The Future

The Hebridean Trust are looking at the future of Hynish, including how Hynish will be managed, and how the buildings and space could best serve the community.

Hynish is an important part of Tiree’s landscape and heritage – and it is important that plans for its future are informed by Tiree’s community.
The future of Hynish Survey received a fantastic response! A huge thank you to all of those who took the time to complete the survey. This set a great foundation for conversations at the community Open Day!

The Hebridean Trust Open Day

Thank you – to so many!!
Thank you to everyone that was able to come along to Hynish on the 4th of March, and those that have input views into the future of the beautiful site. The potential is huge, and we hope that’s shining through.
A special thank you goes to all of those that helped bring the day together by providing: the activities for children run by Willie MacKinnon, guides tours run by volunteers, Park and Ride options from John Kennedy Transport and Tiree Community Business, onsite parking run by volunteers, visuals from Jen and Jack from Screen Argyll, fantastic tea coffee and cakes (all donated and one of the highlights), and those volunteering on the day.
We were absolutely delighted to have the supporting guests here who travelled to share their insight and expertise with everyone.
Tiree Development Trust have also been a fantastic source of advice, and guidance and it was great to have some of the team there on the day.
We were thrilled to be able to run this to the full extent, which was made possible by securing funding from the Windfall Fund.
There will be a report in the next edition of An Tirisdeach sharing the outcomes from the Survey and Open Day.

Next Steps

A Working Group is needed to guide the transition process including the shaping of the new constitution for the organisation. This should take a few months and we hope to share the outcome of this with the community at another Open Day in June. Please get in touch by 17 March if you would like to be involved in this.
Moving forwards, there will be plenty of opportunities to contribute to the future of Hynish.

 

FAQ

 

Our Answers to some of the Questions you might have about The Hebridean Trust, Hynish, and the Community Consultation Process.

 

1. What is happening to the Hebridean Trust?

The existing organisation is being re-structured in favour of becoming a community-led organisation and this is happening via a community consultation process. The first part of this process was to conduct a survey of the Tiree community and diaspora.

2. How many people responded to the survey?

214

3. What support is there for the concept of community ownership?

Almost 70% of respondents supported the concept of community ownership. This indicates a high level of support for the idea, and we hope to gather more opinions today at the Open Day.

4. Why is the Tiree Community Development Trust (TCDT) not taking on the Hynish Asset? A statement from TCDT:

Tiree Community Development Trust is not taking on the Hynish Asset for several reasons. A few years ago, the Trust responded positively to the Hebridean Trust’s invitation to consider a transfer. We engaged with the Hebridean Trust over a protracted period with the objective of taking on the asset. Considerable time and resources were devoted to it. The discussions led nowhere, and the Trust board decided that its resources would be deployed more effectively in other ways. That position still stands. In practical terms this means:

• The Trust chooses to prioritise projects where there are few or no viable alternatives. In the case of Tiree, that includes working on things like fuel, broadband, renewable energy, harbours and recently, childcare and housing. There is a strong alternative for Hynish: a new Hebridean Trust is formed with the energy and vision to drive the future of such an incredible place.
• Prior to discussions about community ownership resurfacing, TCDT was already well down the line of thinking about and planning for housing. Our existing projects must take priority.
• We think it is important that other island organisations are empowered to take on projects and assets.
• By supporting the Hebridean Trust to develop a local board and find its own path, we believe that the future for Hynish will be all the brighter.

5. What will happen to the Treshnish Isles?

The Treshnish Isles will not be part of the organisation when it is restructured for community ownership.

6. What will happen to Alan Stevenson House?

ASH has been leased to Aisling and Kris Milne for 7 months to pilot operating it as a restaurant with rooms. We will evaluate how that goes and then decide on the longer-term future.

7. Are there going to be holiday lets at Hynish again?

Not in the short term. We are using the cottages for seasonal workers and short term lets for locals.

8. Will the site be financially viable?
A full feasibility study has been done for the next 5 years which indicates that the site will indeed be financially viable. There is a hard copy on available to read at the Community Ownership Hub.

9. Volunteer capacity on the island is at saturation point: how will this be addressed?

We will have a team to take things forward operationally, meaning members of the Board would only be asked to provide strategic and expert direction and guidance.

10. How will you share the results of the consultation process with the community?

We will publish a report of our findings after the Open Day, and this will be widely available to read.