Isle of Kerrera Development Trust - Annual Report 2011
Chairperson’s report
As the Trust enters its third year, the past twelve months have been rather up and down. But there have been positives. Thanks to funding from Argyll and the Islands LEADER and Argyll & Bute Leisure Development Fund we now have the composting toilets in use… and being well used at that!
Thanks must go to Felix from Community Energy Scotland for all his help and advice for the turbine project. We have now received funding from the Climate Challenge Fund which has enabled us to employ a turbine project officer. Hopefully this will really help to move the project to planning stage in the next few weeks and perhaps this time next year we will be discussing what to spend the proceeds on!
I know some projects have moved on more than others and it has been a big disappointment to the Trust and Louise (who works tirelessly filling application forms) that projects have not always come to fruition- as happened with the community centre, landing stages and road.
Finally, I want to thanks my fellow members on the board and Louise for their support over the past two years. I know sometimes our meetings can be frustrating and things don’t always happen but I am determined to work on- so I hope you all please attend the community meetings and use your vote.
As we are only a small community I feel that, if we all work together, we will soon be able to walk that road between Ardentrive and the ferry, we can tie up our own boats to a safe mooring and I look forward to meeting you all in our purpose built community centre in the near future.
Thank you
Elaine Pearson
Project officer report
By Louise Moran
June 2010 to June 2011
These are difficult times for charitable organisations and small ones in particular. The Isle of Kerrera Development Trust has worked very hard over the past year to build a strong base of project development and community consultation. We surveyed the community for their prioritisation of the development projects and the road continues to be the single most important challenge for the community. Without a road linking the north and the south, any other development will only serve half the population.
We met twice with the Local Area Committee of Argyll and Bute Council and have been much encouraged by their support. The Isle of Kerrera Development Plan is a 20 year development plan and we feel that we are building a good foundation for achieving its aims. As the population changes, so do the challenges and aspirations that they face. IKDT is committed to maintaining a role that is relevant and representational of the current situation.
IKDT submitted a proposal to the Annual general Meeting that all permanent residents should be entitled to be full members. This was passed unanimously and puts right a situation whereby foreign nationals could not be full members, one that Kerrera, along with many other development trusts, faced as a result of trying to conform to the requirements of the Land Reform Act. This important change to the constitution has been effected without compromising IKDT’s rights within the Act.
Funding
Nothing can happen without money! In the past year IKDT has been successful in winning support from Argyll and Bute Council, Argyll and the Islands LEADER, Scotlands’ Islands and the Climate Challenge Fund.
IKDT is very grateful to the Miss K M Harbinson Trust for their continuing support that has enabled the project officer post to be retained.
Celebrating KerreraAn application to the Scotlands’ Islands funding programme was successful meaning that there will be a two-day event on 28/29 August to celebrate what makes Kerrera special. |
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Improving Visitor Services
We have successfully completed the project to install composting toilets for visitors’ use and these have noticeboards giving useful information about the island and all the things that make it such a special place
A new noticeboard, just up from the pier, provides a central place for information. Visitors continue to enjoy the unspoiled nature of the island but basic facilities have enhanced this without spoiling their experience.
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Looking ahead |
The Road
This is the toughest challenge. It remains the single most important development facing the island. Without a road there is no single community that can share resources. Trying to find funding for the road has taken quite a lot of time and approaches have been made both through SRDP and the Big Lottery Fund. Sadly neither has been successful.
We have planning permission, prices for the job and a range of options and specifications from both the Local Authority and the Forestry Commission. Neither of these is cheap and funding is extremely tight across the board.
The Royal Engineers are interested in this as a training project. Their area of expertise is in the forestry road type. We eagerly await potential developments as this would be an ideal solution. They are also experts in re-grading roads which would improve existing surfaces.
The condition of the council adopted roads (and other tracks on the island) continues to make travel around the island both slow and destructive to vehicles.
Looking ahead
The Ferries Review has recognised the anomalous position of the Kerrera ferry and has made clear recommendations for Kerrera. If these are implemented then Kerrera could have a publicly-run ferry that would need to be accessible by all members of the community.
The further implication of this is that a road would have to be built to link both halves of the island.
Landing Stages
These have always been of vital importance. This was reinforced at a community meeting held in August 2010 and in the community questionnaire of February 2011. The landing stages project was built into a composite Big Lottery Fund application with the community centre and road as part of the Growing Community Assets programme in the summer but this was rejected as having too wide a focus and too little current consultation data.
Looking ahead
IKDT is in discussion with the Big Lottery Fund to see if we can apply directly for this project under the Growing Community Assets programme. It is not cheap but would make life a lot easier and safer for residents with their own boats. IKDT want to find funding for a simple recycled locally made system that will be robust and easily maintained.
The landing stages are planned for the old pontoon site on the island and to run off the north end of the car park on the mainland side. Being structures in the water means that there is a range of permissions required from the Local Authority, Crown Estate, SEPA and the land owner. Dunollie Estate has been very supportive.
The Turbines
Kerrera Community Wind Project is progressing well. We have had a lot of support from Felix Wight of Community Energy Scotland (CES) over the past year and he has led us into a position of moving forward into the Local Authority planning process. For the past two years, we have had CARES funding through CES to progress this work and this came to an end on 31st March. This funding has allowed us to commission the required surveys to accompany a planning application and to undertake the legal work to agree a land rental contract with Dunollie Estate.
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Felix has worked hard for IKDT and done extensive research into the most suitable turbines for our purposes. This research is suggesting that a smaller number of larger turbines than was initially planned would be most effective. Soon the community will be invited to make a decision based on a few options. We submitted a funding application to the Climate Challenge Fund to allow the project to move forward and were fortunate to receive all that we asked for. This included funding for a part-time project officer dedicated to the turbine project and we undertook a very successful recruitment process in April to appoint an experienced Turbine Development Officer. |
Ian Leaver is now in post and brings a wealth of experience from his work as the Renewables Development Officer for the Isles of Eigg and Muck. Ian has a 12 month contract with responsibility for taking the project through planning, financing, contracting, installing and commissioning the turbines. This is a very intense piece of work with very tight deadlines and Ian will need all your support, participation and involvement to see it safely through to operational status.
Looking ahead
If things go smoothly, the Kerrera Community Wind Project could be fully operational by next year’s AGM and will have started to generate some income for community development projects. All the profit from this business will be poured into community development projects and it is possible that it will create a part-time job on the island.
The Community Centre
Despite set-backs and rejections by the Big Lottery Fund, this is still an important project. The full building was finally costed in the region of £3 million and even the smaller phase one that was presented to the Village SOS was nearly £1 million when everything was added in.
It is generally agreed that this is untenable for such a small community and various options ranging from a second hand chalet to the smallest element of the Stuart Bagshaw design have been considered.
The community questionnaire produced results firmly in favour of trying for a small building based on the foyer of the original Stuart Bagshaw design- ‘The Wee baggy’.
This would be adequate for current community needs and allow for growth and development as the community’s needs and aspirations grow.
On a really positive note, discussions with Stramash have opened the door again to community use of the old school building and it is good to have that available for meetings despite the lack of water and toilet facilities.
Looking ahead
Another application for the ‘Wee Baggy’ building can be made to the Big Lottery Fund Growing Community Assets. This has a greater chance of success now that we have fresh consultation data to support it.
Conclusion
IKDT’s purpose and remit is to pursue and promote community development projects on the island that will fulfil the challenges, needs and aspirations identified in the Isle of Kerrera Development Plan. This must be a living document that is frequently revisited to ensure it continues to be a blueprint for Kerrera’s development as the community’s structure, opportunities and challenges change with time.
Isle of Kerrera Development PlanTargets for first 5 years of Development Plan
Flagship projects in the Development Plan
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This year IKDT has continued to work towards achieving these goals although at times they seemed unattainable. We have continued to consult with the community on a regular basis. A community questionnaire identified the priorities as the road, landing stages and turbines.
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The community centre has slipped in importance due to the passing of the Village SOS programme and the lack of access from the north of the island. This project was aimed at increasing community integration, creating some of the required 5 permanent island based jobs and to improve visitor satisfaction, helping to make Kerrera a quality tourist destination. |
Sadly the island’s population has dwindled over the past year and there are two empty houses. There are now 19 permanent residents in the north and 16 in the south. There are 4 children of school age and 3 under two years’ old. There are 4 holiday homes.
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One of the empty houses is a farm where the estate has now subdivided the land to improve the viability of the remaining farms and create a smallholding rather than a farm. This creates an exciting new venture to attract someone to the island. |
It will also help to secure the future of the remaining two Dunollie farms but rising fuel costs, transport costs and difficulty in achieving economies of scale remain a real challenge for all the businesses on the island. |
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There is a sense of a new beginning that is augmented by good funding news and progress on some of the projects. With the new government in place, the Ferries Review could bring changes and investment to the ferry, road and piers infrastructure. These in turn could add impetus to the possibilities for growth and development. The turbine project is progressing and the community will soon be able to start thinking about what to spend the revenue on.
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This has been a year of hard work with many frustrations but also financial successes that will allow the project work to move forward. The motivation and moral support that comes with being awarded a grant is invaluable as it is hard for volunteers to keep energy and enthusiasm going in the face of rejections. |
IKDT has strengthened the relationship with the Argyll and Bute Council local area committee and is grateful for their interest, advice and support. CES has been a rock of support and expertise that has kept hope alive in bleak times. Without that emotional and financial support it is very easy for a community to give up and wither away.
In the coming year the people of Kerrera should be able to build on the groundwork established over the past twelve months. This work is on behalf of the whole community and it is important that the community are proactively involved where they can be. There are new families moving to the island and the turbine project will revolutionise the community’s vision. Celebrating Kerrera is a great opportunity for the community to get together, have a really good time and show the world what a unique and special place Kerrera is.
It can never all be plain sailing but the coming year should bring a brighter future on Kerrera.
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I would like, personally, to thank Brenda Neish who looks after our website and keeps things up to date, Mike Robertson for being available to offer support and answer questions, Felix Wight for knowing how to develop a community wind project and giving so much time and patience… and most of all, the IKDT Trustees who have given me their support, put up with my typing errors and calendar confusions, allowed me to pester them for answers and decisions and offered a shoulder to cry on when the task seemed impossible.
Isle of Kerrera Development Trust - Annual Report 2010 - pdf file
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