February 2025 –
The purchase of the Gaeltec Buildings has been an ongoing project for several months now. Gathering the required documents has been quite a slow process, and as 95% of the funding is being provided from the Scottish Land Fund and the building is being brought into community ownership, it is important that all risks to that investment are highlighted to try to minimise expensive surprises! A significant amount of work has been done by
everyone involved, and we are well on the way, however the final (and most complicated) sticking point is a single broken line on the title plan for the site. This turns out to be a title right for the property next door to that being bought, and is something that needs investigating and resolving in some way before the purchase can move forward. The slow progress with the purchase has had a knock-on effect on the overall timetable for the project, with the rush to meet funding deadlines last summer being put on hold. A change in government in London led to the pausing and eventual closure of a large funding target for the refurbishment costs, and DCT are now reassessing the financial opportunities for the project. The funding landscape is difficult at the moment, however we are making the changes we can to keep the project achievable, and to provide an exciting and sustainable hub for community activities. While these issues are difficult, there is also lots to feel positive about! With the support of the Scottish Land Fund and local architect firm Rural Design, the design of the refurbished building has been progressing, and we’ve been able to include all of the spaces we had hoped for. We’ve been sharing these plans with you at recent events, and they are now available to view at the link below. Planning permission for the change of use and addition of solar panels to the south-east facing roof was granted on 23 July 2024, and the designs are now ready to be submitted in a building warrant application. Included in the plan is a 44m 2 community gym, for which we have received the following proposed layouts from two equipment companies. We would love to hear from you about these proposed layouts and have included a comment form on which you can send us your thoughts, or just drop us an email! Another exciting improvement to the buildings is all of the work DCT will be doing to improve their sustainability and to reduce the environmental impact the buildings have. We will be improving the efficiency of the buildings by improving the insulation, replacing most windows and doors and draft-proofing others, and replacing the lighting with LED fixtures. We are looking towards renewables, using air source heat pumps with radiators for heating, and installing a solar array along with battery storage. Mechanical ventilation will ensure that heat generated in the building is retained. The accessibility of the community hub is also really important to the Trust. From the plans, you can see that each main area of the two buildings has accessible facilities, but if there are any ways in which we can make the buildings user-friendly for everyone, please do let us know.
July 2024-New Project Officer
We would like to welcome Bryony Anderson to the DCT team. Though a hydrogeologist by training, Bryony has worked in the community and cultural sectors for over fifteen years, starting off as an Oxfam steward at music festivals, then working as events manager for Manchester-based co-operative music imprint Debt Records and later at performing arts charity SEALL here on the Isle of Skye (where she has lived since 2017). Bryony now works alongside Dunvegan Community Trust as Project Officer for the Gaeltec Community Hub project where she is also part of the Tool Library working group. In addition to this she is a volunteer assistant at Skye & Lochalsh Archive Centre and part of a local textile art group creating works around marine ecology and climate change.
May 2024 – DCT are furthering an ambitious project to purchase and transform a local building into a multi-use community hub.
The Gaeltec Buildings at Lonmore, Dunvegan, once housed one of the largest employers in the area, manufacturing specialised electronic pressure measuring equipment. The building is now mostly unused apart from current tenants The Isle of Skye Sea Salt Company, and we are keen to bring them into community ownership and use them to further economic, environmental and social development in the area.
Following a well-received community consultation to gauge feedback for the project aims, DCT were successful in applying to Stage 1 of the Scottish Land Fund (SLF) to fund development works for the project. This included a building market valuation; building condition survey; specialised business and feasibility planning; and architectural support to produce concept designs, and a quantity surveyor to prepare two cost plans for the chosen concept design.
Following the submission of this work, DCT has also recently been awarded Stage 2 funding towards the purchase of the buildings, the refinement of the business plan and financial projections, and the production of a costed final design. We are currently negotiating the purchase of the buildings and working toward tight deadlines in the summer, to begin to secure funding for renovation costs, and to refine the architectural plans of the buildings, in order to maximise the space and ensure it is an asset that the community will benefit from for many years to come.
Based on the results of the original consultation, and the space within the buildings, we are hoping to include:
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- Office space to rent
- Shared workspace
- Commercial space for the inherited tenant
- Smaller commercial spaces to rent
- Community Gym
- Facilities for Childcare
- Multi-use Community Space for craft workshops
- Community Space for Tool Library and repair workshop
Join the Tool Library/repair Workshop Working Group
Link to Original Consultation Report
Link to Design Report incl Provisional Plans (these will be refined over the coming months)