Dunvegan on Skye looks set to benefit from a massive investment thanks to the efforts of its ‘strong, united community’.
Highland Council recently gave the green light to the village’s ambitious three-part masterplan. This includes a new school, housing development and state-of-the art sporting facilities.
Local councillors and community groups say the masterplan is crucial in keeping young people on the island.
It’s also a lesson in the power of collaboration.
“Everyone with any kind of interest got involved from day one,” says Dunvegan community council chairman John Laing. “I’m delighted with the way it’s been handled and the speed everyone worked to get it through.”
Three birds, one stone
Mr Laing says the masterplan “kills three birds with one stone”.
Firstly, Highland Council will replace the dilapidated Dunvegan Primary School with a brand new, modern school.
The community council is particularly excited that the school will be built to ‘passivhaus’ standards – meaning it’s so energy-efficient it uses barely any heating.
“It will be cheap to run and provide a healthy learning environment,” says Mr Laing.
Highland Council will build the new Dunvegan Primary School on the former playing field. However, the playing field is not lost. The new development will include a football pitch, MUGA and school gym.
Importantly, the masterplan will also deliver new housing. Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association has planning permission for 16 affordable homes. This will include two one-bed semi-detached houses, nine two-bed bungalows and five three-bed 1.5 storey terraced homes.
As Mr Laing puts it: “It’s all very well building a school, but if you don’t provide housing for young people you’re on a hiding to nowhere.”
Chicken and egg housing problem
With its booming tourist industry, Skye has no shortage of employment. However, short-term lets price many young people out of the market.
The Dunvegan community hopes the new development will help provide affordable housing for local people.
“Social housing in Skye and in the Highlands generally is at a premium,” says Mr Laing. “Houses get snapped up in no time so folk often don’t stand a chance.
“This development gives people the chance to have a modern home beside a 21st-Century school.
“What we need here is breeding young couples!”
Education chairman and Skye councillor John Finlayson was a driving force behind the project. He says its success is down to seeing the bigger picture.
“It started with looking closely at the needs of Dunvegan,” says Mr Finlayson. “One thing we were asking was why we never got any new houses.”
It turned out, there was a bit of a chicken and egg thing going on. People requesting council houses weren’t choosing Dunvegan, because they knew there were no homes available. The council wasn’t building new homes, because nobody was asking for them.
“It was clear from the community that they’d like to live here, but they need housing and a school that’s fit for purpose,” says Mr Finlayson.
“We started working closely to see the bigger picture and came up with our three-element masterplan for Dunvegan – school, housing and sports.”
Looking to the future
That bigger picture naturally includes thinking of the next generation. In rural areas like Skye, the school is often the beating heart of the community. Shut the school, and families start to drift away.
Dunvegan Primary School and its parent council are excited to see the masterplan take shape.
“This is a much longed-for and needed project in our community,” says Anna Campbell of the parent council. “The children have endured many years of a school building that is not fit for purpose. We are very much looking forward to seeing the project get started and get spades in the ground.”
It will also get the next generation of football stars onto a decent training facility.
“The local football club has had to play on a sloping, stony pitch for years,” says Mr Laing. “Now they will have no excuses for not winning!”
Maressa Munro from North West Skye Football Club says the club has had to hire pitches for the past few years.
“The club is very excited at the prospect of having our own ground,” she says. “The whole development of the new school, housing and the football pitch will provide some much-needed investment into the area.”
Tapestry of Highland life
This investment includes some £12m earmarked through Highland Council’s medium-term financial plan. It also hinges on money from the Scottish Government and SportScotland – and Dunvegan’s collaborative strategy has helped secure that.
“We’ve taken a cohesive approach, where everyone is wanting the same thing,” says Mr Finlayson.
He names Lochalsh and Skye Housing Association, Dunvegan Estates, community groups, school groups, the football club and local landowners as just some of the stakeholders involved.
With the largest school estate in Scotland, Highland Council has a long list of capital projects to deliver. However, Mr Finlayson says he is “very confident” the council will deliver.
“Highland Council made a commitment to Dunvegan and we have a duty to deliver on that, now that community expectations have been set,” he says.
“Dunvegan is a strong, united community that’s ambitious to improve,” he adds. “We’re working together to create something special.”
Local councillor Callum Munro says rural schools must not be seen as a handicap.
“This investment sends a message that education is important, this community is important, and young people are crucial to our future,” says Mr Munro.
“I see rural schools as benchmarks of the vibrancy of our communities. They’re part of the rich tapestry of Highland life.”
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