Coigach Community Development Company takes ownership of 3 acres of land on behalf of the people of Coigach to deliver affordable homes to improve the future of the community.
Coigach Community Development Company (CCDC) has been supported in the acquisition of the site by the Scottish Land Fund with a grant of £285k towards the land price. The Development Company, which is also a charity, benefits from the income from a community owned wind turbine and this has supplied the shortfall in the purchase cost.
This is the first time the community in Coigach has been able to purchase land on which the people can live and work and it vastly improves the prospects of future generations. The community has a long connection with this plot of land, which for many years was the site of a major tourist attraction, the ‘Hydroponicum’. Many of Coigach’s young people had their first jobs here in the 1980s and ‘90s when it was famous for growing exotic fruits all year round.
The charity will now bring forward detailed proposals and consult with the community over the next few months on the mix of homes to be developed, talking to existing residents, past residents who may consider moving back and potential future residents. It is so important that rural communities like ours have a stake in designing their future. Owning this piece of land will give us the chance to build houses which we hope will help tackle the very real threat of depopulation.
Managing a construction project on this scale is a first for the charity, but the Communities Housing Trust (CHT) is offering invaluable support, skills and experience.
One potential resident said that “This is an incredible place, with a wonderful, welcoming and vibrant community, and this project will help make sure that it continues to thrive for many more years. Well done to the team for getting things this far, and we wish you every success as you progress.”
