12th December 2019
1900 – 2115
Apologies: SM, JM, Kathleen Dickson, Barry Marshall
Minutes proposed by Lisa and Iain Jenner
No amendments
1. Building layout – put to next meeting
2. LHA – Proposed letter sent to LHA on the 11/12/2019 – everyone has seen the letter.
- HIE John McDonald (JM) met with KS, IJ 25/11/19
Valuation for barn to be covered by Community Association. (£300)
We will have to fundraise for any other costs.
SLF Stage one application: Minimum of £2500
SLF Stage two application: Minimum of £10000
Legal fees: Use the HIE Legal Land Fund Use and claim back through the SLT stage 2.
Pays for – Business plan, Architects drawings, solicitors fees etc.
JD questioned why FLS were expecting Group to pay half the legal fees for the barn.
Group have to cover costs for their own legal fees, shouldn’t be expected to cover them twice.
JM – JM contacted groups regarding questions raised at meeting regarding funding. Funding from IMPACT
Reply from JUST ENTERPRISE – Karen McClean-Yuille helps business plans doing CAT’s with FLS.
Fundraising needed to be done for business plan.
IMPACT Hub Islands: Experienced in our type of business plan.
JM suggested getting back in touch with Strontian group.
CALORGAS Rural Community Fund
JM gave a list of banks that could help group:
TRIODOS Bank (Dutch)
Ecology bank
Royal Bank
4. LHA – Ronnie Mcrae (RM) and Margret Moynihan (MM)
They both had a copy of letter sent by IJ and said they wanted to work in partnership with the group.
IJ said this wasn’t what the letter was implicating and that we wanted to reduce the amount of car usage into the village not increase it.
That we are tapping into existing usage by visitors and wanting to encourage families cycling into the area and make it safer for them to do so. Using existing path network that exists on OS map.
Stage one application will include vertical descents and field. Barn is now being given to community by Forestry so this won’t go into stage one app.
Waiting on Lyndsey Sharp from Forestry to email drawings and plans across to group.
RM said he had misunderstood letter and thought that we would want to go into partnership with LHA to improve junction and that there would still be a possibility to build houses on the field as LHA now have access to funding that they didn’t have before.
He mentioned the type of housing that could be put on the field but wouldn’t give a straight answer on how many. He did mention that they were in negotiations with Bunree and building houses on their plot of land.
The group felt like they were being held to ransom as RM said LHA couldn’t offer their support until LHA find another plot to build on.
The group asked the question…..where do we go from here?
Site visit suggested at the field as LHA feel the area could be looked at for housing again now that they have funding to improve the infrastructure of the junction. Infrastructure fund. Date to be arranged. Unlikely to be before the New Year. This affects the group going for the last application for the stage one funding.
He was left in no doubt that the group do not want housing on the field and that this affects the whole point of the project and in no way did the letter sent by IJ imply that this is what the group wanted.
Kate Forbes and Andrew Baxter to be contacted again as they are the ones that approached the residents of Inchree to take on the field.
IJ to suggest 5 sites that could be looked at by LHA to build on, instead of the field. IJ agreed to email these to RM to consider.
RM and MM left meeting at this point.
5. VAL meeting – 4 attended, KS, SM, IJ and LG – useful.
identified Sarah Kennedy as a possible accountant for the group.
John Hutchinson and John Blair mentioned funding opportunities for the Barn.
Heritage Lottery Fund
Scottish Rural Development fund
Emma Taylor said group would get 50% off any planning application if forms submitted through the Community Council.
Highlands SSE said that 3-5% of the annual profit would go back into the communities fund.(£35 million?).
Karl to organise a meeting with Just Enterprise / IMPACT for the the business plan.
Coastal Communities Fund is available. Area wards of councilors can apply for it on the communities behalf.
The group need to target Andrew Baxter and Ian McClean for the Inchree Project.
- Sustrans – IJ spoke to COSMO who in turn are trying to contact Phil?
Funding available to connect cycle tracks but a business plan is needed first.
Toilets and showers and places to stay would be appealing to them, for example four seasons have accommodation.
Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund – min spend of £75K, this could be put towards a number of cycle tracks or extra facilities as mentioned above. Applied for through the Community Council.
Cycle tracks don’t need to be tarmac as long as they spur off of an existing SUSTRANS track, like the fire roads we have up to the waterfalls at inchree.
AOB
Karl mentioned contacting Butterfly conservation. CC reminded KS that Barry Marshal contacted them last year. KS to speak to BM.
CC to speak to a contact in Scottish Water.
Scottish Electric need to be contacted. We need a 120 amp supply.
CC to find out process for Heritage lottery fund.
A folder needs to be set up with the funding opportunities available and the process needed.
Lisa to contact Strontian.
Neil Blair to set up website – launch event on the 25-26th January Group need to set up a similar display as was done on the Open Day.
Helen from VAL can help with filling out funding applications.
Meeting Closed 2115.