 Loch Shiel, Lochaber |
Lochaber is a traditional name for an area of the West Highlands of Scotland. It was also a district council area which existed from 1975 to 1996. It was one of eight district councils that delivered a range of local level services within the wider area of Highland Region, which over this period was one of the 12 regions into which Scotland was divided.
Lochaber District was formed from parts of the traditional county of Inverness-shire, specifically Fort William and the surrounding traditional area of Lochaber, including the Road to the Isles and Mallaig. It also had added to it parts of the traditional county of Argyll, including the Ardnamurchan area, Ballachulish and Kinlochleven. Its neighbours were the districts of Skye and Lochalsh, Inverness and Badenoch & Strathspey in Highland Region; the district of Argyll in Strathclyde Region; and the district of Perth & Kinross in Tayside Region.
When regions and districts disappeared from the scene in the 1996 reorganisation, the area of Lochaber District became part of the unitary council area of Highland. Initially Highland Council divided its coverage into eight management areas that were based on the eight districts, and Lochaber formed one of them.
Since 2007, Highland Council has divided up its area rather differently into three operational areas. For the council's purposes, the area previously within Lochaber District now forms a part of the "Ross, Skye and Lochaber" operational area.
