Giant wind farm benefit may pay for land buyout 7/4/10
A hostile community takeover of the Pairc estate on Lewis may be funded through the payments from a controversial giant windfarm.
The bid by the crofting community follows a ballot in South Lochs to buy 20,000 acres of moorland.
The move is against the will of the landowner and would be Scotland’s first test of the controversial Land Reform Act.
The legislation has never been used in anger in its six years of existence but has been invoked now because estate owner Barry Lomas refuses to sell out on the community’s terms.
The hostile application to buy the land plus commercial wind farm leases is out to public consultation until 16th May. If successful Mr Lomas would be left as landlord of only 5000 acres of individual tenanted crofts.
But villagers need to find alternative sources of finance to meet the cost of the takeover with large lottery awards funding for large community buyouts effectively dried up.
One idea is to pay back a loan from community cash benefit promised from Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) for its proposed massive £110 million wind farm on the estate.
Pairc Trust said it is “looking at innovative ways of funding a purchase, including
raising a loan based on community benefit which Pairc Trust have negotiated from
Scottish and Southern Energy from the Pairc commercial wind-
Pairc Trust chairman Angus McDowall said: “We need to be prepared for rapid developments in the next few months.
“We are always open to further discussions with the landlord regarding a voluntary transfer of the estate, but this can only be on terms which give the community real control, so that we are in a position to carry out our plans to create jobs and reverse population decline in the area.”
He highlighted that methods of paying the sale price would be open to local debate in Gravir School a week Friday.
Mr McDowall added: “The public meeting is a good opportunity to update people on the options, and to outline our plans for renewable energy projects and ways of funding a purchase.
“The community have shown remarkable resilience in the face of long delays and we
need now to re-
Pairc Trust also proposes setting up a new subsidiary company to develop community renewable energy projects on the estate.