Eigg experience demonstrates why land holds key to development

Jim Dickson

Four new houses, the complete rebuild of another house and a day care centre are almost ready on the Isle of Eigg - the first development on the island for years. But as the director of Lochaber Housing Association found out, the island’s remoteness was not the only reason that it proved a difficult project.

The key to successful development on an island like Eigg revolves around the question of land ownership. That it took more than eight years to get this housing development on Eigg shows how the issue affected this particular project.

The building currently used as the village hall on Eigg amply demonstrates the difficulty surrounding land ownership. The hall is situated in the grounds of the main estate house and, according to the islanders, was gifted to the community by one of the previous owners.

However, as was common practice, there was no written contract and no formal lease. As a result, the hall then became an element in the dispute between the community and the former owner of Eigg, Keith Schellenberg, when it was included in the sale particulars as a games room. The islanders say there was a desperate attempt to unearth any written reference to the gift - including searching through old newspaper clippings - but nothing was found.

One of the early requests made to the current owner, Maruma, when he took over the island from Schellenberg was that he make land available for the construction of a community centre. After much consultation a piece of ground was identified next to the school so that not only could the wider community benefit but it would also be convenient for the pupils. A lot of work was undertaken, at risk, by various consultants drawing up plans for the centre - unfortunately, a year later the land still remains in Maruma’s ownership and the future of the village hall seems uncertain. A substantial amount of time and effort by various individual and organisations has been completely wasted.

This lack of security of tenure has plagued the island, and has deterred developments by private bodies. Lochaber Ltd, the local enterprise company, were particularly concerned not to waste any more staff time and resources on projects which because of the land issue were never likely to succeed.

Certainly, at the time when the Lochaber Housing Association was looking for land on the island, there was general scepticism that we would fare any better than many of the other agencies which had tried before.

The idea of providing housing on Eigg was originally explored by the Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association prior to 1988 when Lochaber Housing Association was set up. This meant it took more than eight years to get this development completed and on many occasions it looked as if the scepticism that other agencies and some of the residents had was particularly well founded.

The land that the association eventually managed to acquire was crofting land, which one of the crofters agreed to sell to us for the construction of houses. As the crofter concerned was still a tenant it meant that Schellenberg, who owned the island at the time, still had an interest in the land. Local committee members, including Dr Michael Foxley and Monsignor Thomas Wynne, worked extremely hard in helping the association acquire the site through negotiation with Schellenberg.

That said, after agreeing a price for the land, and for a derelict cottage nearby, it took over one year to finalise the sale of the land - largely because Schellenberg, unknown to the association, was negotiating the sale of the island to the new owner, Maruma, which was completed 18 months ago.

Schellenberg did withhold his interest in the crofting land and the derelict cottage from the transaction with Maruma to allow the land to be sold to the housing association and the site was de-crofted in record time - a reflection of the general goodwill to see a much needed housing development on Eigg.

The then Highland Regional Council managed, despite severe funding restraints, to find over Ł100,000 towards the capital costs of a day care centre which had been one of their key priorities for a nimbler of years. Scottish Homes gave the development their full support, because acquiring the land was only the negotiation of obstacle number one. Obstacle number two was the high cost of getting the houses built and fit for people to live in.

This was an expensive development. The total cost for the Lochaber Housing Association-led housing project was Ł467,415 and for The Highland Council-led day care centre Ł119,521. It is to Scottish Homes’ credit that they recognised it would be an expensive scheme and continued to give it the priority it deserved and a total of Ł426,070 in funding. The other funders were the North of Scotland Water Authority, Lochaber Ltd and private finance.

The high costs were primarily because of the transport requirements - getting materials along single-track roads to ferry points and then shipping them over to the islands. Once unloaded, the materials then had to be taken three miles along another single-track road to the far end of the island from the jetty - usually by tractor and trailer. In addition to transport Eigg gave us other problems which were unique to its situation.

There was no immediate water supply so water had to be brought from a burn almost three quarters of a mile away.

With no mains electricity supply on Eigg we had to install communal generators including a back up facility. Generating electricity in this way is a problem because even with solid fuel central heating, electricity is still needed for the water pumps. In addition, 10-kilowatt generators, sufficient for an average loading from five houses and a day care centre, are very heavy on fuel.

As the tenants moving into the properties are mainly elderly, and because incomes on the island are extremely modest, the necessity for designing a generator system that would not be too heavy on fuel was of paramount importance - not only because of the cost of diesel, but also because of the transport levy charged by Calmac – ferry company - for taking diesel across from the mainland.

The generators have been installed with timers so they run for a set number of hours each day. In addition, they will charge up individual batteries, which can provide sufficient power both to keep the water pumps working and also to provide lighting for the houses and the day care centre.

However, from within its maintenance budget, the association has appointed one of the local residents in order to maintain the generators and batteries so that the system works efficiently.

As a result of the electricity problems it was inappropriate to install a biological sewage treatment plant because they require 24-hour electricity. A reed bed system was therefore installed which would naturally filter the out-fall from the septic tank and have the additional benefit of requiring little or no maintenance.

Attic trusses and widened hallways were installed to allow development of stairs and a bedroom upstairs because, although at the moment the houses are two-bedroom and catering mainly for elderly, single people and couples, accommodation needs may change in the future and in the short term the association has no plans for more housing on Eigg.

The development has and will prove a tremendous benefit for a place, which has suffered a history of neglect and disappointment over the years. This is the first new housing on the island for a considerable number of years and four out of the five new tenants are elderly, all of whom were living in some of the worst housing conditions imaginable. One of the tenants, in fact, will be moving into a house after 23 years in a caravan.

The four new houses are single-storey and designed to barrier-free standards, which means that the elderly occupants will be able to live in dignity in decent accommodation both now and in the future years when they become less mobile.

There is also a social benefit. The day care centres will allow visiting consultants, whether the local nurse or other services, to have a base on the island.

And there is an economic benefit. The building contractor agreed the association’s request that he maximises the number of local people employed on the project; a number of other islanders benefited in terms of providing accommodation, and plant and equipment hire to the contractor.

One of the tenants is a local fisherman who owns his boat and now has security of tenure. This is important because he employs someone on the island and because he is more secure, that employment opportunity will continue.

Perhaps one of the most encouraging aspects of the development is that Lochaber Ltd is able to take renewed interest in the island. As an example, a number of islanders have approached LEC and Highland Council about funding for a tele-cottaging facility which the enterprise company are now able to consider because Highland Council agreed to lease part of the day care centre.

None of these benefits could have come about without the land which the association, through perseverance managed to acquire.

Without the land, there would have been no housing development and elderly people on the island would have continued to live in appalling conditions; without the land, an important employer on the island would have had no security of tenure and an important job for the island could have been lost without the land, there would have been no day care centre and without the day care centre there would have been no opportunity for the local enterprise company to develop a new employment initiative.

As I have already said the key to the success of development on an island like Eigg revolves around the question of land ownership.

However, most importantly, with the association acquiring the land and the financial support from Scottish Homes, then, for once, agencies have actually worked together to produce something tangible for the island - not just another good intention which failed to materialise.

Source: West Highland Free Press, 20 December 1996.

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