Rural Housing Service - Case Study: Colonsay

Case Study: Colonsay Housing Initiative

· Colonsay Community Association
· Colonsay Initiative at the Edge Group
· Colonsay Community Development
Company

· Argyll & the Islands Enterprise
· Community Land Unit, Highlands & Islands
Enterprise
· Scottish Homes
· West Highland Housing Association
· Argyll & Bute Council
· Initiative at the Edge
· Colonsay Estate
· Rural Housing Service

Image produced from the Ordnance Survey Get-a-Map
service, with permission from Ordnance Survey and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland .

a Colonsay beach

a Colonsay beach

Island Profile
Initiative at the Edge
Background to the Housing Initiative
Colonsay Housing Strategy
Colonsay Housing
Conclusions
· Housing Choice
· Housing Need
Recommendations
· Iomairt aig an Oir (Initiative at the Edge)
· Recommendations for Action
Progress with the Housing Strategy
· Leasing Scheme
· Rural Home Ownership Grants
· Community House - Gateway House

Island Profile
The beautiful Hebridean island of Colonsay lies off the coast of Argyll. Colonsay, together with Oronsay, is approximately ten miles long and two miles wide. It is one of the smallest and most remote of the inhabited Hebridean islands.

The island is served by a ferry service from Oban three times a week in the winter, and has an additional service to Islay in the summer months.

Colonsay is largely owned by the Colonsay Estate which operates holiday accommodation and has an interest in most of the farms on the island. There are a number of independent businesses, mostly tourist related. The small number of non-tourist businesses include a publishing company (The House of Lochar ), an oyster farm and honey producer.

Scalasaig

Scalasaig

The islands of Colonsay and Oronsay have a population of almost 100. The population is split between 3 main settlements: Scalasaig, the port; Kilchattan, the main crofting community and location of the Primary School; and Kiloran, the location of Colonsay House.

The island has its own primary school (7 pupils and 3 nursery children), a hotel, a shop and post office and a cafe/restaurant. The island has a resident doctor and a district nurse. From the age of 12 children must go to the mainland for high school, where the majority board in a hostel in Oban. The limited number of boats make it very difficult for children to come home for the weekend.

Lucy McNeill, a local artist and Initiative at the Edge Project Officer explains some of the island's difficulties: "One of the greatest restrictions on the island is choice. There is no choice in accommodation, access to the mainland, education, entertainment or general services. The island suffers from a co-dependency on the estate and upon a transport service shared with much larger islands."

Initiative at the Edge
Colonsay is one of eight remote and fragile areas of Scotland that are part of the Initiative at the Edge/ Iomairt aig an Oir.

Iomairt aig an Oir aims to secure priority support for remote and fragile areas from public sector agencies. The initiative brings together Highlands and Islands Enterprise, the Crofters Commission, Scottish Homes and Scottish Natural Heritage and local authorities to develop integrated approaches to the problems facing fragile and remote communities.

The focus of Iomairt aig an Oir is to promote community based development, to enable communities themselves to develop their own ideas and to work in partnership with government agencies and the local authority to develop successful projects.

Colonsay was selected to be part of the Iomairt aig an Oir because of the fragile nature of the island economy and community. The population of the island has been in decline for a number of years and the population is aging.

"When the Initiative at the Edge was established the community identified two areas fundamental to the survival of the island: housing and transport. These continue to be the biggest challenges faced by the residents of Colonsay" Lucy McNeill.

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