CGDTFor those of your who were there, and for those who were not, here is the presentation by our masterplanning consultants, as well as the outcome documents which were produced on the evening.
Presentation | Discussion Group A | Discussion Group B | Discussion Group C | Workshop Outcomes
If you would like to comment further or add your view, please email the consultants here.
This week the housing survey is being sent out to everyone in the community. The attached letter will explain all about it, but in the meantime, please fill it in as this is an essential part of providing for our housing needs as a community over the long term.
We’ve had feedback that we need affordable housing to rent and to buy, and there is also an appetite for self-build. The gerat thing is that those who live here want to stay here, and there are many many out there who would also like to live here. In fact, if that describes you, please let us know and we will mail out a survey.
The more input we get the better our projects will become!
The board met on Monday 22nd August to populate a map of Stronafian with initial proposals for where certain activities could be located in the forest. This will be passed onto our forest consultant for his comments.
You can view a Google Map of the above areas here
The board felt the amenity area should be close to the Clachan since this would form a base for people to go into the forest from. The Forest School would also be located in this area. It was decided some investigation would be required to provide access directly from the hotel to the forest. Paths to an area higher up where there is little forest cover would provide an area for views, picnic sites and possibly an area for stargazing.
The areas for silviculture were chosen based on selecting areas close to existing access routes and with relatively level topography. Activities here might involve commercial wood fuel production as well as the possibility of forest smallholdings for low impact silviculture.
It was felt the only suitable location for affordable housing on forest land was in Stronafian since this was relatively level ground, on a road and near existing housing.
We welcome your feedback on proposals below!
Our application to acquire the right to buy on Stronafian Forest is presently receiving a wider public consultation via the Forestry Commission website here as a ‘Sponsored Sale of Surplus Land’. To view all the pertinent documents, click on the link above.
The deadline for this consultation is 1st December (or around 28 days from now).
The Development Trust have just sent our letter in support of the campaign to keep Kilmodan Primary School open to Cleland Sneddon, the head of Education for Argyll and Bute Council. The letter provides a detailed critique of the proposals as they relate to Kilmodan Primary School (and Strachur and Tighnabruaich) as well as looking at the process in its entirety.
This letter has been cc’d to our local councillors Alex MacNaughton, Ron Simon and Bruce Marshall, as well as MSP Jim Mather and MP Alan Reid.
Here is an excerpt of the more general points:
The Colintraive and Glendaruel Development Trust wishes to register its opposition to Argyll and Bute Council’s proposals to close Kilmodan School in the Clachan of Glendaruel for the following reasons:
- The proposals do not improve the educational standards for the pupils of the school in any way.
- The proposals commit the children to a school journey of over 45 minutes: which by the council’s own standards is unacceptable.
- The proposals critically undermine the economic, social and cultural viability of the Clachan of Glendaruel and therefore the community.
- The proposals create a division in our community, and do so without regard for the electoral and physical boundaries between Colintraive and Glendaruel.
- The proposals have not been made in consultation with the statutory community bodies.The proposals were not preceded with any attempt to engage with the community on alternative arrangements to closure as the act and guidance indicate.
- The proposals, which have been put forward for discussion on 2nd November by the council, state in point 8.1 the note that the council decided to go ahead with the consultation process on the 2nd November. This contradicts statements made in letters to parents to all three schools. In our view this undermines the credibility of the whole consultation process.
If you require a different format of this document, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
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.
… 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.”
… Please contact Rhona through the contact page letting her know, and she’ll forward you another set. We’ve had a single report of non-arrival of ballot papers and we just want to ensure everyone gets the chance to vote on this, the most important opportunity the community has ever had the chance to vote on.
At the end of September you’ll also receive a further letter from us, which will include the Executive Summary of our finalised business plan. This will give you the fullest picture possible of our business intentions towards Stronafian Forest.
Today I received several reports that the ballot papers and information sheet have been delivered to residents eligible to vote on the acquisition of Stronafian Forest. This marks the next big step in our progress towards owning this valuable community asset and has taken much time to coordinate (well done Rhona!).
We need everyone to vote as getting a 50% return is essential. You should find an SAE in the envelope along with the papers, and if you don’t let us know!
The information we have sent out in this package is available on the publications page.
If you have any queries on the ballot, the information provided so far or the business plan when it is published let us know via the contact form, phone or email.