In an open letter community figures have warned that rising property prices in the Hebrides, Western Isles and Skye are preventing locals from buying a home.
They described the situation as akin to an "economic clearance" that was threatening the sustainability of the islands. They said young islanders could not compete with offers made by buyers from elsewhere in the UK.
The letter's signatories - which includes crofters, development officers and Gaelic campaigners - said 40% of housing stock on both Tiree in the Inner Hebrides and West Harris in the Western Isles were holiday homes. They pointed to reports of people across the UK looking to relocate to the Highlands and Islands, and having the means to make higher offers than local buyers.
They described the situation as akin to an "economic clearance" that was threatening the sustainability of the islands. They said young islanders could not compete with offers made by buyers from elsewhere in the UK.
The letter's signatories - which includes crofters, development officers and Gaelic campaigners - said 40% of housing stock on both Tiree in the Inner Hebrides and West Harris in the Western Isles were holiday homes. They pointed to reports of people across the UK looking to relocate to the Highlands and Islands, and having the means to make higher offers than local buyers.
Their letter said: "Part-time residencies do not sustain our communities and we should therefore ensure that houses are bought with the intention of being a primary residency. Inaction will allow this economic clearance to be consolidated in history."
The letter comes after concerns were raised that Gaelic speakers among the islands' communities could vanish within 10 years.
Researchers said daily use of Gaelic was currently too low to sustain it as a community language in the future. The letter's signatories include Pàdruig Morrison, a Uist crofter, researcher and musician and architect and Gaelic campaigner Martin Baillie, from Skye. Uist businesswoman Emma Axelsson and crofter Fiona NicÌosaig have also signed it.
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