13th March 2002

LAID RESIDENTS WORKING ON COMMON GROUND

Tensions over land reform.
Sutherland’s MP John Thurso has been apprised of friction between crofters and non-crofters in Laid            near Durness over the land reform issue.The recently formed Laid Residents Association met with the MP last Wednesday and spoke of their unhappiness with Laid Grazings Committee.
The committee is investigating the possibility of buying their common grazings under the forthcoming land reform legislation, for which they need the support of the majority of the community.
A steering group of five crofters and four non-crofters was formed late last year to look into setting up a limited company, again required by the legislation. But at its first meeting, two of the non-crofters, Sergio and Jane Blanco, stood down, closely followed at the next meeting by the remaining two, Ken and Lesley Black, Port- na-Con.
It is understood all four were concerned at the attitude of the grazings committee towards the residential status of some householders in Laid, which would affect their right to vote in the event of a community buy-out bid. There was also criticism that the grazings committee had taken it upon itself to speak on behalf of the village as a whole, despite its membership being restricted to crofters. Following the departure of the four from the steering group, the residents association was formed in December last year.
Association chairman, German-born computer consultant Eddie Mayer, said: “I was not at the steering group meetings but as far as I have been informed they tried to keep some people, including myself, out of the residency of Laid. These were people who they thought would be against the buy-out.
Mr Mayer added: “The residents association is not against a buy-out. The position is that we have not discussed it in detail because we have not been approached by either the grazings committee nor the steering group and we do not know how far they have got. I would have thought the two committees should have sat together a long time ago to discuss these things but we have not had an invitation from them. I cannot understand it.”
Clerk to the grazings committee, Hugh MacLellan, a crofter and oyster farmer on Loch Eriboll, acknowledged there had been tension between crofters and non-crofters in the village, but said he hoped the two sides could find a middle ground.
He said it was “totally wrong” to claim the grazings committee had been trying to block the right to vote of householders they thought were against land reform. He added that the grazings committee had acted as a voice for the township because, until the formation of the residents association, there had been no other body to do so.
“We have just been trying to represent as many people as possible. In a way, it is quite a good idea to have a residents association because we are bogged down with work which is not strictly in our remit. I think people are just trying to find their own ground and hopefully everyone can pull together and look at the bigger picture, which is finding a way forward for Laid.”
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross MP Lord Thurso said this week: “I am aware there is some divergence of view centring round the question of a community buy-out amongst the residents of Laid, and what I took out of the meeting is that it is not by any means a problem which cannot be resolved. It would be a great shame in a small community like this if it were to be divided down the middle.
“One of the things I promised I would do for them is sit down and read the Land Reform Bill and come back to them on that.
“I am also hoping to try and persuade the two sides to get together and have a meeting and see if we can find some common ground, which at the end of the day I think there is. Both sides say they want the best for the community and this can be resolved by talking it through.”.

from THE NORTHERN TIMES - 1st March 02

LAND REFORM LATEST.

Article on Laid from "The Independent" 29th November 2001

Letter received by Laid Grazing committee.

 Charles Ian Wilson                 Factor to the Durness Estate
 Dear Sirs,                                Durness Estate

With the publication of the Land Reform Legislation imminent, I feel it would be helpful to inform you of the position of the Durness Estate regarding Land Reform.

Durness Estate will encourage the crofting and non-crofting interests to seek funding in order to progress the studies necessary to convince themselves and the Community Land Unit that they should acquire the Durness Estate. In promoting this initiative, the estate has had discussions with the Community Land Unit. It became clear that there did not appear to be a mechanism in place that would allow the existing owners of crofting estates to work with the Community Land Unit  in order to initiate studies with a view to assisting community ownership. The Durness Estate was informed  by the Community  Land Unit  that the approach to commission the necessary studies required by the Community Land Unit in fulfilment of their terms of reference would have to come from the community.

We expect that there will be two separate Community trusts, one encompassing Durness Common Grazings and the wider non-crofting community and the other encompassing Laid Common Grazings.

The reason for the Durness Estate writing at this time is to ensure that you can be amongst the first communities to approach the Community Land Unit , following publication of the Land Reform Bill.

The Community Land Unit  made it clear to the Durness Estate that applications will be dealt with on a ‘first come , first served’ basis. The Durness Estate believes that , with the active participation of the estate in seeking to promote community ownership, a transfer could be completed well before the bill becomes law.

This offer from the Durness Estate brings to fulfilment undertakings made by Ian Wilson that he would  seek to return the estate, initially to Scottish Control, then to community ownership and stewardship, thus ending the role of anonymous absentee foreign owners.

If you want to pursue this opportunity, the next step is for you to contact John Watt at the Community Land Unit at HIE headquarters.

JUNE 2001 - FROM " AM BRATACH " NO#. 116

‘Distruptive elements’ in grazings committee claim

According to a report published by the Scottish parliament, Durness councillor, Francis Keith, regards Laid Grazings Committee as a “vehicle to disrupt the community” and fears that the acquisition of the estate by the crofting community would result in “imposition of their will on the other residents”.
The report, for the influential parliamentary rural affairs committee, the result of discussions held with various parties during their visit to the Highlands and other parts of Scotland a year ago, confirms a deep divide between crofters and a small group of businessmen with a reputed interest in promoting a superquarry in Durness.

Mr Keith also questioned the benefits of community ownership in Assynt, Eigg and Knoydart and claimed not to know who owns Vibel SA, the nominal owners of Durness Estate, and had never even tried to find out.

“He saw no reason to be interested in who owned the estate, but by contrast, criticised the Laid Grazings Committee, saying ‘they are not even Highlanders’,” the report notes wryly.

Caithness and Sutherland Enterprise chairman, Jack Watson, as well as minerals consultant and Durness estate factor Ian Wilson, his sidekick Derek Pretswell, and Kenny MacRae, chairman of Durness Community Council, were present at the private meeting, requested by Mr Keith and understood to have been held in Mr Watson’s Cape Wrath Hotel.

Ian Wilson blamed all the problems levelled by the Laid and Durness crofters on Vibel SA and — perhaps even more surprisingly — claimed that he, too, did not know who Vibel SA was — and never had — his contact with them had always been through their Edinburgh solicitors, McClure Naismith.

Nevertheless, he now claimed to have the resources (eight years after he first took over factoring responsibility) to take the estate (including its debts) “back into Scottish ownership”. He reported that he had paid £125,000 for Durness Estate in two instalments and that he would be the new owner by the end of April 2000. He acknowledged that his interest in the estate was solely driven by the minerals interest.

Unlike Mr Keith, and later Mr Watson, Mr Wilson made no criticism of the crofters, but warned he would expect handsome compensation should new legislation give them the right to acquire the mineral rights. He said he had found that a Belgium-Liechtenstein based company owned Durness estate and approached them offering his services as a factor, with a view to taking ownership of the estate in the long-term because of his interest in minerals. He claimed he took on the factoring duties unpaid. When he attained ownership of the estate, Mr Wilson would try to get his well-rehearsed “public-private partnership” proposal accepted by the local community. He emphasised sustainable development and community involvement in the management of the estate stating that “if a community doesn’t want a superquarry it won’t get one”.

Jack Watson, like Mr Keith, took a firm anti-crofter line, questioning the benefits of “crofter domination” of the community. Again, like Mr Keith, he laid particular criticism at the door of the Laid Grazings Committee, rubbishing their claim to represent the whole community, and criticised their leaders, Hugh MacLellan and Kenneth MacKenzie Hillcoat, saying that they weren’t crofters at all and they had only established a grazings committee because they weren’t allowed to start a community council. He is also said to have implied that two families would leave Durness if crofters took over the estate.

The private meeting, which was described as a late addition to the agenda by a Scottish Executive official, came after widely reported meetings held at Laid and Stoer.

John MacKenzie, Drumbeg, was among those interviewed from the Assynt Crofters Trust, at Stoer. He said: “Francis Keith’s opinions would carry more weight if he had any first-hand knowledge of what’s been going on here in Assynt. Not only was there no evidence of his support, he has never ever visited the estate — in contrast, the MSPs thought fit to visit us to find out about the critical issues facing the rural economy — Francis Keith has never seen fit to find out what’s going on on the north Assynt estate. Therefore, it ill becomes him to question the benefits of community ownership, especially when the only crofters’ buyout to date is in his own constituency. He has been invited here on several occasions, including once to see the hydro scheme — and he failed to turn up”.

As for Mr Watson’s assertion that crofters alone are not to be trusted with owning the land, Mr MacKenzie commented: “How would Mr Watson like it if I went to live in Durness and announced that along with some colleagues I wanted to set up a community co-operative with a view to acquiring an interest in the Cape Wrath Hotel?”

Laid grazings chairman Kenneth MacKenzie Hillcoat commented: “We are quite used to this now. All you can say about the “Vibel team” is that they seem to want this [a superquarry] so badly that they are prepared to say anything to try and discredit us”.

Among the other groups the committee met were Highland Council, led by convenor David Green, Achiltibuie (and which did not include Mr Keith), Highlands and Islands Enterprise community land unit, the Stornoway Trust and Dunecht Estate.

The report, which includes in the annex the widely admired speech made by Durness crofter Johnny Morrison to the rural affairs committee in Laid, is being circulated to other parliamentary committees for their consideration.

NOTE MSP Rhoda Grant along with relevant land-use officials is to attend a general meeting of Laid Grazings Committee on June 15 to receive an update on township developments as well hear the committee’s views on land reform.

LINKS TO LAID ARTICLES OUT-WITH THIS SITE

OFFSHORE ACCOUNTS HIDE TRUE IDENTITY OF SCOTLAND'S OWNERS

LAND REFORM Laid's position by CLAG

PHOTOGRAPH of LAID GRAZING CLARK & RURAL AFFAIRS GROUP

ESTATE THWARTS HOME PLAN - Glasgow Herald

LOCH ERIBOLL & LAID A new site with LAID content

LAID GRAZING COMMITTEE LAST WEEK INDICATED THAT LAND, FREE OF CHARGE, COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE TO MACKAY COUNTRY LTD. FOR BUILDING A CLAN-TYPE CENTER SHOULD THAT ORGANISATION'S PLANS TO BUY HISTORIC BALNAKEIL HOUSE FALL THROUGH.

THE OFFER IS CONDITIONAL ON THE CROFTERS, SUCCESS IN BUYING THE ESTATE UNDER FORTHCOMING LAND REFORM LEGISLATION.

WELCOMING THE OFFER, MACKAY COUNTRY CHAIRMAN. MICHAEL THORNTON, KINLOCHBERVIE, SAID " I AM DELIGHTED TO HEAR OF THE GRAZING COMMITTEE'S SUPPORT FOR THE PROJECT WHICH I WILL PUT TO THE BOARD AT THE FIRST OPPORTUNITY ".

HE ADDED " ITS GOOD TO KNOW PEOPLE ARE THINKING POSITIVELY ABOUT THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR COMMUNITIES ". MELNESS CROFTERS ESTATE HAS ALREADY OFFERD MACKAY COUNTRY A SITE FOR A BUILDING, ALSO FREE OF CHARGE.

Laid Crofters announcment that they plan to launch a "Hostile" buy out of the Township
Here are the first two front pages covering the buy-out, the story was also coverd in the Sunday Mail, The Observer, The Press & Journal and The Times.
This is the first step on what will be a long, hard and largly unmapped road.


THE SUNDAY OBSERVER. 24 / 10 / 99

THE NORTHERN TIMES. 22 / 10 / 99


WEST HIGHLAND FREE PRESS. 22 / 10 / 99





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