants will enable these groups to unlock other funding and take positive actions to help their communities to thrive.”
And Sandra Holmes, head of community assets at HIE, said: “The groups receiving funding have all identified opportunities to help their local areas to thrive. The projects are all great examples of people taking control of local resources for the long-term benefit of their communities.
"Ownership will give them greater control over important assets that will reap rewards for people now and for generations to come. We wish every successful organisation the very best in their new ventures.”
