Islanders have overwhelmingly voted to buy an Outer Hebridean estate which includes the only place in Britain where baby gannets are allowed to be slaughtered for food.
The Barvas Estate on Lewis includes the uninhabited island of Sula Sgeir 40 miles north of the Butt of Lewis where the annual controversial slaughter of 2,000 baby gannets – known as gugas – takes place every August.
Residents gave their backing to a community-owned company applying to the publicly funded Scottish Land Fund for most of the cash.
No figure has been agreed but the 36,000-acre estate is expected to cost around £2million.
The landowner the Duckworth family has indicated his willingness to negotiate a deal.
Angus MacLeod, secretary of the community company, said: “We will enter into negotiations over buying the estate and applying to the Scottish Land Fund for the money. No price has yet been agreed with the owners. The sale includes the islands, but we do not envisage doing anything with them. They are best left as they are.”
SNP MSP Alasdair Allan said: “With over 80% of people in the Barvas Estate community voting in favour of ownership of the land by the people who live there, this represents a real opportunity for economic development of this area.”
The buyout group has carried out studies looking at what they could do with the land.
They want to build 40 new affordable homes, a five turbine community windfarm and an environmental interpretation centre.
The community believe they could eventually get an income of around £60,000 a year from the estate.
More than 900 postal ballots were issued to eligible voters – including 16 and 17-year-olds – to see if they wanted to pursue the buyout.
Some 83% of the people who voted backed purchasing the land and salmon hatchery but excluding property and fishing rights.
Exactly 500 ballot slips were returned out of a 919-strong electorate.
In total 417 residents voted in favour of the buyout. There were 80 against. Three voting slips were spoilt.
The hunting of gugas was outlawed in 1954, but the Ness community is granted an exemption allowing them to hold the annual hunt.
The birds are slain with a stick – the hunters say death is quick and humane – pickled in salt and sold as a delicacy.
A petition calling for a ban on the killing of gugas last year attracted more than 74,000 supporters.