Isle of Kerrera Development Trust - Annual Report 2012
Chairperson’s report
It has been another busy year on the Island for the Trust and I would like to take this opportunity to say a huge Thank you to Elaine Pearson and Heather Craig for all their hard work, and for the time and effort they have put into the trust; in doing so, they have kept it going.
Another very big Thank you to Pet Davies for her dedication and hard work regarding the wind turbines, especially all the legal aspects.
We are also very grateful to the trustees of the Harbinson Trust for their generous continuation of grant funds and support that has enabled IKDT to employ our previous and future Development Officers.
Louise Moran, our Project Officer for nearly 2 ½ years, moved to Stornoway and managed to commute to meetings for a while but distance proved too difficult and sadly she resigned. We are hoping that Ian Leaver, our Wind Turbine Officer, may be interested in expanding his role to include Project officer for the Island.
Many thanks to Ian Leaver for his enthusiasm and dedication in moving the Wind Turbine Project forward and all the good progress he is making with the pontoons.
Over the last couple of years we have been sad to see some of Kerrera’s long-term residents move away. Roddy and Ann MacEachen are now in Oban, Johnny Long is in Ireland, and Neil Price and Mary Boyd also moved to Oban. We are, however, very glad to welcome Gill, Tim and Ollie, who are now in the process of taking over Balliemore Farm from Ned and Sue Rimmer, who are busily renovating the cottage at Balliemore.
We also look forward to Colin Delap moving into Gylen Park.
Oban Marina was bought over in Feb 2012 by Peter Weir from Ledaigs Caravan Park by Benderloch. A new Chalet has been erected to house the Waypoint Bar and indoor seating for the Grill/ Seafood Restaurant.
Kerrera Volunteer Fire Unit now has six members (Scott Glen, Robbie Glen, Duncan MacEachen, Isla Glen, Billy MacPherson and Karen Keys.) A larger Fire hut is now situated at Oban Marina which houses a 4x4 quad trailer packed with the fire equipment. Kerrera still needs more volunteer fire fighters so if anyone is interested please get in touch with Scott Glen.
Kerrera at present has a population of 37 full time residents (29 adults and 8 children) 6 part time residents and 5 properties either empty or for holiday lets.
We look forward to building on the hard work and progress so far achieved. Many thanks to all the community for their valued input and support.
Karen Keys
Isle of Kerrera Development Trust - Director's Report and Financial Statements 2012 - pdf file
Wind Turbine
We have made progress with the wind turbine project although we haven’t met the ambitious target of having it all up and running by this AGM. We have opted for an Enercon E44 wind turbine with an output of 900kW. This is a well established manufacturer and model with proven record and favoured by the banks for lending. Having made this decision we approached the planners for further advice as the previous screening opinion was for 3 smaller turbines. SNH raised some issues over the location and potential for landscape impact. A Landscape and visual impact assessment has since been produced and clearly states that there is no negative impact on the landscape from any of the viewpoints SNH requested.
Alongside this, work has been done on the access to the site and both a bathymetric survey of the seabed in Barnabuck Bay and a more detailed survey of the proposed access track have been completed. It is feasible to bring the turbine ashore by boat, and the access track is slightly steeper in sections than preferred, but still achievable. It remains to be seen if the cost of the track will be within the original budget figures, so it will at some point be necessary to try and get an updated estimate. The Heads of Terms for the options agreement from Dunollie Estate were finally agreed and signed and now we are very close to finalising the lease and options agreement. To top it all off we also have a grid connection offer which has been secured with payment of the non contestable work. The grid connection date is March 2014; however it may be later than that before we can export power to the grid due to constraints at Taynuilt. The remaining grid connection work can be carried out by our own contractor so we should be able to get a competitive price on this. Although planning permission has still to be submitted, all the necessary work has been done and the application is in the process of being written up. By next AGM I would hope that we will have gained planning permission, have solid estimates of the project costs, and have in principle a loan agreement with the bank.
As the grid connection cannot actually be done until 2014 we will want to time it so that completion of the turbine coincides both with grid connection and being able to export the power.
Landing Stages
This project is moving forward in its own right and Ian Leaver has been doing some work on it. The sites for the two landing stages have been confirmed and the necessary consents have been applied for. The potential funders either require or prefer to have all necessary permissions in place before considering an application for funding. A number of funders have been identified and consulted with, and in principle would support this type of project. One very important factor in their considerations is community support for a project, so confirmation of this by a small consultation process probably by questionnaire and/or a meeting will need to happen at some point.
Ferries Review
The first three months of this year saw numerous meetings and endless emails regarding the Scottish Government Ferries Review Consultation. Following these meetings we compiled the islands responses (15 in total) to the review and submitted them along with a written response on behalf of IKDT. I suspect that we will have to wait until early next year before we have any formal indication of the outcome of the review. Hopefully the outcome will be positive for everybody in the community and will help to move Kerrera towards its goals.
Celebrating KerreraUnder the auspices of Scotland’s Islands, whose remit was to foster and encourage the arts in the Islands, we organised a two-day event in August to celebrate Kerrera. |
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Saturday was everything you could wish for; brilliant sun and a nice cooling breeze. Pip Gurr, a geologist with a long association with Kerrera, took quite a crowd along the shore from Orasaig at the south end to examine the rocks on the shoreline, and provided instruction and illumination on our (sometimes) swampy and exotic past, or at least, that of our surrounding rocks; this part of Kerrera contains an astonishing amount of geological evidence. |
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Meanwhile Donald McGregor took a party of wildlife enthusiasts along the south-eastern shore to search out the flora and fauna. The Parrot Sanctuary was also open to visitors, the birds revelling in the unexpected activity. |
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Visitors to the island there were in plenty - though not all found their way up to the centre of activities in the field by the school. (Some were unaware that it was a day of celebration, others insisted they wanted a quiet walk.) However, those who did found Patsi Dyer telling stories in Heather’s yurt, Catherine Gillies bringing the history of the castle alive in the old school, and Ian Leaver with a presentation of the proposed Kerrera Wind Turbine – plus refreshments including teas, soup, cake, and local Kerrera beefburgers from Ardentrive - not to mention the bouncy castle which was being much appreciated by some of the islanders, the whole made even merrier with face painting courtesy of Sheila McGregor and the music of local band Ceol-An-Aire. As a reward for all the effort we stayed into the evening and celebrated a bit more! |
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Sunday was chilly, wet and windy. Unsurprisingly, visitors were few. Even the bouncy castle flagged, and breathed its last. Hot soup was in demand, as was the relative warmth of the yurt. |
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In conclusion? A lot of enthusiasm was generated despite the vast amount of work, and there was a strong feeling that we should repeat the experience, though with several important changes, one of which would be the siting of most of the activities nearer to the ferry in order to make the most of the visitors we do have. (This year, however, we chose to postpone the event for various reasons.) We were also united in thinking that we could put on a good day's activities and feasting for a fraction of the cost. Scotland’s Islands, having promised us £3,250 in grant money, has one year later, still not reimbursed us. We wait in hope. |
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Kerrera YearLast year’s storm in May was like nothing we had ever experienced at that time of year, when all the trees were in full leaf. It raged for most of the day; foliage turned autumnal or even black, much of it not recovering for the rest of the season. The summer continued wet, followed by a wet and windy autumn, and one of the wettest and windiest winters in memory, culminating in a January storm which brought down a number of trees. Firewood is handy, but it’s sad to lose well loved landmarks so much older than ourselves. During September, Kerrera hosted a triathlon, with over 200 participants. Organisers Duncan MacEachan and Paul MacGreal won an award from the Scottish Triathlon Association for it being voted most enjoyable event of 2011 by the competitors. The course involved swimming across at the ferry, cycling round the south end, and running across the highest part, ending at the castle. The money raised was donated to Oban Mountain Rescue Team who provided marshals and First Aid. It is hoped it will take place again this year in September. Work has been ongoing for much of this year on a new wooden chalet at the Parrot Sanctuary at the Horseshoe, which will be ready next month. Yvonne and Ian have wanted for some time to be able to have veterinary students to stay, who can work with them and learn first-hand about the 60-odd birds they look after, and both the SSPCA and the Royal Dick Veterinary School want to use it for courses. Finally, this spring – after the wettest winter ever, it seemed - we’ve had some of the best weather in the UK; hot, dry, and sunny – and not a hosepipe ban in sight. Long may it continue. |
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Photographs by
Ann McGregor, Heather Craig, Pet Davies
Isle of Kerrera Development Trust - Annual Report 2012 - pdf file
Isle of Kerrera Development Trust - Annual Report 2011 - pdf file
Isle of Kerrera Development Trust - Annual Report 2010 - pdf file
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