Luing is waiting to find out the full results of its recent housing needs survey.
The response represented 53 per cent of the community, a much higher than usual number for surveys of this type, the island’s community council heard at its meeting last Tuesday.
And 26 of non-residents who took part in it said they would consider re-locating to Luing.
Responses also came from 12 businesses, nine of them said they have difficulty retaining staff because of housing issues.
The full survey will be published and will also be sent to Argyll and Bute Council.
Community council convenor Innes MacQueen said the survey was a good starting point to “getting the ball rolling” by demonstrating the definite need for housing on the island.
A Homes For Luing small campaign launched earlier this year by the community council and the island’s community Trust has yieled a few responses from people interested in looking at longterm-letting their homes on Luing or considering other options to help fill a need.
There may be a re-launch of the campaign with more leaflet drops in the New Year to get word out again, the community council meeting heard.
Fundraising ideas are needed to help a £1,400 remaining bill of recent flood defence work on the front at Cullipool. News is awaited on funding bids for the second stage of work to protect the historic village’s eroding shoreline.
And there was discussion about flooding of Toberonochy, Cullipool and Fladda after October’s extreme weather. Argyll and Bute Council has agreed to give technical advice at some point from its engineering team about what can be done to give protection. The community council is also exploring the possibility of a small fund available to give resilience help.
An anonymous survey among Seil and Easdale parents will add their voices to having a say on school transport issues, affecting children travelling from Luing and back. Argyll and Bute Council has now offered for youngsters to be picked up by council transport from their homes and driven on to the ferry where the driver would then wait with them to put them on the public bus to travel the rest of the way to school unchaperoned – except for the bus driver. Currently no Luing parents are taking up that offer, the community council meeting heard.
The hope is feedback from the forthcoming survey will help work towards a safe solution.
The meeting heard there might be a drop-in session as early as before Christmas for Luing residents to give views about the current ferry timetable and how it could be improved and updated to meet the needs of the service’s users. Luing Community Council put in a participation request so it could be hands-on with the survey which has been long awaited.