The latest twist in the tortuous proceedings of the Pairc buy-out
has occurred. The Court of Session in Edinburgh has ruled that the
community buy-out plans do NOT, as alleged by landowner Barry Lomas,
infringe the landowner’s human rights. The next step in this seemingly
endless wrangle will be a ruling by a sheriff at Stornoway Sheriff Court
whether the ballot by the community in South Lochs on the proposed
buy-out was flawed, or not. This is expected to happen in January.
The buy-out relates to unoccupied common land, away from the villages
on the Pairc peninsula. In itself, this is not worth a lot, but a
proposed windfarm could propel its value (currently unknown) into the
millions of pounds.
A vote to investigate the possibility of mounting a community buy-out
of the Pairc estate was taken in November 2004. A ballot in favour of
mounting a hostile buy-out bid was taken in December 2009, making it the
first instance of a hostile buy-out under the right-to-buy legislation,
enacted in 2003.
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