Comhairle nan Eilean Siar PRESS RELEASE 23 May 2000 For Use: Immediately

Following a positive meeting with Scottish Executive Ministers and officials, the Uist Co-ordinating Committee is pleased to note that the Comhairle is making a bid for £3m to the Scottish Executive for housing and environmental improvements at Balivanich. The news came at a meeting of the Co-ordinating Committee last Friday.

The proposed improvements would be in line with the Balivanich Enhancement Plan which has been accepted by the Comhairle and Western Isles Enterprise.

The Chairman of the Co-ordinating Committee, Calum MacDonald M.P., will be writing to the Scottish Executive urging that a decision on funding should be made as soon as possible to allow work to start at an early date.

Mr. MacDonald has also agreed to write to DERA (Defence Evaluation Research Agency) asking them to take forward the issue of decentralisation of DERA staff to the Uists although the Co-ordinating Committee recognised that suitable accommodation would have to be provided before decentralisation could become a reality.

WIE reported to the meeting that there is a range of economic development projects which can be put forward be put forward for funding. The Committee decided that a number of these projects should be put forward as a matter of urgency in time for September’s round of the European Special Programme.

Chairman Calum MacDonald said:

"Our meeting re-enforced the importance of a co-ordinated approach to this issue and I am optimistic about funding being found for housing and area regeneration at Balivanich by the Scottish Executive. The Comhairle is to be congratulated for drawing up an excellent plan. which will go a long way to regenerating surplus MoD Housing for community use. The Committee is however mindful that there still requires a lot of work to be undertaken on economic regeneration and as Chairman of the Co-ordinating Group I will be working closely with Western Isles Enterprise on that task."

Ends

Issued by Nigel Scott
Communications Officer