A DISUSED school and schoolhouse on the Isle of Skye has received a grant of over £47,000 to continue with further feasibility, design and development work.
The project has plans to renovate the old building into 5-6 affordable homes, and is being led by the Glendale Trust, in partnership with the Communities Housing Trust.
This project is supported by the Rural Communities Ideas into Action Fund, which is supported by the Scottish Government and delivered by Inspiring Scotland.
The fund aims to encourage and support innovative approaches to locally-led development in rural communities across the country.
Using funding support from the Scottish Land Fund, The Glendale Trust were able to purchase the school back in 2014.
£10,000 has also been provided by the Architectural Heritage Fund towards early-stage costs.
After a standard renovation for the Borrodale buildings was found to be unviable, the project was forced to look towards new and innovative approaches, such as retrofitting the building in mind of the climate crisis.
Across Scotland, there are 39,000 empty homes, whilst there is also a desperate need for affordable housing.
The renovation will focus on transforming an eyesore into an asset, provide housing for members of the local community, and support economic growth in the area.
The development will provide a mix of affordable tenures based on demand, such as social rent equivalent, mid-market rent, low-cost home ownership, or housing for keyworkers.
The mixture of set-ups will provide greater flexibility within a small community, where socioeconomic circumstances may differ.
Clare Gray, chair of The Glendale Trust, said: “Borrodale School and Schoolhouse are embedded in the landscape and in the collective memory of generations of people from Glendale.
"We are delighted that the Communities Housing Trust, the Scottish Government’s Rural Communities in Action Fund and the AHF also recognise the value of the buildings and together we can now work to create affordable housing within their walls.”
Ronnie MacRae, CEO of Communities Housing Trust, said: “We are delighted to be supporting the Glendale Trust in renovating the old school, as it’ll provide much needed housing for the community.
"It will also be an example of community-led, climate-friendly restoration which communities across the country can replicate and use to boost local skills and economy.
"The homes will help ensure the community thrives into the future, and the support of Scottish Government and others are key here so we’d like to thank them for that.”
Jo Robertson, Scotland support officer for the Architectural Heritage Fund, said: “Thanks to funding from the William Grant Foundation, the Architectural Heritage Fund is pleased to provide grant towards the re-purposing of Borrodale Schoolhouse.
"This project will use both traditional and new technologies to improve environmental performance and will find design solutions that can be replicated to similar buildings across the Highlands.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel