Islanders got £4m of your cash... but want £500k more
They plan to renovate homes on Ulva (pop. 5)
WHEN the handful of residents on Ulva wanted to buy their remote island, they were handed more than £4 million of public money to help make it happen.
Now, less than 18 months on, they are asking for another £500,000 from the taxpayer – to entice people to move there.
Ulva covers seven square miles off the west coast of Mull and is home to only five people.
The residents took ownership in a community buyout in June last year, and unveiled a £1.4 million plan to renovate six houses in a bid to swell their numbers.
But they do not have the funds to pay for the work, so are applying for grants and loans – including £500,000 of government and council cash.
Last night, the previous owner of Ulva – who was forced to sell to the community after the Scottish Government stepped in to block a private sale – warned this plea would not be the last.
Former laird Jamie Howard, whose family had owned Ulva for 70 years before he put it on the market in 2017, said: ‘Ever the sceptic – even more so after the sale and buyout – I expect this is just the start.
‘The SNP Government will, I am sure, fund the development of Ulva, overtly or covertly, to ensure the success of their latest pet land reform project.’
After Mr Howard had to withdraw the island from private sale, the Scottish Land Fund pledged to provide up to £4.4 million to help the locals buy Ulva. Ownership was then transferred to the North West Mull Community Woodland Company (NWMCWC), which is now inviting applications for a £1.4 million works contract to renovate properties – two of which are occupied by existing tenants.
One of the buildings, which are of a traditional stone construction, is a B-listed manse.
The work will involve full internal and external refurbishment, including repairs to roofs and stonework, replacement of all windows and doors, full rewiring, plumbing and heating, new kitchens and bathrooms, and new porches and extensions.
The group hopes that Scottish Government rural housing grants will cover at least £500,000 of the cost, with the rest of the money coming from donations, charities and bank loans.
Ian Hepburn, director of the NWMCWC, said: ‘We want to get a living, working population back onto the island – and that means families.
‘This particular project is for refurbishing six houses which are way below inhabitable standards, to be frank.
‘Because of the nature of the houses and the way they were built – one is listed – it’s dearer than if you built new ones.
‘The initial phase is to bring unused houses back in to use, but it will also upgrade the ones that are occupied at the moment.’
‘There’s excitement and there are challenges. There’s an awful lot of work going in from volunteers and the development manager. But it is a case of casting our bread on the water and seeing what comes back.’