welcome

We like to accentuate the positive at Scottish Field and one recent huge success story that warmed the heart is the return of people to live in the islands. After years of gradual depopulation that saw the islands’ population decline by 3% between 1991 and 2001, the population of Scotland’s 93 main islands rose by an unprecedented 4% between 2001 and 2011, and now stands at 103,700 permanent residents.

There were significant population rises for the big four islands, with mainland Orkney – which recently topped a UK-wide poll for quality of life for the third year in a row, thanks to its low unemployment, lack of traffic and good weather – growing its population by 12%. The other biggest islands, such as mainland Shetland (7%), Lewis & Harris (6%) and Skye (8%), also saw sizeable increases, as did islands like Barra, Benbecula, South Ronaldsay and Mull.

Although seven islands, including Papa Stronsay which had ten residents in 2001, lost their final inhabitants and became ghost islands, three islands are now home to people for the first time for many years. Eilean da Mheinn, off the coast of Crinan in Knapdale; Dry near Gairloch and Holm of Grimbister off mainland Orkney are all now alive once more.

That growth is only likely to continue as government policy incentivises people not to keep second homes, which may free up more housing stock. This is particularly the case on islands where a high proportion of houses are holiday homes, such as Raasay (43%), Colonsay (42%) and Tiree (34%).

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Richard Bath, Editor

‘The resident population of Scotland’s 93 main islands rose by an unpredented 4% between 2001 and 2011’