Lochcarron estate owner offers to gift land for charitable use
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A WESTER Ross laird is offering to gift crofting lands skirting one of Scotland’s most scenic coastlines to the local community.
Mark Pattinson (90), owner of Lochcarron Estate for the last 40 years, wants to donate around 2000 acres stretching from Slumbay to Ardaneaskan, along the northern shores of Loch Carron.
The retired salmon farming entrepreneur envisages the move enabling a community-run charitable company to raise income from the donated land through housing and tourism development.
He also believes the gift could generate local employment and allow the community to harvest more of its own food.
His initial wish was for the common grazing land, comprising four of seven crofting townships and almost 100 small crofts under his ownership, to pass to the Howard Doris Centre, a charitable company in Lochcarron providing care for the elderly.
But the organisation’s board of directors has indicated a preference to create a new charitable company to take ownership of the land and represent the community’s interests.
Plans for a public meeting where all residents within the school catchment area could vote on the proposal was postponed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
Mr Pattinson, who holds around 3000 acres of crofting land in total, said: “This is probably one of the most spectacular parts of Scotland’s west coast and the first stretch of coastline visitors on the North Coast 500 see when travelling from Inverness.
“I believe there are great opportunities for the community arising from that in terms of generating income from housing plots and tourism, such as the development of luxury pod sites.
“We have 100 crofts on the estate and, of these, there are about 20 in the area I’m proposing to donate. Many are occupied by retired people.
“There is a tremendous opportunity here to generate income. The Howard Doris Centre care home and medical centre is run mostly by donations and does take pressure off the NHS in an area of ageing population.
“My idea is also that these small crofts should be worked, particularly in this time of the virus, for local farming produce.
“Applecross has started this and I’m sure our community would make the most of the availability of local young people to work the land.”
Mr Pattinson, whose uncle first bought the estate in 1944, acknowledged there could be some local opposition to the proposal.
But he stressed that those who had exercised the right to buy croft lands since the Scottish Government’s Crofting Reform (Scotland) Act of 2010 would be unaffected.
He added: “I’ve lived here since 1944 and it’s a wonderful place. I’d like to see this land used to the best advantage for the future good of our community.
“There may be certain members of the community who see it as not to their advantage.
“When we’re able to have a meeting in Lochcarron Village Hall, everyone can have their say and I will be able to answer questions.
“The community might throw it out, although I’d think it would be a minority who oppose it.”
To develop common grazing, a charitable company would first need the approval of the crofting township. It would then have to apply to de-croft the land before gaining planning permission.
Half of any profits from development would be split between crofters within the crofting township, with the other half earned by the charity.
One potential opponent is Helen Murchison, chair of Lochcarron Community Council, a lifelong crofter who lives at at neighbouring Achintraid.
Mrs Murchison was reluctant to comment ahead of any future public meeting.
She said: “Until I see this offer in writing, and understand what exactly is on offer, I simply cannot comment.”
But Dr David Murray, chairman of Howard Doris Centre’s board of directors, is eager to explore the opportunity.
He said: “It is an extremely generous offer from Mark Pattinson, but we didn’t feel it was appropriate for a care provider to become landlord.
“We quite quickly agreed, if the venture was to go ahead, we should set up a separate community-based charity, with membership open to everyone within our area.
“To take that route we must give everyone within the community a chance to voice an opinion so we need to wait for the Covid-19 situation to allow us such a meeting.”
