Glencanisp Lodge Redevelopment Project

The Assynt Foundation are currently trying to secure a full funding package for a project to redevelop Glencanisp Lodge, to allow continuing and increased use of this community-owned building for a wide range of community, arts and educational purposes.

Glencanisp Lodge is a short distance from the main village in Assynt, Lochinver. Since its purchase by the community Glencanisp Lodge is now being used as a community base with a growing number of activities and events developing around it. It is also the charitable foundation’s main source of income, through commercial lettings of the Lodge for many weeks of the year.

At present, access is restricted with no proper provision for wheelchair users. The lodge is heated by oil and electric heating with lack of double glazing meaning large costs financially and environmentally. It is clear that for the Lodge to continue and increase its use as a sustainable community base and as a centre for arts, educational and training events, serious work must be done to redevelop the Lodge very soon.

It is also important to the community that the Lodge is able to provide a secure source of community income through commercial lettings, in order for the Assynt Foundation to continue to exist and to carry out future projects without continuing reliance on grant aid.

Following a full options appraisal undertaken in 2006, it was decided to seek substantial funding to redevelop the Lodge.
The redevelopment project has been designed to:
> allow all-abilities access, including one bedroom suitable for wheelchair users, public toilets, and wheelchair access throughout the ground floor,
> improve energy efficiency and heat efficiency,
> fit a woodfuel boiler heating system to minimise the Lodge’s carbon footprint (and allowing the formation of a local woodchip supply chain which is already being set up, using local pine plantations as a sustainable and carbon neutral local heating source).
The development will also incorporate a log construction training course, alongside the log construction of a new laundry, boiler house, and wood store, in the area around the Lodge. These buildings will be built from whole logs sourced on site, using a scribed log technique.
A further log building to be built by the trainees will be used as a flexible workspace, for use by local artists/craftspeople, artists in residence, and as a training venue.
The log construction training course will provide local training in environmentally-friendly, sustainable and practical building techniques, and we hope for a local log construction business to be established as a result of this course.
The creation of a woodchip supply chain will allow other groups locally to convert to woodfuel heating systems.

Following the redevelopment, Glencanisp Lodge will be able to continue and greatly increase its presence as a base for residential and non-residential community, social, arts, and educational activities and events, alongside continuing commercial use of the lodge offering a high standard of quality accommodation with optional catering and activities available.

The result should be an exemplary model of sustainable and environmentally friendly progress for a remote rural community gaining command of its own destiny through ownership of its assets, allowing it to use those assets responsibly, for the social, cultural, educational, economic and environmental benefit of those in the community and elsewhere.

We are pleased to announce that we have been approved grants towards this project from the Big Lottery Fund’s Growing Community Assets (£784,997), Highland and Island Enterprise (£250,000) and the Highland and Island Community Energy Company (£100,000). These grants are dependent on finding all the remaining funding to go ahead with the project. We are awaiting decisions from a number of other grant-giving organisations, and have a short time to raise the shortfall of £385,796 in order to go ahead with this project.

Any questions or enquiries about this project, please contact us.

Unsolicited offers of help with this project, financial or otherwise, are very welcome!