Tayvallich Estate is put on the market again

On the day the sale was announced CEO of the company Jeremy Legget told the Advertiser he remains optimistic that the sale won’t be necessary.

He said: “We are seeking to raise £25m for UK scaling. We are hoping to help begin the process of bringing private financial institutions into nature investing on the scale that is going to be needed if we are to hit our necessarily ambitious biodiversity targets in Scotland.

“Our prospects are actually rather good as things stand, with a month to go in the round. Only in the unlikely event that we fail in this fundraising will we use the proceeds from the land sales to repay the loans that allowed us to buy Tayvallich in the first place.

“Our local communities get first refusal on buying the land, consistent with our purpose, should they vote so to do. If we succeed in the funding round, as we expect, they get six months to raise the cash, if they go ahead.”

At a public meeting in Tayvallich on September 19 the community expressed concerns about the potential sale of land and the threat to local jobs and tenancies.

Chairperson of Tayvallich Initiative Martin Mellor said: “Many in the area are keen to see that any new owner protects jobs and houses, and protects and enhances the precious habitats on the land to help address the climate and biodiversity emergencies.”

At the recent village meeting there was also strong support for Highlands Rewilding selling land to a charity that would then lease the land back to Highlands Rewilding.

In the marketing literature launched on October 1 the company stresses the importance of the community to the work it has been carrying out in Argyll.

The statement says: “The work at Tayvallich is rooted in the community, as the company aims to break new ground in consultation, partnership and involvement with the communities of which it is a part.

“Community engagement has been a central part of Highlands Rewilding’s work at Tayvallich, developing a collaborative approach to land management. This has included agreeing a memorandum of understanding for land management to benefit local community and nature.”

This memorandum of understanding reflects the aspirations of the Tayvallich Initiative, the stated aims of which include working to reverse rural depopulation, developing local employment, protecting the area’s rich natural heritage and responding to the biodiversity and climate emergencies.

While no decision has been made in Tayvallich to pursue a community purchase of the land, Highlands Rewilding’s estate at Glen Urquhart is being considered by its residents for a community buy-out.

Residents there have agreed to explore the purchase of some or all of the 513-acre Bunloit estate by Loch Ness with support from charity Trees for Life.

Chairperson of the Glen Urquhart Rural Community Association Susan Griffin said: “We have decided to explore this rare opportunity for a community buyout, given that Highlands Rewilding founder and CEO Jeremy Leggett has said the local community will have first refusal on any purchase.”