Case studies - decorative railings & gates - balivanich regeneration project

case studies > decorative railings & gates

Balivanich regeneration project.

Client: Western Isles Council

Object: Mass regeneration of a former MOD site into an community for local residents.

Solution: Situated in the furthest reaches off the west coast of Scotland the small island of Benbecula was hit by the devastating news in 1998 that the Ministry of Defence had taken the decision to withdraw from the island. Considering that 70% of the housing in the island was owned by servicemen this was thought to be a blow that the island could never recover from.

But recover it did, and with some style. In July 2000 the Balivanich Regeneration Project came into being with the aid of a £2.5million funding package. Initially a programme of selective demolition and internal upgrading was undertaken which allowed previously congested housing schemes to be opened up and prepared the ground for the environmental works which were to follow.

With such an abundance of space there was a clear need for definition. Footpaths were created to link the estates to each other and to the local shops. Decorative railings were designed both for security and for visual impact. This allowed a wave pattern to be built into the railing design which was carried throughout all the railings in the project and has proved to be immensely popular with community.

On one of the demolished sites a park, the first of its kind in the Western Isles, was created to give Balivanich a focal point and place of interest for both the community and the tourists who flock there in the summer months.

Since the project began Balivanich has flourished with house prices increasing by 300% in many cases. The population decrease has been reversed and Balivanich now boasts one of the youngest age profiles in the country, with half the population under 30, compared to the Scottish average of nearly 40. The project itself has won many awards most notably the RICS Scotland Community Benefit Award 2005. It also won a Scottish Dynamic Place Award and made the finals of both the UK Regeneration Awards and the LGC Regeneration awards.

Other projects are now coming on stream. A new £100,000 Community Hall is due for completion in 2005 as is the £250,000 Leisure area. Both of these projects are now proceeding with the confidence gained through the Balivanich Regeneration Project.