We’ve begun work on a feasiblity study for the Glascairn Community Project at Culbokie on the Black Isle. The Culbokie Community Trust proposes a community land buyout and construction of a hub building meeting the aspirations of local people. The study is supported with funding from Highlands and Islands Enterprise, The Highland Council and the Big Lottery Fund.
Like a number of small settlements around Inverness, Culbokie increasingly serves a commuting function. Housing growth has not been matched by the provision of local services. The Glascairn Community Project aims to counter this deficit.
On Tuesday 7 October, we’ll be hosting a 3-centred engagement event, with our team partners Aigas Consulting, Athena Solutions and Sam Foster Architects. We’ll be opening the doors and asking for views, ideas and suggestions from local people. This will help us identify development options for the site, leading to a viable solution with broad local support.
With public agencies facing ongoing resource issues, many more communities are getting active and looking to participate in projects of this type. There’s now a critical mass of successful examples providing inspiration for others to follow. We’ve probably only scratched the surface so far.