Colonsay Community Development Company is involved in several projects to help the social and economic life of the island. The company runs the island's coal supply and the only petrol pump. A new petrol and diesel pump will be installed this year and a tank for marine diesel at the island's harbour is also planned.

Colonsay islanders have grasped an opportunity to buy croft land at Kilchattan with help from the Scottish Land Fund.

We hope to divide the land into seven new crofts and offer them to existing islanders, who are looking for new challenges, and to incoming families who will help to improve the island’s age balance and bring in new and additional skills.

Work has begun on replacing the island’s ancient petrol pump with a new facility for petrol and diesel. Colonsay Community Development Company purchased the site from Colonsay Estate in March with help from the Scottish Land Fund and the new double tank and pump are being installed through the efforts of Argyll and the Islands Enterprise and the Rural Petrol Stations scheme.

The CCDC is almost halfway through a project to rid the island of rhododendron ponticum. This has created two full-time and two part-time jobs and brought people to live on Colonsay.

Colonsay is a popular holiday island and during the summer the population of 100 trebles as holiday cottages are occupied and the hotel and bed and breakfast establishments fill up. 

 Colonsay has achieved all of its original objectives apart from the improvements to the harbour. The group are very well organised and have some very capable people contributing to the group. As in the Bays of Harris that group have embraced other ideas not in the original development plan and are now investigating an innovative community buy out of crofts with assistance form Duncan Baird from HIE land unit and also considering renewable energy options. 

Colonsay will exit the Initiate at the Edge on the 30^th of September 04 and then enter the follow up phase

The core agency partners (comprising Argyll & Bute Council, Argyll and the Islands Enterprise, Scottish Natural Heritage, The Crofters Commission and Communities Scotland) shall:

1. Fund the post of a Local Development Officer for as long as required to complete the major projects identified in the original development plan or a further 2 year period until September 2006. Also to provide officer support to assist Colonsay Community Development Company (CCDC) in carrying out priorities identified by the community.
2. Attend the annual general meeting of CCDC
3. Ensure their  respective organizations are fully aware of the continued work of the CCDC in the post initiative period, recognizing that the area requires full partnership commitment to help address the problems which still prevail on Colonsay

The Commitment by the Colonsay Development Company (CCDC)

1. Continue to support projects already instigated by CCDC
2. Promote the work of CCDC and seek continued support and active participation from the community.
3. Ensure the work of CCDC is open and that information on its activities is freely available thus facilitating community involvement.
4. Seek to ensure that people on Colonsay are able to take on responsibility for the continuation of the development process.
5. Attempt to remove existing barriers between community groups to aid in project   development.

All the information above was correct at time of entry into this website, the information has been taken from a draft copy of the local agreement indicating that possible further changes could be made.

If you require further information please contact

Linda Lennie
Tel: 01851-700 455
E-mail linda.lennie@hient.co.uk

Local Web link – www.colonsay.org.uk