The Uig Community Trust would like to secure sites around Uig harbour, including the old ferry terminal building, in order to develop them in line with the existing Highland Council planning brief.
Estimated Price
Not yet known
1. What do you want to do?
The Uig Community Trust would like to secure a range of sites around Uig Harbour to ensure that they are developed in line with the needs of the local community. The current Highland Council development brief for the harbour area remains our preferred starting point for development planning. We'll need funding for asset transfers and possibly for community right to buy. Thereafter we'll need funding to update the layout and design in line with the current needs of the community and stakeholders.
2. Why is your project important for your community?
The Uig harbour area is of vital importance for a wide range of stakeholders:-
Ferry users
Currently Calmac operate 2,000+ sailings a year from Uig to Tarbert and Lochmaddy. Calmac will add an additional ferry to and from Uig in 2027/28, which will make Uig even more important to those island communities and their visitors.
Local community
The community in Uig is spread out around Uig bay. There is very little development potential around the bay and the harbour area represents the best opportunity to create a new centre of gravity for the local community, people across the north end of Skye and visitors to the area. The presence of the ferry terminal is of vital importance to the local community in Uig, but providing a more diverse mix of businesses and services in the harbour area will be transformative for generations of locals to come.
The opportunity
The old ferry terminal building is in the most prominent site in the harbour. The redevelopment of the site will provide the anchor which secures the future of the whole area. The local community have clearly expressed a desire for development of the whole site to provide employment, services for the local community and visitors and also housing for the local community.
3. What positive impact will your project have?
A development that is in line with the expressed wishes of the community could be transformational for the local community in Uig, but also for visitors and ferry users. The recent history of Uig has been one of loss. Health services have declined, the local primary school was closed down, transport connections have been reduced and there is no local childcare provision. The redevelopment of the harbour area can have a huge positive impact and be visible evidence of growth and investment. The increase in ferry traffic from Uig is a great first step on the regeneration journey. The redevelopment of the harbour area must capitalise on the increase in ferry traffic to deliver wider community benefit. A plan that's in line with the wishes of the local community will:-
a. Provide a destination business in the area that will be a draw for ferry users and visitors and provide employment for locals.
b. Provide opportunity for additional businesses in the harbour area that can cater to ferry users and locals.
c. Provide lifeline services for the local community in important areas like childcare and healthcare.
d. Provide affordable housing in the area that could be linked to employment opportunities arising from the development.
e. Secure jobs that will be at risk if the development of the area does not meet the needs of the local community and key stakeholders.
4. What key milestones have you achieved so far and what will your next steps be?
The Uig Community Trust has secured agreement in principle from Highlands and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council that key parcels of land around the harbour can be transferred to the Trust to ensure that development of the site is undertaken holistically. The Trust has notified Caledonian Maritime Assets Limited (CMAL) of our interest in the old ferry terminal at the harbour to ensure that their development plans are in line with the current planning brief from Highland Council. The Trust has also identified two different local businesses that could serve as "anchor tenants" for any future development of the ferry terminal site.
Our next step is to engage CMAL, HIE, Highland Council and current local business owners in a discussion to align on the broad requirements for site development that are in line with the needs of the local community. Thereafter we will establish a working group of key stakeholders to revisit the current plans in the Highland Council planning brief before moving into more detailed project planning. The project is in it's infancy, but it builds on extensive work that has already been undertaken by Highland Council. No consents or quotes have been obtained at this stage. No funding applications have been submitted.
5. What is your anticipated start date/end date?
Discussions and community consultation are already under way. The Uig Community Trust has engaged with HIE, Highland Council, CMAL and local business owners. CMAL will have confirmation from Calmac by the end of April 2026 on their needs as a key stakeholder. The Trust hopes to have all stakeholders aligned on the broad direction of development plans by June 2026. Thereafter significant work will need to be undertaken to scope and design any development work and the Trust will need to secure funding for this phase of activity and any subsequent phases.
It is anticipated that the whole redevelopment project will take between four and six years to come to fruition.
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