Project to develop business units on Tiree awarded £395k

Tha pròiseact fo stiùir na coimhearsnachd airson aonadan gnothachais ùra air Eilean Thiriodh ann an Earra-Ghàidheal, aon de na coimhearsnachdan as iomallaiche ann an Alba, air suas ri £395,000 fhaotainn bho HIE.

Thathar a’ sùileachadh gun cruthaich am pròiseact £1.19m seo le Iomairt Coimhearsnachd Thiriodh Earranta, trì obraichean ùra air an eilean agus taic do sheachd eile.  

Tha seo a’ leantainn air suirbhidh coimhearsnachd ann an 2019, a thog air an fheum air togalach freagarrach airson gnothachasan ionadail a dhèanadh fàs comasach, agus gnothachasan ùra a bhith air an stèidheachadh.

Tha Tiriodh mar an t-eilean as fhaide an iar de dh’eileanan a-staigh Innse Gall, dheth costa an iar Alba, agus le ceithir uairean a thìde de shiubhal air an aiseag às an Òban, tha e am measg aon de na coimhearsnachdan as iomallaiche ann an Alba. Mar sin, tha e a’ cothachadh ri dùbhlain mu thimcheall àireamh-sluaigh fulangach a ghleidheadh agus còmhnaidh san eilean.

Chaidh TCEL a chruthachadh ann an 2020 mar bhuidheann ann an seilbh iomlan Urras Thiriodh/Urras Leasachaidh Coimhearsnachd Thiriodh (TCDT), gus pròiseactan ath-bheòthachaidh calpa mòra a lìbhrigeadh agus a stiùireadh air an eilean.  

B’ e a’ chiad phròiseact aca, stèisean connaidh coimhearsnachd fhaotainn, a tha a-nis làn obrachail agus a’ toirt seirbheis luachmhor ionadail don eilean agus a’ gineadh teachd-a-steach.

Cruthaichidh an iomairt ùr seo ceithir aonadan gnothachais coimearsalta ann an Crosapol, a tha mu thrì mìle bho phrìomh bhaile Sgairinis ann an Tiriodh. Bidh 40 meatair ceàrnagach ann an trì de na h-aonadan agus bidh aon eile 60 meatair ceàrnagach. Bidh iad uile rim faotainn air màl aig prìs reusanta.  

Tha na h-aonadan air an dealbhadh le seasmhachd àrainneachdail san amharc, le stuth-còmhdaich aig àrd-ìre, pumpaichean teasa bho thùs èadhair agus pannalan grèine a’ coimhead gu deas air am mullach.

A’ dearbhadh a’ mhaoineachaidh bho HIE, thuirt Morag Goodfellow, am manaidsear sgìreil:

“Tha togalach gnothachais freagarrach deatamach don eaconamaidh ionadail. Solaraichidh am pròiseact seo le Iomairt Coimhearsnachd Thiriodh togalach èifeachdach nua-aimsireil do ghnothachsan beaga, a dh’fhaodas leantainn gu cothroman eaconamach ùra agus cosnadh dùthchail luachmhor.

“Tha seo uile a’ cuideachadh le fulangas coimhearsnachd a neartachadh agus òigridh a tha gnìomhach gu h-eaconamach a chumail anns an àite fìor dhùthchail seo. Fàsaidh e teachd-a-steach cuideachd do TCEL, a’ comasachadh don bhuidheann adhartachadh gu pròiseactan coimhearsnachd eile a bhios nam buannachd don eilean. Tha mi air leth toilichte gu bheil sinn comasach air taic a thoirt agus a’ coimhead air adhart ris na h-aonadan fhaicinn air na crìochnachadh.”

Thuirt Phyl Meyer, manaidsear coitcheann Urras Thiriodh/Urras Leasachaidh Coimhearsnachd Thiriodh:

“Tha feum mòr aig Tiriodh air àite coimearsalta nua-aimsireil airson gnothachasan beaga a tha èifeachdach a thaobh lùth. Tha a’ choimhearsnachd gu h-àraidh miannach air taic a chur ri cothroman obrach fad na bliadhna a neartaicheas seasmhachd fad-amail an eaconamaidh againn agus ar n-àireamh-sluaigh, agus ’s ann air sin a bhios na h-aonadan ùra ag amas. Tha sinn air mòran ùidhe fhaicinn, agus tha e math a bhith a’ faicinn mar a tha daoine a’ tighinn còmhla gus co-mholaidhean a dhèanamh a bheir an fheum as àirde à cleachdadh agus buannachd gach aonaid. Tha am pròisdeact seo air a bhith sa phlana leasachaidh againn airson beagan bhliadhnaichean agus tha sinn cho toilichte a bhith gam faicinn gan togail, le taic HIE agus an luchd-maoineachaidh eile againn ann an Comhairle Earra-Ghàidheal is Bhòid agus Riaghaltas na h-Alba.” 

Thuirt Niall Gray, Rùnaire Eaconamaidh Soirbheis:

“Tha sinn glè mhothachail gu bheil coimhearsnachdan iomallach eileanach agus dùthchail a’ dèiligeadh ri dùbhlain mhòra agus gun choimeas, agus tha Riaghaltas na h-Alba an-còmhnaidh dealasach a thaobh dèiligeadh ris na dùbhlain sin fhad ’s a thathar a’ tarraing còmhla nam mòran chothroman a tha ùr agus a th’ ann mar-thà.

“A thuilleadh air obraichean ùra a chruthachadh, cuidichidh am maoineachadh seo le feumalachdan ghnothachasan ionadail agus choimhearsnachdan a choileanadh. Tha mi a’ coimhead air adhart ri cluinntinn mu dheidhinn mar a tha gnothachasan agus luchd-còmhnaidh ann an Tiriodh a’ faotainn buannachd bho na h-aonadan seo.

“Tha Riaghaltas na h-Alba ag èisteachd ri gnothachas agus dealasach a thaobh eaconamaidh soirbheis a lìbhrigeadh le seasmhachd is cothromachd aig a chridhe, a tha a’ ceadachadh do ghnothachas – agus mar sin an co-chomunn – air soirbheachadh.”

Project to develop business units on Tiree awarded £395k

A community-led project to create new business units on the Island of Tiree in Argyll, one of Scotland’s most rural communities, has secured up to £395,000 investment from HIE.

The £1.19m project, by Tiree Community Enterprise Limited, is expected to result in the creation of three new jobs on the island and support a further seven.

It follows a community survey in 2019, which highlighted the need for suitable premises to enable local businesses to grow and new businesses to be established.

Tiree is the most westerly of the Inner Hebridean islands off Scotland’s west coast and, at four hours by ferry from Oban, is among the most remote communities in Scotland. As such, it faces challenges around retaining a resilient resident population.

TCEL was created in 2020 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Urras Thiriodh/Tiree Community Development Trust (TCDT) to deliver and manage large capital regeneration projects on the island.

Its first project was to secure a community fuel station, which is now fully operational and providing a valuable local service and generating income.

This latest initiative will create four light commercial business units in Crossapol, which is around three miles from Tiree’s main settlement of Scarinish. Three of the units will be 40 square metres and one will be 60 square metres. All will be available on affordable leases.

The units have been designed with environmental sustainability in mind, with high-grade insulation, air source heat pumps and roof-mounted south facing solar panels.

Confirming the HIE funding, area manager Morag Goodfellow, said:

“Suitable business premises is essential to any local economy. This project by Tiree Community Enterprise will provide modern efficient premises for small businesses. It will stimulate more collaboration between businesses, which will likely lead to new economic opportunities and valuable rural employment.

“All of this helps strengthen community resilience and retain young economically active people in this very rural location. It will also generate income for TCEL and enable the group to progress other community projects that benefit the island. I’m delighted we are able to provide support and look forward to seeing the units completed.”

Phyl Meyer, general manager of Urras Thiriodh/Tiree Community Development Trust, said:

“Tiree has great need of modern, energy efficient commercial space for small business use. The community is particularly keen to support year-round work opportunities that will enhance the long-term sustainability of our economy and population, and that’s where these new units will be targeted. We’ve had a lot of interest, and it’s great to see how people are coming together to make joint proposals that will maximise the usage and benefit of each unit. We’ve had this project in our development plan for some years and are delighted with the support of HIE and our other funders at Argyll and Bute Council and Scottish Government to get them built.”

Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said:

“We are well aware that remote, rural and islands communities face significant and unique challenges and the Scottish Government remains committed to addressing these challenges while harnessing the many new and existing opportunities that also exist.

“As well as creating new jobs, this funding will help to address the needs of local businesses and communities. I look forward to hearing about how businesses and residents in Tiree are benefitting from these units.

“The Scottish Government is listening to business and is committed to delivering a wellbeing economy with sustainability and fairness at its heart that allows business - and in turn society - to thrive.

ENDS.