It boasts one of the Inner Hebrides' most glorious beaches, shared by population of around 124 people and the odd tourist.
In 1993, it was reported that the last recorded crime had taken place in 1623 - treachery against the King - and the community has remained relatively untroubled ever since.
Now, home workers yearning for a better view and slower pace of life are being offered an “extremely rare” once-in-a-generation chance to live the island dream at a fraction of the usual cost.
After more than 20 years without any new affordable houses, nine properties and three discounted self-build plots are up for grabs on the island of Colonsay, in the inner Hebrides.
Two homes, priced £125,000 for a one-bedroom and £140,000 for a two-bedroom and five properties with a monthly rent of £450-500 will be available from October this year. Three serviced self-build plots are also being marketed by Colonsay Community Development Company.
Prospective purchasers for the two and three-bedroom homes have until March 19 to get their applications submitted.
More than 40% of housing stock on the island is second homes and holiday lets and those involved in the project hope it will “kickstart a new and sustainable era” for the island community.
READ MORE: Hotelier responds to criticism after £25 fish supper bill goes viral
Two new commercial units are also being constructed and will be available for rent later this year too.
In the marketing brochure Colonsay Community Development Company say those seeking to move to launch a new business would have a captive tourism market.
“However, the ability to work from home also enables island residents to undertake a wide range of work opportunities,” it said.
“In addition, there is plenty of scope for enterprising couples to develop businesses and contribute to the existing need for trades,part-time work and seasonal job opportunities.
“An array of service providers on the island such as Argyll and Bute Council, Calmac, MOWI, the Fire Service and hospitality establishments all provide employment opportunities.”
The project has been funded by the Scottish Government, Argyll and Bute Council and Industry Partner MOWI.
Situated between Mull and Islay, Colonsay’s crescent-shaped Kiloran Bay is one of the most iconic beaches of all of the Hebrides.
READ MORE: 'Carbuncle' hotel driving tourists away from Highland village
The island was the ancestral home of Clan Macfie and the Colonsay branch of Clan MacNeil and has an area of 4,074 hectares.
Colonsay’s west coast cliffs between Kiloran Bay and Port Mor are the location of the largest colony of seabirds in Argyll, with thousands of Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Razorbills, and smaller numbers of Fulmars, Shags,Cormorants and Black Guillemots.
READ MORE: Rest and Be Thankful saved our business says Scots couple
There are also a number of seal colonies on offshore islands off Oransay and the south west coast of Colonsay while whales, dolphins and porpoises are regularly spotted.
Notable, human, residents have included Danny Alexander the ex-Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey, who grew up on the island.
Flights operate from Oban via Hebridean Airways while there is a CalMac ferry service every day.
The island boats a golf course and brewery and holds the record for the smallest Scottish isle that has hosted a rugby festival.
A spokeswoman for Argyll and Bute Council said: “Colonsay is a fantastic place to work and live, offering a great lifestyle.
“We support this ambitious affordable housing programme and the addition of new business units to help create local employment opportunities.”
It comes amid warnings soaring house prices and a surge in buy-to-let holiday homes in the Highlands and Islands are driving workers away and hampering growth in lucrative industries.
Salmon Scotland, the trade body for Scotland’s farm-raised sector which sustains 12,500 local jobs and brings in nearly £800 million-a-year for the economy, said a housing shortage is holding back real growth in these vulnerable communities.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel