An amicable buyout of the Bays of Harris crofting estate has taken a step forward
after the private owner agreed to discuss selling the land.
Now residents are being asked their views about taking over the 10,000 acres of crofts,
hills and moorland which encompasses most of the rugged east coast of South Harris.
The area runs from Direcleit towards Leverburgh, the main village in the district
which is also the port for the Southern Isles ferry. A separate parcel of land at
Northon is landlocked between two other estates.
Also included is the Isle of Berneray as well as the uninhabited Hermetray group
of islands off North Uist across the Sound of Harris.
The Bays of Harris Estate is owned by the Hitchcock family who bought it for £5000
after the death of Lord Leverhulme, a founder of what is now the Unilever multinational
giant, in 1925.
A statement from the community-elected Bays Of Harris steering committee said: “The
current landlord has stated they are prepared to discuss the matter further in the
event the majority of the community express an interest.
“Prior to any vote an in-depth feasibility study must be carried out to assess the
economic viability of the community taking on ownership.
“The Bays of Harris Steering Group are seeking residents' thoughts, opinions and
suggestions as to how they would like to see the estate develop in the future.
“These responses will be used to form the basis of a detailed feasibility study,
the findings of which will be reported back to residents for further discussion.”
If a buyout proceeded successfully, it would take most of Harris under community
ownership and leave three other communities, Rodel lands, Leverburgh lands and Kyles
(Leverburgh) in private ownership.
The area is almost devoid of children, very few babies are born into the district
and only around 30 pupils attend Leverhulme School. Its secondary school has long
closed and older pupils go to Tarbert in North Harris after finishing primary school.
Aging residents outnumber the youth sparking fears that it is becoming a large retirement
dormitory. There is a dire lack of jobs and what work exists is dominated by small
scale fishing, tourism and public sector employment.
Community consultation for proposed estate buyout 8/7/13