Wanlockhead: Price agreed for highest village buyout bid

Residents recently voted in favour of a community buyout

A price has been agreed for a proposed community buyout at Scotland's highest village.

A joint valuation of nearly £1.5m has been put on almost 4,000 acres of land around Wanlockhead.

It comes after residents in the village voted in favour of taking forward the buyout bid.

Wanlockhead Community Trust (WCT) said the agreement with Buccleuch, which is selling the land, would pave the way for its "quest for funding".

The trust has a range of projects in mind should its bid be successful, many of them to help boost tourism and recreation, for instance through walking, biking and skiing.

Business development, affordable housing for families and environmental restoration are also part of the plans.

A bid for funding towards the plans needs to be submitted by the end of the month

Lincoln Richford, who chairs the group, said: "This is excellent news for our proposed community buyout.

"We now know how much funding we have to set our sights on during the next six months."

The trust now hopes to submit a grant application to the Scottish Land Fund by the end of the month.

It is also in talks with a number of other potential funding bodies.

Buccleuch said the valuation would allow the bid to move to the "next phase"

"This buyout can offer so much to our village," said Mr Richford.

"We have grassroots support and political support for it.

"I am confident that funders will also agree that this is a valuable initiative worthy of their support."

Anna Fergusson, who manages Buccleuch's Queensberry Estate, said: "We have been working with the WCT to reach agreement on the value of the land the trust wish to purchase, and it is great that we have now reached this stage.

"With both the community trust and Buccleuch mutually agreeing the value, the trust will be able to move to the next phase."