CGDTWritten by Munro Gauld, the business plan has now been submitted as part of our application to the National Forestry Land Scheme.
Our thanks to Munro for all his hard work.
To read the document, please download it from our publications page.
Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust was supported in the production of this Business Plan by Highlands & Islands Enterprise.
We’re delighted the vote has been covered here.
SNP Parliamentary Candidate for Argyll & Bute, Michael Russell MSP – who lives in Glendaruel – has given a warm welcome to the vote by local residents which will start the process of community purchase for the Stronafian Forest by the Colintraive and Glendaruel Community Trust.
Mr Russell said:
“As a former Environment Minister as well as a Member of the Trust I am a strong supporter of community land purchase and particularly the purchase of forests and woodlands by communities. The ambitious plan by Colintraive and Glendaruel Community Trust to seek to acquire Stronafian Forest and use it as a community resource shows a positive belief by that community in a better and more secure and sustainable future for the community. I am therefore delighted that the local ballot of residents has resulted in two thirds backing the plan.
“The community now have 18 months to raise the necessary finance and put in place a sustainable business plan for the forest. There are a lot of good ideas around and some very positive models elsewhere in Argyll to look at, including the North Mull Forest and the newly purchased woodlands at Kilfinan and on Bute.
“There will be much hard work ahead, but this vote is a vital and very commendable next step in the process. I am sure the community will get every help and encouragement from the Forestry Commission and from other public bodies as the plans develop as well as from local business and from local elected representatives.”
Put up on all the noticeboards in Colintraive and Glendaruel today:
We’re thrilled to announce that the community voted to purchase Stronafian Forest. We’re delighted with this, and have just issued a press release.
Here’s the confirmation of the result as issued by returning officer Shirley MacLeod:
Once we have a positive determination from the NFLS Panel and the Forestry Commission, the work of raising the funds for the purchase will begin. This is a great opportunity for our community and could ensure a sustainable future.
The story about the ballot on Stronafian Forest is in the Dunoon Observer today, page 4 lower right.
We’re beginning the count at 3pm on Friday 8th October. Shirley McLeod from the council is officiating and we expect to have a result within half an hour. The question is will the refreshments be coffee and tea or champagne?
Out today is the executive summary for the Stronafian Forest project that the community is currently voting on. Rhona is sending out a paper copy to everyone, with a covering note, but in the meantime, it is available here.
Good to see we’re newsworthy!
… reads as follows:
Small Community, Very Big Plans
The Community of Colintraive and Glendaruel is about to vote on the purchase of 600ha of Forest in one of the most ambitious community buy-outs Cowal has yet seen.On the afternoon of 8th October the count will start on one of the most keenly awaited results in the community woodlands sector this year. The Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust will find out whether the people it serves agree with it that Stronafian Forest represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the community.
With a valuation of £1.55M finding the funds to make the purchase might seem too big an ask for such a sparsely populated area, “Except,” says Charles Dixon-Spain, chair of the Development Trust, “we have some very ambitious plans for this forest which will secure this asset for the community within the 18 month time-limit Forestry Commission Scotland has set.” He adds, “Our vision is that this forest can be an asset not only for our community but for the rest of Cowal and Bute.”
The Development Trust has published an options appraisal on their website which recommends mixing commercial forest management with low-impact woodland management, offers forest crofts and affordable housing as answers to acute local economic and social needs, and shows that the forest will have manifold amenity uses, from Mountain-biking and archaeology, to a woodland school and astronomy.
Charles continues, “We’ve carried out community surveys, had consultation days and even organised a community visit to Mull, and what we have found is that a forest like this can be profitable, can invest into communities, and can create jobs. We hope the community votes for this opportunity because there is every possibility that greater and more significant projects will develop from the purchase.”