Badentarbat Estate

July 2026

On the 1st of July, we met at Coigach Community Hall to discuss the initial draft of a Badentarbet Estate Management Plan provided by Duncan Macpherson.  Those present received this handout as a summary and we discussed these four questions:

1. Does this overall direction feel right?
2. Are there important opportunities that are missing?
3. Are there areas we should give higher or lower priority?
4. Are there partnerships we should be developing?

You can submit your own responses to these questions using this online form.

At the same time, Dr Calum Macleod, who has been working with Duncan Macpherson on an Estate Management Plan, and govenance structure has put together a short survey to identify what skills we have in our community that will help manage our community-owned land.  It is open to CCDC Directors, Staff, Volunteers and also the wider community who might be interested in helping.

If you would like to take part, please submit your response to the survey and the form no later than July 10th 2026.

 Thank you!

June 2026

Next Wednesday 1st July at 5pm, Coigach Community Hall
Come join the conversation 

We will head from Duncan Macpherson, who has been speaking to many residents, crofters and organisations about their views on community land ownership of Badentarbet Estate. This will be an opportunity to hear the ideas he has collected for development and management of the Estate and feedback on his findings.

University of the Highlands and Islands Centre for Mountain Studies will also join us to talk about our vision for a thriving community. What does thriving mean? How do we know if we are thriving or not? How can we tell if we are doing the right things to thrive?

Refreshments provided, come join us! 

February 2026

Our latest update is available here

3rd October 2025

Yesterday, members of the Board and staff were able to travel to Balmacara Estate (Lochalsh) and meet with NTS Estate Manager Iain Turnbull.  Iain has been managing Balmacara for almost 30 years, and with around 80 crofts within its boundary he has a wealth of experience in working collaboratively with shareholders, crofters and the wider community.  Over the years Balmacara has supported affordable housing initiatives, innovative crofting developments, incentive schemes to improve biodiversity and support local produce.  The estate has refined processes for Crofters Right to Buy situations and worked with the townships to foster good relationships and traditional runrig systems. 

Achievements

• Group met on 9th September and made decisions on 4x croft sales, 2 x private land sales, 1 x land swap, and rectifying mapping anomalies
• Applied for and received Council tax exemption, including rebate
• Interviewed legal firms in response to legal services tender 
• Met with Duncan Macpherson, Calum Macleod and Faye Macleod for start up meetings
• Approved Alexander Macleod’s proposal to contract Kenny Maclennan and Donnie Mackenzie to support Deer management
• 2 x deer management group meetings
• Stakeholder interviews held by Duncan 25th September

18th September 2025

Calum and Duncan are visiting next week and will be meeting crofting shareholders and stakeholders on Thursday 25th followed by a session with the school on the morning of the 26th.  Everyone is welcome to the community hall from 3pm – 7pm on the 26th for a drop in session.  This will be a first opportunity to share your views on what the vision for the estate should be. Duncan and Calum will be helping us set policies and organise a management structure too, so your ideas for the future of the estate will help design those too. 

21st August 2025

The team has a busy summer, so here is an update on a few things:

Estate Vision tender process

The working group considered all tenders submitted and appointed Duncan Macpherson, Faye Macleod and Calum Macleod as the successful team. 

You can read more about the consultancy team here.

On Thursday 7th August the team had an online meeting with CCDC and a representative or member from each of the Estate’s grazing committees. The purpose of the project is to work collaboratively with the Estate’s crofting tenants, the wider community and CCDC to develop;

i) An estate management plan
ii) A suite of policies* to assist with ongoing management
iii) A range of governance options for consideration and adoption

The meeting allowed the opportunity to meet and speak with Duncan and Calum, hear more about their proposed approach to the work and ask questions. The discussions mainly focused on the best ways to consult and engage with the
Estate’s crofting tenants.

A number of suggestions were raised, and it was felt that a range of methods and options, from 1 to 1 conversations to open drop-in sessions, would all be useful. Duncan and Calum are now building this feedback into their plans and will meet with CCDC again later this month to agree the details of their contract, timelines, and start to develop a list of the key stakeholders for them to approach.

We will keep you updated once the work is formally underway, and provide details of when Calum and Duncan plan to visit Coigach in person, hopefully early in the autumn.

Summary of the meeting

*It is worth noting that one of the policies which will be developed in consultation with the crofting community is ‘croft sales’. At present there is no CCDC policy position on this. A list of initial policies to develop is below, under the 5th of June update.

Deer Management

CCDC has renewed arrangements with Alexander Macleod to deliver the cull again this season (he had been contracted by Mrs Rex previously).

Alexander is aiming at the same number of stags as has been the case historically, but increasing the hind cull (aiming at double the previous years’ targets). Exact numbers are contingent on various factors, including;

• the deer management groups’s process of developing a group wide deer management plan (should be underway from Sept/Oct)
• Vision/policy development for the estate underway Duncan, Faye, and Calum and;
• ongoing discussions with our neighbours SWT around their management plans for Ben Mor Coigach Estate.

All that said Alexander has said he is very happy for info on any ‘problem beasts’ that BDT residents would like him to tackle, so if there are specific concerns / locations then please let Laura know and we can inform Alexander directly.

25th July 2025

We have now received two bids for the Vision & Policy development work we have been advertising and hope to appoint a consultant very soon. 

The Estate Business Working Group met on 7th July – an invitation was issued to grazings clerks for ‘open’ session. Separate ‘closed’ session dealt with confidential business – no shareholders attended

Agenda

The group:

• Made decisions on 1x croft sale, 1 x private land sales, 1 x land swap, and rectifying mapping anomalies
• Enacted interim policy for private land sales: minimum cost £200 fee and the buyer pays the legal fees. 

CCDC is also looking for legal services support and there is a doodlepoll out for an online meeting for Badentarbat Estate ‘diaspora’ or potential returners.  If this is you and its of interest please do fill it in!

The Deer management group that CCDC is a part of has accepted a new constitution. 

26th June 2025

It also notes that, without policy changes and investment, we could be sleepwalking into the economic clearance of the crofting areas.  It calls for investment in the infrastructure that crofting needs, such as housing, transport, and access to markets, as well as reforms to agricultural funding to support small scale producers and horticulture. It highlights the lack of small scale abattoir provision.

The vision for crofting on Eigg articulated in the report is one that shows that crofting is a viable business that attracts young people to stay, return, or move to Eigg.  This vision includes a mix of businesses, with sustainable food production at its core. It is a vision where all crofts are being used, where each croft retains its independence, but where there are more opportunities for working in community. And it is one where the whole township manages the land sustainably to ensure it remains both productive and supports biodiversity.

It is hoped that this report will inform policy discussions and inspire further support for small-scale, sustainable land use across the Highlands and Islands.”

17th June 2025

We have extended the period of advertising for our brief for a consultant to support vision, policy and plan development.  Please do continue to share it with your contacts until June 30th!

5th June 2025

This past month we have drafted up a brief for a consultant to supportn policy and plan development.  Please share it with your contacts and consider what you might want to say to the successful candidate.  They will be working on:

1. An estate development plan; with tangible opportunities identified across the estate and recognising the wider community beyond crofters
2. A suit of policies for management of the estate’s crofting matters including:
   
   1. Apportionments & Apportionment sales
   2. Rents
   3. Croft sales
   4. Absenteeism
   5. Wayleaves
   6. Weddings & Events
   7. Car parking
   8. Commercial use
3. A proposed governance process for ongoing management of the estate to allow:
   
   • Updated Scheme of Delegation
   • Updated Working Groups Structure

Last week, Laura visited Balmacara Estate to learn how a charity has been successfully managing a crofting Estate for the past 80 years.  The rest of the team will have a fuller visit later this month.

7th May 2025

As we settle into the rhythm of Estate Ownership, we have started to ask other community or charity estate owners if they can share their policies with us.  The Interim Estate Business Working Group had its second meeting to discuss one particular crofting related issue and this really highlighted how important it is for us to have clear policies to guide decisions.  We will adapt and adopt useful policies and write our own where needed. 

In the meantime, Laura and Ann Marie are working on an information leaflet about the estate and exploring rights and responsibilities of crofters and landowners to help inform crofters considering buying their crofts or shareholders considering buying grazings. 

11th April 2025

The notes of the meeting with Polbain & Dornie are now available. Click here to read them.
We also celebrated a significant milestone this week with the first Estate Business Working Group meeting.  The CCDC board delegated authority to this interim group to make decisions about sales, mapping, and wayleaves. The meeting went well with items discussed including sales, issuing invoices for croft rents, several wayleave agreements or amendments and policy areas. The group agreed to meet again in three months time.

14th March 2025

Last week we met with members of the Polbain & Dornie Grazings Committee and wider community.  Notes of the meeting will come shortly.  We have also set the 7th of April for our first Interim Estate Business working group meeting.  We will discuss policy, delegation, sales, wayleaves, crofting rents and more.  Aspects of this meeting will need to be confidential as it will deal with private individuals requesting sales etc but we will design a way to make sure our decision making is transparent whilst protecting confidentiality.  

27th February 2025

This week we engaged with our first wayleave enquiry and held a programme group meeting where we discussed how to manage an interim Estate Business working group meeting while we work on a more detailed options appraisal for how the group will function in the future. 

While we don’t yet have an agreed voting structure or a formal delegation arrangement to a working group from the Charity Board, the proposal is that all decisions are taken only if unanimous agreement is achieved.  Where this isn’t possible we will not finalise decisions. 

We have also been approached by Polbain and Dornie Grazings Committee who are keen to meet and discuss the Terms of Reference and further options and hope to do this in the next week.   

20th February 2025

We are pleased to be able to share the minutes from the Badentarbat Q&A session held in Coigach Community Hall last November,

Many thanks once again to panelists Agnes Rennie, Mairi Mackenzie, Sandra Holmes, Lindsay Chalmers, Richard Williams and Laura Hamlet and to Ann Macleod for chairing the meeting.

This week we have also met with Achiltibuie Angling Club to discuss collaboration and had an initial conversation with HIE on how to approach an options appraisal in the meeting with Braes of Achnahaird reps as mentioned in last week’s update. 

14th February 2025

With apologies for the gap in updates we can now share the notes from an interesting meeting with members of the Braes of Achnahaird Grazings committee. Discussion resulted in an agreement to work up some further options for managing Estate Business.

We’d like to discuss ideas with other grazings committees too and a open invitation exists to meet and collaborate.  This is an oppotunity for Crofters to influence decision making from the landowners perspective as well as individuals and as a grazings committee.

Laura has shared Galson Estate’s policies on Sale of Feus and Croft Absenteeism to help start discussion on what our policies should be for Badentarbat. 

We are also aware that the notes from the meeting on the 27th of November are not yet out, this has been due to staff illness but they are now written up.  They are undergoing a last sense check from the panel to make sure we captured what they said accurately. We hope to have them on the website later today or early next week.

10th January 2025

Happy New Year!  This week we have circulated a draft terms of refrerence document to grazings clerks to start a conversation on how an Estate Business working group should be structured and operate.  We are aiming to have an inaugral meeting in February. 

In the meantime we have received updated maps which are linked in October’s community update and we are working on forms to update the Register of Crofts and the Crofting Register.

Summer Isles Enterprises have already registered their ownership of a small portion of the Polbain and Dornie grazings and so they will appear on the Crofting Register as landlord already. CCDC’s ownership will update soon. 

19th December

We hope this update finds you well and looking forward to some seasonal festivities.

CCDC’s office will be closed for the Holidays between 23rd of December and the 5th of January. Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year!

13th December

This past week Chairman Richard Williams has had some good conversations around Crofter representation/control on an Estate Business Working Group.  A paper will go in front of the Board at their next meeting on the 16th and then out for consultation thereafter.

Our Question Time notes are still in prep, but we are working as quickly as we can on this. 

5th December

Thank you to all who attended the Badentarbat ‘Question Time’ meeting last week – we are working on some notes and will circulate these as soon as they are ready. We are incredibly grateful to the guest panel of experienced speakers – Agnes Rennie (Galson Estate), Sandra Holmes (HIE), Marie MacKenzie (Crofting Commission), and Linsay Chalmers (Community Land Scotland), who expertly answered the many reasonable questions received from a gathering of around 30 Badentarbat Estate residents.
In the meantime, updated maps have been produced and submitted to the land registry.  If anyone has any further queries or concerns please do get in touch.

Sandra Holmes has kindly provided some links to help inform us further about community land ownership:

100yrs of community ownership (strong crofting focus)  https://youtu.be/EoFp1WBnRBQ

Galson Estate Trust:  Social enterprise | Highlands and Islands Enterprise | HIE

West Harris Trust: West Harris Trust | HIE  (includes a great video).

8th November

31st October

Community Update – what happens next?

30th October

Yesterday the Board of Coigach Community Development Company was informed that the sale of the Badentarbat Estate has completed and the Crofted portions of the Estate are now in community ownership.

For the full press release, click here.

22nd October

Yesterday evening the Board of Coigach Community Development Company met and approved the documents that will allow it to accept the Donation of £1.75m from Ian Wace (under the Donation Agreement negotiated between us) and use those funds to buy the majority of the Crofted lands in the Badentarbat Estate.

Here is a full update.

15th October 2024

We are pleased to share the Donation Agreement with the community ahead of a special Board meeting scheduled for the 21st of October where Directors will vote on signing all the paperwork ready for the sale to complete at the end of next week. 

Full document available here.

3rd October 2024

This week CCDC’s Trustees had a board meeting and an initial discussion about the terms of the Donation agreement.  We will meet our solicitor on Monday to have a chance to ask questions about the clauses and then it will be time to finalise a decision.  We are all aiming to complete the sale by the end of October!

24th September 2024

CCDC’s Directors have approved the minutes of the public meeting held in June. Please click here to read them.

12th September 2024

This week we have received a response to our draft offer to buy the crofted areas of Badentarbat estate. We are working with our solicitors to update terms and return with a formal offer.

6th September 2024

Any onward sale or transfer would also need to demonstrate that community benefit was a core guiding principle and statutory processes such as the Community Right to Buy provide a framework to ensure this. 

This week we attended the Community Land Scotland, ‘Meet the Pioneers’ event (if you’d like to see it, watch it here on youtube) where we heard from other communities who own their own crofting estates.  

We have also met with crofting law specialists at Harper Macleod solicitors to learn more about the responsibilities of land ownership. 

We shall prepare a fuller update for next week as we confirm the powers that CCDC has as a charity to effectively manage an estate, and work on improvements to our governance structure to prepare for the future. 

15th August 2024

Today the CCDC team met with Agnes Rennie (Community Land Scotland) and Sandra Holmes (Highlands and Islands Enterprise) to hear about the basics of community land acquisition.  Agnes is the Chair of the Galson Estate Trust (North Lewis) which manages 56,000 acres of land, 99% of which is crofted. We will continue to update this webpage with news each 

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