Scottish Water has said it has transferred a disused raw water intake weir to the Sunart Community Company (SCC).

Under the Community Right to Buy (CRtB) scheme, this will allow the SCC to develop the site for use as a Hydro project.

The SCC first suggested the potential for a community-run hydro-electric scheme in March 2011 and undertook work to confirm its viability. Following the transference of the weir, the community now plans to use the facility and run a pipeline parallel to the Allt nan Cailleach burn, with a powerhouse on croft land that will feed into the grid.

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Archie Macgregor, Scottish Water's Head of Commercial Land Management, welcomed the news, saying: "This is an example of how Scottish Water is working to support greater community land ownership in the Highlands.

"What makes the transfer of this redundant asset all the more satisfying is the fact that the SCC is putting the weir to alternative use as a renewables development."

Robert Dunn, Sunart Community Company Secretary, added: "This is an important opportunity for us to generate electricity and ultimately income to invest in our community. Three years of effort by our unpaid volunteers has paid off in that we are now in a position where we own it and can progress with our plans for the project.

"Our emphasis is now on raising the necessary funds to construct the hydro scheme. We have just launched a community share offer which will allow us to raise as much as we can from supporters, whilst giving them a fair return on their money and maximising their engagement with the project."

(JP/IT)