Borrodale School was a primary school which operated until 2007 after which it has became disused and increasingly derelict. The land and buildings comprise of a school house, school buildings and a portakabin within surrounding land. It sits in a highly prominent location on the road to Neist Point, one of the most popular visitor location in Skye.
Since the school’s closure, attempts have been made to make use the school, most notably with the establishment of an exhibition on heritage and a community café, run by volunteers. However these attempts were ultimately unsuccessful and the school has become disused again.
The Glendale Trust have now taken ownership of the School and are looking to redevelop the site to take it into community use.
The community purchase and development of Borrodale school has been directly driven from the Glendale Trusts vision and helps to deliver in the identified priority areas:
- Affordable Housing: a 3 bedroom affordable house
- Employment: Generate employment opportunities directly at the facility
- Destination Marketing: developing a series of tourist activity weekends to attract more visitors and provision of tourist information and advice
- Business Development: establishment of a new tourist business
- Renewable Energy: For the purchased buildings with the potential to extend to provide energy to other buildings
- Cooperation for Mutual Benefit through the Glendale Trust and its members
At the same time the project will generate income to Glendale Trust which can be used to reinvest in other projects in the pursuit of their Community Growth Plan.
Project Objectives
Specific objectives for the purchase and development of Borrodale school buildings and land are to:
- establish a facility which will benefit the community
- bring an affordable house into the market;
- generate economic benefits for Glendale through attracting more tourists and visitor spend; and
- generate income for Glendale Trust
To achieve this project and generate the community benefits, it will be paramount that the project successfully balances community activities and benefits with income generating activities which will make the project become sustainable and ensure the delivery of these community benefits on an ongoing basis.
The project has been developed to work alongside and be complementary to other projects taken forward as part of the Glendale Growth Plan. The projects currently under consideration that will link with the plans for Borrodale are:
- An archaeological excavation at Dun Colbost
- the development of Meanish Pier to provide improved shore and water based facilities including an improved pier and slip, a new walkway and 5 additional deep water moorings. The facilities at Borrodale will provide services for visitors to the pier.
- a community transport project, this additional community/public transport will supplement the limited school bus service will provide an additional service to locals and visitors to the bunkhouse and restaurant/bar.
- an affordable housing project.