NEW HOUSING AT ROY BRIDGE SCHOOL – EARLY EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

Following the Communities Housing Trust’s Housing Needs Survey carried out at the start of this year, our SCIO has now completed a Feasibility Study for up to nine residential units at the former Roy Bridge School. It’s an exciting project to energise a long dormant site

We now have a much clearer idea of a possible housing mix, although there will be more consultation with our residents before any formal planning application. We are aiming that the properties will be ready to occupy in 2027-28.

To help our prospects of grant funding we’d now like to invite Early Expressions of Interest in 2 or 3-bed low cost rental accommodation. The houses will be brand new, thermally efficient dwellings with gardens and parking, with indicative rents at £425-475 per month for the 2-bed bungalow or houses and around £500 per month for the 3-bed houses. At least one of the houses will be suited to adaptable living and we may be able to offer Buy to Rent, where rents build up to form a deposit with an option to purchase after 5 years. It’s a fantastic opportunity.

If you feel that any of these properties could be of interest to you, your colleagues or members of your family, even if currently not in the area but potentially returning in the future, then please complete our very brief online survey at https://us21.list-manage.com/survey?u=fbeaad0904d60225862f51d22&id=f7d38619cf&attribution=false  by Friday 30 June or contact John Forbes of the Communities Housing Trust on john.forbes@chtrust.co.uk . No commitment of any kind is sought at this stage and any approaches will be handled in strict confidence. Our trustees will not have access to the names of enquirers.

Without early interest in the houses for rent, the whole project could fall at the first hurdle.

Hello and a warm welcome to the community website for Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry. This site is built and run by our Community Development Trust, the Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry SCIO (Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation).

Within our 1,000 sq km we have something for everyone, including fourteen challenging Munros and four magnificent freshwater lochs. Despite the abundant wilderness, two major trunk roads cross our area, the Caledonian Canal passes through the Great Glen and we are still served by four fully operational railway stations. It’s no exaggeration to say we are literally the Hub of the Highlands.

As a resident, on our community pages you can find out more about what’s happening across our area, as well as a directory of useful local tradespeople. Our Facebook page is also updated regularly. Our Community Council is there to represent all those who live here, and you can review the minutes of all its recent meetings. Additionally, we provide a link to faith, special interest and sporting groups which are active within our boundaries. Please support our charity’s work locally and let us know the issues which matter to you most by completing Following our successful Community Consultation over the Summer and Autumn, when 385 responses were received to our Community Survey, we plan to prepare a Community Action Plan in April 2023. Its publication will be a major landmark for our charity.

For business owners, we are very aware that new ventures often appear, so if we have missed something please help us keep up to date by emailing us using the link below. We will readily update our listings – at no cost of course. A new initiative we propose is a jobs board, so do let us know if you have a vacancy, and if you have a closing date for applications.

We also take a brief look at places of interest for our visitors, who will also find a list of hotel and other accommodation providers including self-catering cottages, pods and camp sites, with links to their websites. You are assured of warm hospitality across our area.

Finally, we’ve included some information about SSE’s proposed hydro pumped storage scheme at Coire Glas on Loch Lochy. Exploratory works will be underway in February, and if the project is given the go-ahead in mid-2024 its construction will represent the largest civil engineering project in Lochaber for decades. It will have significant consequences for us all.

The Parallel Roads, Glen Roy