Glen Urquhart, Highlands – The local community in the Highlands has expressed interest in purchasing a portion or the entirety of the 513-acre Bunloit estate by Loch Ness, with the support of charity Trees for Life. The aim is to facilitate community-led rewilding efforts on the land surrounding the world-renowned loch.
At a public consultation event held at Glenurquhart Public Hall in Drumnadrochit on September 25th, the Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association (GURCA) announced its plans to explore all options for acquiring the estate.
The current owners, Highlands Rewilding Ltd, recently announced their intention to sell the land in October. The company’s mission is to promote “nature recovery and community prosperity through rewilding on a large scale.” However, they must first repay a £11 million loan with the UK Infrastructure Bank and Top Online Partners, which was originally taken out to secure the land for nature restoration.
Located in Glen Urquhart on the western shores of Loch Ness, the Bunloit estate encompasses a diverse range of habitats, from native woodlands to peatlands.
Susan Griffin, Chair of GURCA, stated, “Given that Highlands Rewilding founder and CEO Jeremy Leggett has indicated that the local community will have first refusal on any purchase, we have decided to explore this rare opportunity for a community buyout.”
GURCA and Trees for Life are united in their belief that acquiring all or part of the Bunloit estate would not only protect and restore habitats in response to the nature and climate emergencies, but also bring about numerous local benefits such as creating nature-based employment opportunities, improving overall health and wellbeing, and encouraging repopulation of the area.
Steve Micklewright, Chief Executive of Trees for Life, declared, “We will provide full support to the community as they explore the possibility of acquiring land at Bunloit, which could serve as an inspiring model for locally-led rewilding efforts to restore biodiversity and enrich lives.”
Highlands Rewilding plans to make details of the land sale at Bunloit, as well as their other estates at Tayvallich in Argyll and Beldorney in Banffshire, available to the public on October 1st.
In a statement posted on their website, Highlands Rewilding states, “We will prioritize local communities interested in purchasing the plots of land we are offering, as long as we are able to fulfill our obligations to our 809 shareholders. Our land sales are divided into three categories, and local communities are given priority in all of them.”
The company also clarifies that they reserve the right to choose the buyers for the land and that this does not necessarily have to be the highest bidder. According to Highlands Rewilding, “We are seeking to sell land without making a profit, in order to preserve it for community-led nature recovery efforts, essentially in perpetuity.”
GURCA is a development trust for Glen Urquhart, dedicated to securing a thriving future for the region and improving the quality of life, work, and leisure for its residents through community-led initiatives. For more information, please visit gurca.co.uk.
Trees for Life is a rewilding charity committed to creating nature-rich landscapes in the Highlands that benefit and involve local communities. Alongside local residents, the organization is working to restore Scotland’s natural and cultural heritage while supporting the livelihoods of the region. For more information, please visit treesforlife.org.uk.
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