Readers of this blog will be aware of the current dispute between the Trust and some residents. The Trust wants to close NL Homes and bring its 45 tenancies directly under their control. It is not clear if their opponents want to maintain the status quo or negotiate some compromise arrangement.
Facts
In 1968 the Gourock
Rope Company announced the closure of the mills with the loss of 350
jobs. By 1970 there were only 80 people living in the village. In 1974 the New
Lanark Conservation Trust was formed. The village buildings were in a very bad condition and faced restoration or demolition.
Public money was provided for the restoration of Caithness Row, Nursery Buildings and New Buildings on the condition that they be used to provide low cost accommodation. That produced 45 tenanted properties.
Recently the Trust has taken three of those properties for commercial purposes. Two are to be used to provide accommodation for hotel employees and the third is to be rented on the open market at commercial rates [Airbnb?].
New Lanark is a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Clyde Valley of Scotland. Its mills were built to process cotton using the water power of the Clyde. The village used to have 2,000 residents, now it has about 150. This website has been created to provide information and a forum for residents and anybody else interested in the village. It is independent of both the New Lanark Trust and the New Lanark Village Group.