Communities in highly rural, sparsely populated areas, experience a unique set of circumstances that require consideration in social and economic assessments. People living in the island communities of the Western Isles often face distinct everyday challenges related to connectivity and limits to service provision, or have distinct features relating to language, identity and tradition. The introduction of complex projects may result in place-specific impacts in contrast to mainland or urban environments, or intensify the magnitude of specific impacts, and can be experienced very differently by communities.

Drawing from our experience living and working in an island community, Atlantic58 has established an island-specific social science capability. This is underpinned by a collaborative research project with the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) for assessing social impacts of projects in highly rural communities. Our experience in this field ranges from collaborating on socioeconomic impact assessments for offshore fisheries to major windfarm developments.  Atlantic58 also collaborates with consultancies across the Northern Isles and other parts of rural Scotland to deliver projects, including complete socioeconomic impact assessments (SEIA).