Raasay trust receives land fund cash to help buy community land

Raasay Development Trust (RDT) has received a share of a Scottish Government fund to support community ownership.

The trust has been awarded £68,230 in the latest round of Scottish Land Fund awards, which supports communities to buy land and buildings.

This project will purchase two acres of land in the village of Inverarish to develop four community-owned homes, which will be available for affordable rent, two self-build plots and a plot to be sold to a local housing association for the development of a further two homes.

The Scottish Land Fund, funded by the Scottish Government, provides grants of up to £1 million as well as practical support to encourage community ownership.

Kate Forbes MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, said: ‘I am delighted that the Raasay Development Trust has been successful in its application. Community ownership can transform the prospects of a local area, giving people a real stake in their future.

‘The Raasay community has been working tirelessly and innovatively over the last few years and there’s been great progress with new jobs coming to the island, for example through the new distillery.

‘But none of these success stories are sustainable without adequate housing. I hope the success of the Raasay Development Trust will encourage others in the Highlands to consider how community ownership could benefit them.’