Hebrides People Visitor Centre to close ahead £8.25m redevelopment 

The Hebrides People Visitor Centre in Northton, Harris, will close on 20 August for an £8.25 million redevelopment, with the centre due to reopen in 2028.

The funding package has been created by four funders: the Islands Growth Deal (£4,340,000), the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (£1,850,000), the National Lottery Heritage Fund (£1,214,746) and Highlands and Islands Enterprise (£850,000). 

Northton Heritage Trust, which runs the centre, has signed a construction contract with Lewis Builders, supported by a design team led by Tighean Innse Gall.

The redevelopment will transform the centre into a facility with expanded exhibition and interpretation spaces, improved visitor amenities and enhanced facilities for research, learning and community engagement. It will also safeguard the centre’s genealogy archive.

Construction will begin soon after the closure, with completion expected in early 2028. The Co Leis Thu? genealogy service and online bookshop will continue throughout the redevelopment.

A community farewell event will take place on 28 August, before redevelopment begins.

Rebecca Hutton, chair of Northton Heritage Trust, said the redevelopment will focus on “preserving and celebrating the stories of the people of the Outer Hebrides, creating opportunities for future generations and delivering a visitor attraction that will bring lasting cultural and economic benefits to Harris and the wider islands.”

The Islands Growth Deal, which provided the largest single contribution, is a ten-year investment programme jointly funded by the UK and Scottish governments across the Outer Hebrides, Orkney and Shetland.

Melanie Ward, UK Government Minister for Scotland, said: “The UK government’s investment through the Islands Growth Deal is helping to unlock this vital project, working alongside our funding partners to secure a lasting future for Hebrides People and everything it does to celebrate the stories of the Outer Hebrides.”