We’re delighted the vote has been covered here.
Category: News
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.”
Over the last month or so we have been fine-tuning our application to the Leader Broadband Challenge Fund for a significant upgrade to our internet connectivity as a community. The application went in today, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed. What makes this particularly exciting is that alongside being able to offer everyone in Colintraive and Glendaruel a significantly better connection, we’ll be employing a couple of people on a part-time basis to install and help households get their new, faster and more reliable connections working.
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The ‘Big Yes’ Poster
Put up on all the noticeboards in Colintraive and Glendaruel today:
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It’s a very big YES!
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.
The Development Trust has begun its rental of space in the Colintraive Village hall today! A great step forward. We now have to wait for BT to get their act together and install the new line and broadband connection. Tsk!
On our other premises at the Glendaruel Village Hall, we’re presently awaiting the result of some survey work to allow us to plan how the shared space will work. More on this soon.
A red letter day for the communities of Colintraive and Glendaruel: the application for the Community Right to Buy on the Glendaruel Hotel has been sent in to the Community Assets Branch in Edinburgh. This should be received on Monday (weather permitting) and the process of informing the owners of the application will begin.
This is the first step in a long process to acquisition, and if all goes well with this stage, the working group’s next task will be to sketch out the basis for the business plan. No small task of course, but if the enthusiasm, good will and expertise which was brought to bear on the application is applied to this document, then there is no doubt that what is presented to the community for its consideration will be thorough-going and compelling.
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Come along to the count!
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.