From Heritage to Hub: Breathing New Life into a Historic Space
Crown Estate Scotland awarded a grant of £47,000 to Nether Lochaber Community Association, with the hope of transforming the historic Ichree Barn into a community hub.
Background
Nether Lochaber Community Association (NLCA) is a registered charity dedicated to improving the lives of residents and visitors in small villages and towns around Loch Leven and the eastern side of Loch Linnhe. The organisation creates new and improves existing facilities, organises social events, and develops projects that care for historic and natural surroundings. Their aim is to make the region thrive and ensure people in rural Highland locations have access to necessary services and facilities. They support approximately 500 individuals annually, representing the total population of Nether Lochaber.
Project
In 2024, the organisation was awarded a grant of £47,000 by Crown Estate Scotland’s Community Capacity Grants Programme with the hope of transforming the historic Inchree Barn into a community hub for residents and visitors. The project began in 2017 with community consultation events to gain support and insight. The requested funding would employ a full design team to deliver RIBA Stage 2 and Stage 3, creating a concept design and undertaking planning to meet legal and regulatory requirements for planning permission and building warrant applications. This work would progress the project from the initial concept to the technical planning stage. Once completed, it was hoped that the barn would become a key community asset supporting thousands of residents and visitors annually.
Impact
Activities commenced in the Spring of 2024. A design team was appointed, and RIBA Stage 2 was completed with a comprehensive report, followed by submission of a live planning application at Stage 3. Throughout this period, NLCA prioritised community engagement, hosting 11 events, running consultations, creating a new logo, and developing promotional activities supported by a focused fundraising plan.
The project faced a three-month delay due to contractor availability and planning processes. By maintaining flexible timelines and clear communication, NLCA kept the community involved and learned that diverse event types are key to demonstrating the barn’s future potential.
The project also inspired the Brìgh: Stories in Stone initiative, which secured National Lottery and Creative Scotland funding to create a living community archive. Practical challenges, such as weather disruptions, were met with creative solutions, and approximately £10,000 in additional funding was secured for interim events and cultural activities.
Rural depopulation and difficulty in accessing community spaces is an ongoing problem in the Highland and Islands but NLCA has shown that sometimes the solution can be right on your doorstep. Repurposing heritage sites for the future is not only sustainable and cost-effective but, as this project has shown, can reinforce local pride and community spirit.
Looking to 2026, NLCA is now well-positioned to progress through the remaining RIBA stages and secure capital funding. The initiative has strengthened community cohesion and proven the organisation’s capacity to manage complex, multi-strand development projects.
NLCA state that all of this would not have been possible without Crown Estate Scotland’s vital support…
“Nether Lochaber Community Association would love to thank Crown Estate Scotland for their support for the Inchree Barn Project, especially as they have helped to fund the development phase which can be a less desirable part of a large project but absolutely necessary to complete the whole thing. Our community experiences rural isolation and this project aims to create a friendly, community-focused hub that unites residents and makes things possible. Thank you."
The fund is open for expression of interest submissions in September 2025.
Read more about the Crown Estate Scotland's Community Capacity Grants Programme here