Staffin Community Trust has made a historic appointment, ahead of the forthcoming purchase of and imminent construction work.
Lachie Gillies is the very first Staffin Harbour Manager, as the community trust moves towards ownership of the current slipway and adjacent area.
Lachie’s appointment comes more than 120 years after the original Staffin slipway was built when it was a lifeline route for the local community with essential supplies including food arriving by boat. The slipway is currently managed on a regional basis by Highland Council but there has never been a dedicated harbour manager for Staffin.
Lachie, who hails from the crofting township of Marrishadder and now lives in Glasphein, was appointed on an initial two-year contract, thanks to the support of the Scottish Land Fund.
It comes as SCT’s appointed contractor G.F Job Ltd prepares to start work on constructing a new hardstanding area at the harbour later this month, as the ambitious community-led development enters a new phase. SCT is working to deliver major improvements to the current harbour including a new breakwater, upgraded slipway and on-shore facilities to support and create new jobs. It has already delivered significant enabling works including the upgrade of the harbour road and 1.5km long electrical connection route.
Lachie said: “I feel really privileged to take up the post of Staffin’s first community harbour manager. I’m really looking forward to the challenge of getting the harbour working to bring income and opportunities to the whole community, individuals and businesses. I want to encourage everybody to get involved in making the harbour an inviting place for us all to enjoy.”
A temporary office will be delivered this week and act as the new harbour manager’s base, with Lachie encouraging the community and slipway users to speak to him regularly as the first point of contact.
He added: “I hope to organise community events as we move into the spring and summer. It would be great to see as many as possible attend so we can enjoy our harbour and beautiful surroundings together.”
There was a high calibre of candidates for the job which is 20 hours per week, and the interview process involved representatives from SCT, Staffin Community Council and the Staffin Harbour Steering Group.
SCT director Angus Ross said the community would fully support Lachie in the demanding new role. “We are delighted with the appointment of a harbour manager which is a very significant step towards the ambitious development plans for Staffin Harbour,” he said.
SCT hopes to conclude the purchase of the slipway and adjacent area from the council and Scottish Ministers as soon as possible with legal discussions ongoing.
A Marine Scotland Grant for £134,654 was awarded to SCT which will enable GF Job to begin construction of the hardstanding providing space for vessels to be lifted ashore for storage and maintenance, space for fuel supply on site and boat sheds / business units for harbour users’ marine equipment.
GF Job is also working at a borrow pit at the nearby Lealt Quarry in a separate £300,000 contract, supported by the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund, which has involved the blasting and extraction of rock for the new harbour.
The current Staffin slipway cannot be accessed for loading or unloading vessels at certain times of the day because of low tides. There is also a lack of amenities and facilities like water, fuel and power supplies or suitable berthing.
Upgrading the local harbour been a top priority of the community for some time as it lacks safe, sheltered berths and basic amenities such as water, power and storage facilities and is currently unsuitable for berthing
Access to the harbour area will always be open to the community, alongside commercial users and visitors.
More details about the project: https://skyeecomuseum.co.uk/staffin-harbour-development
SCT has secured more than £2.7million in project funding to deliver the new Staffin harbour since 2020.