General Issues
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4 GENERAL ISSUES 4.1 It is important to ensure that the new programme's resources are focussed on fragile island and west coast communities in the Highlands and Islands. Within Skye and Lochalsh, in particular, the remoter rural communities should be targeted and, additionally, small projects should receive some priority to avoid all the money being sucked into the larger schemes. A number of rural development plans have been prepared for the more remote communities in the area. Resources are now required as a priority to implement these, and also to look at the rural priorities. 4.2 Provision of up-to-date infrastructure is vital for business competitiveness.The Council's priorities for Skye and Lochalsh include significant funding of the replacement Portree High School. It is important to maximise the local economic benefits of this project by providing training, business and community facilities within the school, and by maximising its Match funding possibilities. In the next few years there will be significant capital expenditure in housing, health and community care programmes, and the economic development links and outputs from these programmes must be maximised. Over £8 Million is allocated for housing over the next few years, one third coming from private finance. Health spending is constrained but there are proposals to improve local surgery facilities in Glenelg, Kyle of Lochalsh and Sleat, and to invest in the hospitals at Broadford and Portree. This investment programme should be incorporated in the community planning process. In the Portree area drainage and new road links are required to allow the continuing economic development of the town in the Dunvegan Road area. In rural Skye and Lochalsh there is a need to improve substandard single track roads to sustain the economic vitality of aquaculture and forestry. NOSWA has a budget of £21M for the area, and it is essential to maximise this Match funding opportunity. Applications into the next Structural Fund programme should begin by Autumn 2000, and it is important for the local partners to be in a position to present attractive projects for European funding in the early stages of the programme. 4.3 Economic development should aim to provide year-round jobs, and extend the tourist season beyond the summer peak. 4.4 It is important that the local area is involved in the process currently underway by the Highlands and Islands Plan Team which is drawing up the economic development plan for the next Highlands and Islands Structural Funds Programme. 4.5 The Skye and Lochalsh area should make specific lobbying links directly with officials of the European Commission. 4.6 Environmental sustainability must be the cornerstone of all development proposals in the Skye and Lochalsh area. It must be considered at the inception stage of project planning. Please use the back button on your browser to return to Table of Contents |