Borders communities secure funding for historic land buyout
Newcastleton and District Community Trust (NDCT) can now proceed with the the purchase of 750 acres of land known as Holm Hill from Buccleuch’s Borders Estate.
The Scottish Land Fund awarded the community the £850,000 they needed to secure the historic buy-out.
Funding has also been awarded to The Langholm Initiative, a charity which hopes to buy more than 10,000 acres with the creation of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve at the forefront of its plans.
Buccleuch - one of the country's biggest landowners - says it has been aiming to "reduce its footprint" for some time.
“The last 12 months has seen a mammoth amount of work undertaken by many people to get us to where we are today," said Steve Hartley, chair of the Newcastleton & District Community Trust.
"The culmination of all that work results in being awarded the capital to purchase land adjacent to our village. Community ownership of this land, much of it still used today as it was over 225 years ago, now gives us all a bigger, brighter, sustainable future.
"This will continue to include farming, but the community also wants to develop new leisure and renewable sectors spreading the benefits of community ownership to everyone who lives here."
The Langolm Initiative was awarded £1m from the Scottish Land Fund and is now embarking on a crowdfunding campaign to raise the remaining cash they need.
They plan to create a nature reserve and small-scale renewable energy projects on another part of Langholm Moor.
Buccleuch said it was delighted that both groups had been successful in their applications.
"When we announced in May last year that we wanted to sell property on the Borders Estate, Buccleuch was fully committed to engaging with local communities to assess their appetite for purchasing the land," saidBenny Higgins, executive chairman at Buccleuch.
“Today’s announcement of funding for both Newcastleton & District Community Trust and the Langholm Initiative is a major milestone for that process.
“Both groups have different ideas of what they want to achieve but have shared a tenacity and willingness to cooperate that has made the discussions an enjoyable process.
“Newcastleton & District Community Trust will be finalising their purchase with us very soon and we congratulate them on that achievement.
“There is still some work to be done on the Langholm Initiative buyout and we hope that their crowdfunding campaign will be a success. Both parties have jointly agreed a purchase price and we hope this sale can be realised in the coming months.”