Community building certified carbon neutral

The Shore Facilities Building at Ulva Ferry on Mull in Argyll was developed by the Mull and Iona Community Trust in 2023 with support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE).

The building includes toilets, showers, laundry and kitchen, as well as a storeroom and office, and a multifunction room dedicated to the memory of local community stalwart Jeannie MacColl.

Around 150 people now live and work at Ulva Ferry and the local primary school roll has more than doubled in recent years. Much of this can be attributed to the work of MICT, which has also delivered other projects at Ulva Ferry including affordable housing, a pontoon, motorhome pitches, car park and a community transport scheme and creation of several part-time jobs.

HIE views the work of the Trust as helping to make Scotland fairer, wealthier and greener by complementing the National Strategy for Economic Transformation.

Morag Goodfellow, HIE’s area manager for Argyll and the Islands said:

“The Mull and Iona Community Trust is a great example of a community organisation taking serious action to grow and support a thriving community in a very rural area. The Trust has been doing a great job of utilising community owned assets to strengthen community and population resilience and enhance the visitor offering. I know they take environmental factors very seriously, and have done from the start, so this is great news that the new building has been certified as a net zero building.”

Moray Finch, general manager of Mull and Iona Community Trust, said:

“The long-standing revenue and capital support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise has made possible the many successful capital projects which collectively have strengthened the local community in the catchment area of Ulva Primary School. We look forward to continuing to work with HIE as we take forward our other projects that will deliver social and economic impacts for Mull and Iona.”