Between 1951 – 2001 the population in Harris dropped by 50%, a stark reminder that the community badly needed investment. The Trust and the community have been working hard to reverse this trend and since purchasing the land in 2010 there has been a 20% increase in population, marking the first real progress for a very long time.

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Prior to the Trust being formed, the initial steering group in 2007 identified that 35% of houses in West Harris were either holiday homes or self-catering cottages.  The Trust agreed that for there to be a sustainable community for the future, this housing imbalance must be addressed. The main focus was to increase the availability of affordable housing to enable young families to locate to the area.