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Housing
Initiative for Arran Residents |
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My name is Donald MacKelvie Macneish and I moved back to the Island
in 1970 to start and run a Blacksmiths in Lamlash. Initially my wife
Kathleen and I lived with my parents in our family home in Lamlash,
later we moved to rented accommodation for 4 years while we built
the house we now live in.
We decided to build our own home, because it was what people did who
could not afford to buy a house at that time. I looked about the
village and identified a wet bit of ground in a local farmer’s field
that he did not use. After an initial enquiry a meeting was set up
and I met the farmer’s son, Donnie Sinclair, on site. |
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The negotiations
went along these lines:
“Well Don my father says I have to come here and sell you a bit of
ground for you to build a home, how much land do you want?"
“Well Donnie I thought this wet bit in the corner of the field”
(approximately ½ acre).
“Seems fine to me Don, get some plans drawn up of the ground”
“But Donnie how much do you want for it?”
“How much do you have Don?”
“About £200 at the moment Donnie”
“Just the
amount I was thinking of Don, it’s a deal”
It then took the next 4 years to build our home, with a lot of help
from friends, as cash and time became available.
I tell this story to illustrate the how, in the 1970’s, farmers and
land owners assisted young people to settle within their communities
and become active members of them.
Today the cost of a piece of land for a young people rules out
‘self-build’ or home ownership to almost all of them. In a market
economy, price is determined by supply and demand and if the village
planning envelopes are no longer able to respond to communities
needs, the young families will continue to be excluded from home
ownership or a fitting place to live. It would seem that it is now
time for more creative thinking on how to accommodate young local
families who wish to be part of our future communities. Special
problems require extraordinary solutions and if that means
exceptional areas for young people to get a start, I think it would
be a start worth making.
Don Macneish,
Lamlash |
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