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www.collcommunitycentre.co.uk
Coll is one of the Inner Hebridean islands within Argyll and Bute and is approximately 12 miles long and 4 miles wide. Coll is located approximately 42 miles from Oban. The travel time to Coll is a two and three quarter hour ferry journey from Oban at a cost of £81,60 for a return journey for a family of four. The same return journey by car costs £200.60. Due to the restricted ferry service during the summer, you cannot make a return journey from Coll to the mainland in one day and during the winter this could take up to three days, either way an overnight stay is required.
Argyll and Bute Council and Argyll and the Islands Enterprise Company recognise Coll as one of the remotest Argyll islands and have designated Coll as an economically fragile island community within their respective Economic Strategies.
Coll has a wide geographical spread of households with the small township of Arinagour located on the east coast. Coll is served by a small network of single-track roads.
Coll’s Economy
The voting population of the island is now 129. There are 21 children attending the local school, plus 4 at nursery. Additionally there are 10 pre-school infants and several “on the way”, putting Coll’s young population at a higher level than it has been for many years. During the summer months the population doubles in size due to the arrival of part-time residents and visitors. The majority of the resident population (95%) have arrived on the island during the last 30 years and were largely attracted to settle on Coll by the remoteness, sparse population, comparative safety and undeveloped nature of the island. An additional attraction was the low cost of land and property compared with similar properties in the various regions of the mainland. A variety of government grant schemes also assisted in the development and sustainability of sheep and cattle farms, holdings, crofts, bed & breakfast establishments, marine and fishing activities, building trades and the usual variety of other small island businesses. The present day economy of the island is based upon tourism, building construction, the Project Trust gap year organisation, farming, fishing, Arts & Crafts, retired people, the RSPB reserve, game keeping and shooting, IT employment and the usual core service industries, including a hotel and restaurant.
The People of Coll
The majority of people on Coll are financially self sufficient with some being assisted by grant aid in pursuit of their various interests. They are of strong frontier-type character as well as being very independent. With this independent and self sufficient nature they are not naturally given to acting as a cohesive body on internal island issues and generally like to be left alone to pursue their own interests or to be with small groups sharing a common interest. Where lifeline services or the status quo is threatened from outside, the islanders will unite to a degree and organise a response but individual views and actions will often still be pursued by some in parallel with the officially organised line. However, the current generation of young people and young new families who have recently arrived want more modern facilities for themselves and their children. Such amenities are also wished for by many of the older members of the community. Another growing body of more recent incomers are people wishing to retire here and to build their homes in various parts of the island. This welcome addition to the population provides ongoing employment to the island’s service industries and therefore adds support to the economy.
Attitudes to Development
Some regular visitors and a few local people do not want any change to take place on the island with the exception of the upgrading of the public water supply and improvements to the ferry service. There is also a lot of nostalgia voiced about the old days by some resident and non-resident members of the community. Some wish to resurrect aspects of the old Hebridean way of life for future generations, their own pleasure and with which to charm visitors. Others believe that this wish to recreate or maintain old traditions is perfectly laudable and should be encouraged but only if kept in context and balanced with the needs of the present young growing population who are the inheritors of the island. These new generations evolving their own traditions and culture will also incorporate echoes of the past in their lives. The CC’s view is that to serve the present and next generation of islanders, there is a need to upgrade the present inadequate island facilities. Such needs require an unobtrusive modern island infrastructure that will supply services similar to those available on the mainland. The future of Coll is with the young families.
All documents and projects for the Isle of Coll is listed below:
Isle of Coll Documents
Isle of Coll Projects
Local Development Officer
Frances MacIntyre & Emma Grant
Middle Pier
Arinagour
Isle of Coll
PA78 6SY
E-Mail Address
Fra@developmentcoll.co.uk or Emma@developmentcoll.co.uk
Tel: 01879-230000
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