Harper Macleod advises on preservation of north west Highlands croft land
News
Crofting, rural, and community land experts at law firm Harper Macleod have advised a community group on a transaction which will see the protection of nearly 8,000 acres of croft land and common grazings in the north west Highlands.
The Coigach Community Development Company (CCDC) has acquired 7,900 acres of tenanted croft land and common grazings on the Badentarbat Estate on the Coigach peninsula, 25 miles north of Ullapool.
The Badentarbat Estate covers around 8,900 acres of the Coigach peninsula, with around 15 miles of coastline and is predominantly a crofting estate comprising the Reiff, Altandu and Camascoille common grazings.
The estate purchase was a privately funded transaction by way of a donation by Ian Wace.
In the last decade, Harper Macleod has advised on more than 20 significant community buyouts comprising more than 30,000 acres of community land in Scotland, including the Langholm Initiative, the largest community buyout in the south of Scotland, and the community buyout of the Carloway Estate on Lewis.
These acquisitions have been part of an increasing number of community-led purchases of land and property in recent years which bring land into community ownership and use. They have led to job creation, new housing provision, natural capital and renewable energy projects, and the protection of rural land for future generations.
Calum MacLeod, a partner in Harper Macleod’s Rural Property, Forestry, Community Land & Crofting team, led on the transaction. Calum is one of only two crofting law specialists to be accredited by the Law Society of Scotland and is a crofter himself.
Calum said: “The Coigach peninsula is not only a special part of the north west Highlands because of its unspoilt scenery and natural habitats, but also for the rich heritage and tradition being maintained by the crofting community. In acquiring this land, the CCDC aims to preserve the croft land and common grazings for future generations, and also to explore the possibility of delivering new affordable housing.
The protection of croft land is valuable to local economies such as Coigach. It is a part of a trend being repeated across Scotland’s rural communities. It represents what can be achieved when communities come together to determine their futures by addressing local challenges, reversing depopulation and developing local services and amenities.