How new £6m clifftop centre on a stunning Scottish island holds the answer to depopulation
The green light has been given to Ionad Hiort on the Isle of Lewis to tell the story of St Kilda and its people who lived across the water.
It will tell the story of an island abandoned by its people and will, in its own way, help to halt the decline of communities in today’s Western Isles.
Ionad Hiort, the proposed St Kilda Centre in the Uig area of Lewis, has obtained full planning permission after a long process to push forward ambitions for a world-class attraction about world famous Unesco World Heritage Site.
The centre will sit in a dip in the towering cliffs at Geodha Sgoilt, some 100ft above sea level, and look out over the water towards the island left behind by its last permanent resident in August 1930.
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But the project, which will cost an estimated £6 million, will make a contribution to island life beyond that of a stunning visitor attraction.
An independent report on the project said Ionad Hiort could support 75 jobs once fully operational and “play an important role in combating depopulation”.
The paper, by Biggar Economics, said: “Ionad Hiort is more than a tourism project, seeking to not only establish itself as a world-class visitor attraction, but also to serve the local community.
“Ionad Hiort was conceived and developed by local volunteers and receives substantial support from within the local community. The project is directed and controlled entirely by local people, and is designed to support the economic and cultural survival of one of Scotland’s most fragile rural communities.
“This assessment has considered the contributions Ionad Hiort could make to the five pillars of Community Wealth Building and has found that the contribution is likely to be substantial, particularly to the pillars relating to ownership, employment, land use and supply chains.
“Ionad Hiort also offers a strong contribution to nine of Scotland’s national outcomes. This contribution is particularly strong for the outcomes relating to communities, culture, economy and fair work and business, but is also significant in relation to the outcomes relating to children and young people, international, human rights, education, and the environment.”
The chairman of Ionad Hiort, Iain Buchanan, said getting detailed planning consent was “a huge milestone” while recognising the scale of the challenge that still lies ahead in securing full funding for the project.
Mr Buchanan paid tribute to officials at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar and Highlands and Islands Enterprise “whose unfailing commitment has been crucial in getting us to this stage”.
He also called on the Scottish Government to review its approach to funding projects in peripheral areas, as part of any strategy to reverse depopulation and cultural decline.
Mr Buchanan added: “It is exceptionally difficult for a voluntary organisation in a fragile community to put together the jigsaw of funding that is required – multiple funds with different criteria and timescales, all involving enormous amounts of work.
“The original recognition by public bodies that this was a project of local, national and international significance was not accompanied by any guarantees of funding and these challenges still have to be overcome”.
The architects for Ionad Hiort are Skye-based Dualchas in partnership with Raulf Ramstad of Norway, who have worked on similar flagship projects in peripheral areas of Scandinavia.
Rory Flyn, director at Dualchas Architects, said “We are delighted that The St Kilda Centre has received planning permission after many years of development. It is a challenging site but an inspiring brief; one that requires a solution that is both pragmatic and poetic.”
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