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?
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Tag: Forestry Commission Scotland
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.
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Valuation of Stronafian Forest
As announced at the Stronafian Sunday Sandwich, the valuation placed on the subjects is £1.55 million. The full text of the District Valuer’s determination is available here, and includes summaries of both ours and the Forestry Commission’s submissions.
Our view is that this purchase is entirely achievable in the 18 month timeframe we’ll be working to if the community wishes us to buy the woodland.
With an audience of around 50 and two guest speakers our Sunday afternoon was a great success. Not only were there sandwiches and soup, but cakes and shortbread, all of which oiled the hubbub of comment and conversation after we had heard from our two guest speakers, Ian Hepburn from Mull, and Michaela Hunter from Kilfinan. Both speakers pulled no punches, but both were inspirational in their own way. We learned some valuable lessons, and were, in the most part anyway, left feeling very positive about Stronafian Forest.
As chair I outlined where we are in the process, the valuation we had just been given (more of which in a later post), and how we intended to accumulate the funds in the next 18 months to purchase the forest. In fact, given the presentations, and the viability of Stronafian Forest it was felt generally that the major hurdle was the purchase. Once we have the asset, it will provide income, employment and amenity for the community in perpetuity.
The next steps are all associated with the community ballot to find out whether the community would like us to move forward with this (well, that and finalising our application to the NFLS board and publishing our business plan at the beginning of October).
Lastly, if you would like to know more about how we intend to raise the money to purchase the forest and other exciting possiblities associated with the forest, please don’t hesitate to contact us via our form, or ring me on 01369 820 115.
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Animateur Reports
Both animateurs handed their reports in today, and very pleasing reading they make too. Lots of interesting and varied points have come back from the community, much of which has helped in directing the information we will have available on Sunday for the Stronafian Sandwich at the Glendaruel Village Hall. We’ll publish the documents shortly for everyone to access (they’ll also be on noticeboards and by request from directors).
Rhona and I also had a short meeting to look at the ballot for the NFLS, more of which on Sunday.
Michael Kaufmann and myself met Munro Gauld the Development Trust’s business consultant for the Stronafian Forest enterprise today to introduce him to the forest and give him a chance to assess the project before meeting with the board in the afternoon. We had a good walk up to one of the highest points and were able to survey much of the timber.
Munro was particular impressed with the amenity value of the deciduous woodland, and could see lots of potential for community use in the areas above the clachan, including a Forest School which was something those on the Mull Visit had been particularly struck by.
After a short lunch at the Colintraive (Patricia’s sandwiches were excellent as ever) I was able to introduce Munro to the board and we had and interesting hour or so looking at both the structure of the plan, and our progress towards the application to the National Forest Land Scheme.
Munro’s input is being funded by the HIE through CAMS, for which we are very grateful.
This was a great success apparently. All enjoyed what seems to have been a really great day out. I wasn’t able to make it, and therefore asked Susan Gaffney to report back on what she saw. The overall impression was of a task well in hand, with some really extraordinary challenges overcome, but others on the horizon.
More than that I will not say as we’re having a talk from the representatives of the Northwest Mull Forest on Sunday 12th at the Glendaruel Village Hall… All-in-all the dozen or so who went found it an interesting and informative day, not least on the Development Officer’s ability to persuade CalMac that their ferry ticketing policy was unfair – well done Rhona!