EXPRESSIONS of interest are now being invited for a new business opportunity at Staffin Harbour.
Construction work on a new Harbour Facilities Building at the community-owned harbour will begin in the spring.
And Staffin Community Trust is seeking to establish what interest there could be in renting the 50m2 premises, which include showers and toilets in one half of the building.
There is approximately 28m2 available for a potential office space, research and development or light industry. SCT may also consider applying for a planning change of use.
The sensitively designed building will be of double block construction, with a corrugated metal roof, timber cladding frontage and an overhang providing shelter. SCT is also keen to establish the potential interest in businesses managing the new WCs and showers, as part of a prospective lease for the whole building.
A copy of the floor plan can be viewed here: Staffin Harbour Building Floorplan
Anybody interested should email staffin.ldo@gmail.com by Friday, February 28 and include as much relevant information as possible, including suggested business purpose, number of jobs to be created / supported, etc.
Please note this is a precursor to the formal application
process and no decisions will be made at this stage. The Harbour Facilities Building is
separate to the seven new harbour business units, which were built at the end of 2024.
MEANWHILE, at last week's SCT AGM, attendees were told that offers had now been made to the prospective tenants for the harbour business units.
SCT was delighted at the quality and range of applications received before Christmas, with a mixture of existing and new start-ups and both on and offshore businesses. At present offers have been made which would see six of the seven units occupied, which is dependent on SCT agreeing leases. An announcement will be made to the community in due course. SCT has also approved an application from a start-up business to rent an area of hardstanding, again that will be announced once the lease is agreed.
SCT is grateful to the support of Highlands and Islands Enterprise, Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, Community Regeneration Fund, Scottish Land Fund and Islands Programme in progressing the Staffin Harbour development.
The AGM, which was chaired by SCT director Sine Gillespie, included updates about progress on the projects including Staffin Harbour, the Nurse's Cottage, and the Crofters' Memorial.
One issue highlighted that SCT faces annually as a registered charity which has proven very challenging is the cost of getting accounts audited when the income threshold exceeds £500,000. This is not earned income but involves restricted funding grants for specific purposes, such as harbour site works.
This issue is affecting several development trusts in the west Highlands. In England the audit threshold is £1million.
The SCT board of directors now consists of Angus Ross, Andrew Whitehead, Calum MacDonald, Dugald Ross, Maggie Ross, Ged Poland and Sine Gillespie.
The SCT Annual Report can be read here: 2024 UTS AGM Report 28 1 25
You will read in the report that Sgoil Stafainn has now made it onto a short list for the category of Cumhachd na Gàidhlig (The Power of Gaelic) for the national competition, FilmG.
You can watch the film and please vote via this link: www.filmg.co.uk/filmichean/a0066/
