Work has begun on a major workshop and office development in the Uig area of Lewis, which has the potential to generate eight jobs in an area recognised as very economically fragile.

The £380,000 project, being developed by Western Isles Enterprise (WIE) in the Uig and Bernera Iomairt aig an Oir (Initiative at the Edge) area, will help address a strong local demand for commercial premises.

The four units - two business units and two workshops - are being built at Eireastadh, next to a housing development and close to the Uig school and community centre. Each of the units will include a main office/workshop area, an entrance lobby and a toilet. The workshop units will include a vehicle entrance door. Similar units which have been built elsewhere in the islands, have been successful and have helped encourage business opportunities in more remote areas - which is one of WIE's key objectives.

The project forms part of a wider £2 million property development programme, backed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise which will also see offices built at Lionacleit on Benbecula, and in Stornoway.

Western Isles MSP, and Highlands and Islands Minister Alasdair Morrison said: "I am delighted to see work beginning on these new units. A development like this, which would be seen as fairly small scale elsewhere in Scotland, will be of real significance and importance in the Uig Iomairt aig an Oir area. It certainly has the potential to create new jobs and underpin the survival of existing businesses."

Tenants are now being sought for the Uig units and already existing businesses wishing to expand have expressed an interest, alongside those considering new business start-ups. Construction, which is being carried out by Point-based CalMax construction, is expected to be finished by next Spring.

Mr Donnie MacAulay, WIE's chief executive, said the enterprise agency was firmly committed to rectifying the economic imbalances suffered by peripheral regions. "These units will assist the economic regeneration of the Uig area and strengthen the local community, creating business development and employment opportunities."

The Uig site also offers scope for further expansion over the long term, with the potential of attracting inward investment to the local economy. Sarah Maclean, IaaO development officer for Uig and Bernera, who is at present based in the community centre near the site, said this scheme would be the biggest and most visible contribution so far to the work of the initiative.

Other projects under way in Uig and Great Bernera include the planning for expansion of Miavaig Pier, completion of a community appraisal in Great Bernera, and various tourism initiatives.