Tag: working groups

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Clachan Glendaruel News Opportunities Projects Working Groups

Of Hubs, Hydro and Ships-to-Shore

A quick digest on some of the projects which we are working on at the moment:

  • The group looking at the Clachan pavilion or hub on the eastern end of the shinty pitch have recently received from the architect the building brief which resulted from a meeting between him and the ‘Hub Group’. Once this has been approved schematics will be produced, and then we’ll get a visual as to how this building might look and work.
  • We’re moving forward with the recommendations made to us by the Ship-to-shore group and Rhona has made contact with various stakeholders.
  • We’re also looking at micro-hydro schemes in Colintraive and Glendaruel and have identified with Community Energy Scotland 8 possible watercourses where this might happen. Once a desktop assessment has been made we’ll be contacting the landowners associated with the water courses to discuss possibilities.
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Clachan Colintraive CRtB Forestry Glendaruel Glendaruel Hotel Kilmodan Primary School News Projects Stronafian

A Community Working Together

Over the last weeks there has been an unprecedented level of activity in the community looking at our future and the projects we might like to take forward. The ‘Ship-to-shore’ and the ‘Colintraive Gateway’ steering groups have met and made reports to the board, while the Clachan working groups have both reconvened and made recommendations as to the next steps they would like to take to further their work.

The board has also pushed forward with the process to purchase Stronafian Forest, on which we have a right to buy, as well as the community windfarm.

Russell Gill our intern has been working hard to put some shape on initiatives and ideas that have emanated in the community, and we hope to have some papers on matters as varied as mountain-biking, astronomy, and bridleways in hand by the end of the month.

Lastly, Russell and Rhona spent a very enjoyable morning with the Kilmodan school children as they had a forest school session. Both came back damp but delighted!

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Colintraive CRtB Glendaruel Glendaruel Hotel News Projects Working Groups

Hotel Working Group & CGDT issues info-flyer on CRtB

The following flyer will be distributed to everyone in the community over the next week, so that all have the facts about the Community Right to Buy process and legislation. In addtion to this, the CRtB on the Glendaruel Hotel will be discussed at the next Community Council meeting at Colintraive Village Hall, on 2nd December at 7.30pm. Everyone is welcome to come and ask questions and hear the discussion about this project.

Please click on the image to open a more readable version!

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CRtB Glendaruel Glendaruel Hotel News Working Groups

Community Right to Buy: Some Facts

Here is a summary of the pertinent facts relating to Community Rights to Buy:

  • A community right to buy gives the community the time to decide whether to purchase an asset at market value.
  • The community right to buy does not force the sale, but only comes into play when an owner decides to sell his or her property.
  • A right to buy petition does not commit the community to the purchase: it only seeks to establish the right to buy. 10% of the community must support the application for it to be valid.
  • The property is valued by a government appointed surveyor, who is entirely independent, and values property at market rates. This guarantees the owner gets a fair price.
  • If the community body decides to activate its right to buy it must carry out a ballot of the community to establish whether the majority of the community wish to go ahead with the purchase.
  • Like the Stronafian Forest vote, only those on the electoral roll are eligible to vote, and 50% of the eligible voters must vote to make the ballot valid. Of that 50% over 50% have to vote in favour for the purchase to go ahead.
  • Even if the ministers grant the community a right to buy on a property the community may decide it is not in its interest to activate that right, and can simply allow the sale of the property to go ahead normally with another party.
  • Often, once a right to buy is established the community and the property owner arrange the sale between themselves without resort to the legislation. This can make the process much shorter.
  • The Community Right to Buy itself lasts for 5 years. If after that period the property hasn’t been put on the market, the community can reapply to have the right extended for a further 5 years. The trust might also decide to let the right lapse and not reapply.

At present the Development Trust is awaiting the minister’s determination on our application to acquire the right to buy on the Glendaruel Hotel. If we are granted a right to buy, and if we decide to move onto the next stage, there will be a thorough and transparent consultation process.

If you have any questions, or are unclear on any points, please don’t hesitate to contact us, we’ll be delighted to hear from you.

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Clachan CRtB Glendaruel Glendaruel Hotel News

Application to register an interest in Hotel passes first stage

The Development Trust received notification today that our application to acquire a right to buy on the Glendaruel Hotel has been accepted by the Scottish Ministers, and that copies of the application have been sent to the present owners. A prohibition on the sale of the property is now in place.

We will now await the response of the owners, and thereafter the determination of the Minister.

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Clachan CRtB Glendaruel Hotel News Projects Working Groups

CRtB Application on the Glendaruel Hotel Sent In

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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Clachan News Projects Working Groups

The Working Groups are off!

Just a quick note to report that two working groups were formed on the 4th in Glendaruel, one to look specifically at the Hotel, and the other at a community hub or Pavilion.

As I write the Hotel group have begun collecting signatures for a petition under the Community Right to Buy legislation in order to acquire the right to buy the property. Members of the working group and the development trust board will be visiting as many folk as they can to offer the opportunity to sign the petition.

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News Projects Working Groups

Colintraive Working Group

Tonight in the Colintraive Village Hall members of the community are invited to attend an initial meeting to investigate the possibility of creating a working group to look at the future of the village, and in particular its role as a community centre.

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News Working Groups

Glendaruel Working Group

Tonight in the Glendaruel Village Hall members of the community are invited to attend an initial meeting to investigate the possibility of creating a working group to look at the future of the clachan, and in particular its role as a community centre.