photo of a sunflower with words about land owned in garve and district

Update 8 - Together, Building Our Future

Post in Community Ownership by Tina Hartley
The Development Company look forward to seeing you all at our planned phase 2 engagement events. Remember you can always arrange a one to one chat too.

Moving forward you priorities around community land development

You will all recall the purchase of land and staff the accommodation block from Garve Hotel; the community survey; and subsequent consultation events which took place during Summer of 2022.  Since then, the Development Company has been working with SKS Scotland, whose role was to gather your views on land development and incorporate these into a comprehensive options appraisal and business plan. A precis of this document is attached.

  • During this phase of community engagement we will: -
  • As mentioned above, deliver a precis of the Options Appraisal and Business Plan to every household in Garve and District.
  • Make the full version of the document available on line, and a paper copy available to any household who wishes to see it.
  • The precis will also be available at Garve Post Office, Achnasheen and Lochluichart halls and Achnaheen Notice Board.
  • Hold 3 face to face community engagement events during September at Ledgowan, Lochluichart and Garve.
  • Directors and myself will be available to meet with residents, preferably via Zoom, but face to face if required, on an individual basis.
  • We will, of course, respond to all phone calls, emails, letters and social media messages too.

Once, we have completed the above, during October every resident will then be given the opportunity to vote whether they wish to see a retrofit of the existing accommodation block or the provision of a new build.

Important Dates For Your Diary!

  1. Engagement Event 1 - Summer Festival, Saturday, 2 September 2023 at Ledgowan Lodge Hotel.
  2. Engagement Event 2 - Tuesday, 12 September 2023, 2pm Lochluichart Community Hall
  3. Engagement Event 3 - Wednesday, 20 September 2023, 7pm, Garve, venue to be confirmed.

Please refer to the attachments below for full details - Both Precis and Full Versions of Options Appraisal and Business Plan. 

The Board and I very much look forward to seeing you all.

Tina Hartley

Community Engagement & Development Officer

Downloads

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Questions & Comments

Here's what others said...

C

Chris Green said:

Can I ask, are we only being presented with 2 options? 1. re-furb. the existing building which means we have to work within the current footprint? and 2. demolish the building and build new which would mean we could build a purpose built property of any size meaning more crafts or hobbies (incl. cycle hub) could be accommodated?

I do not want us as a community to be railroaded down one of the two limited options being presented at these events and will the community be given a vote to decide? The choices should be 1. re-furb. and 2. new build - the specifics of these should be decided later on and NOT limited to the two drawings already on the table.

Tina Hartley said:

Hi Chris 

Thanks for your comment and lovely to hear from you.

Sorry, you were unable to attend the two previous engagement events at the Summer Festival, Ledgowan Lodge or Lochluichart Community Hall, but hope to see you on the 20 September 2023, Uisdean’s back garden, centre of Garve where Directors and staff will be more than happy to answer any further questions you might have.

In response to your comment above: -

You ask, “Are we only being presented with two options?”  Do you feel there is a 3rd option Chris? 

As you suggest in your final paragraph, options being considered are: -

  1. Retrofit of the existing building.
  2. New build – which could, provide two single storey buildings matching the same floor space available in the existing accommodation block.

However, by the end of the engagement period the community may have overwhelmingly come up with a different option!

You say, “I do not want the community to be railroaded down one of the two limited options being presented ……”

If you have a good read over the documents available – the paper copy of the precis delivered to every household, and the full copy of the Options Appraisal and Business Plan provided at the bottom of the above (and all other related posts), you will see that throughout it talks of DRAFT plans. The drawings are merely representations of what could be and are in no way meant to depict any final choices.  They are simply there to get the community thinking about layouts etc which has already led to some really useful feedback.

You ask, “Will the community be given a vote to decide?”  I do believe the post above actually answers that question for you Chris.

Thanks again for taking the time to comment and look forward to the opportunity of answering any further questions you might have on the 20th September.

C

Chris Green said:

Is it possible to lay out the process of what we are trying to achieve with these events?

So there have been two meetings where the drawings (not detailed plans) have been on display, at these events does someone collect every single one of the feedback comments and inputs from all there?

Can I ask what happens to this information, is it then discussed and used in some way to modify the drawings being shown or does a vote happen before changes are made? If changes are made will there be a new set of events to present these new drawings to the community and then a further vote?

Tina Hartley said:

Hi again Chris

The Garve & District Development Company is trying to achieve moving the priorities of the community forward in terms of developing their land.  In doing so, we are holding a number of events and making ourselves available via all other communication methods: -

  1. Attend one of the three community engagement events.
  2. Email us - use the Contact Form on garve.og.
  3. Write to us - The Garve & District Development Company, Unit 1a, Latheron Centre, Latheron Lane, Ullapool, Ross-shire, IV26 2XB.
  4. Telephone us - 07838815085
  5. Arrange a one-to-one chat with myself and a director either in person or via zoom/teams.
  6. Contact us via our social media platforms.

Feedback and comments will be collated and discussed by the Company to help inform our next steps and also shared with the community.  As will voting on building options in terms of retrofit v new build or any other options proposed as part of the current Phase 2 engagement process.  This process will inform the next stage of working with an architect to draw up more detailed plans – community engagement will again take place, the format of which as yet to be agreed.

Look forward to seeing you on the 20th.

C

Chris Green said:

Hello Tina,

If planning are agreeable then option 3 could  be to have a larger new build instead of being restricted to the existing footprint? Is that a possibility?

"Feedback and comments will be collated and discussed by the Company to help inform our next steps and also shared with the community." At the viewings, how are comments and feedback being captured please? Once gathered, who decides which if any changes should be adopted and is there a vote on these changes being made and if so is this by the community as a whole?

Thank you

C

Chris Green said:

What we must avoid here is a repeat of the GPH fees situation where £96,000 was spent on professional fees, this was split into two awards;

"GARVE HALL DESIGN, PLANNING AND PROFESSIONAL FEES - £49,782 (project number 41) awarded 2019/2020 (27th Feb 2020)"

And; "To support the renovation of the hall we require further professional fees above and beyond those originally applied for in April 2020. This is mainly due to specific professinoal elements being missed out of the original application that have now been brought to our attention  £46,246 (project number 56) 15th March 2022."

TOTAL £96,028 Pretty frightening amounts I think you will agree?!

Sue Tarr said:

Chris, your comments will all be part of the feedback that we are gathering. Lots of people have given us their feedback already and we would love to hear from more. Don't forget the Garve drop-in next week, but if anyone can't make that Tina has outlined other ways to contact us above. Thankyou.

C

Chris Green said:

That beings said and in the interests of transparency, can I ask what budget has been allocated to the old staff building in terms of "professional fees" and how much of that has already been spent?

Tina Hartley said:

Good Morning Chris

No budget has been allocated or spend taken place with regard to professional fees given we are still at the engagememnt stage.

C

Chris Green said:

OK, let me ask this another way then. Please let us know what funds are allocated to the work SKS have undertaken and the work they will do moving forward, and how much of those funds have been used thus far.

Is this listed as project 61 on the LCT gants info spreadsheet?

Thanks

Tina Hartley said:

Chris

In answer to your comments: -

  1. A new build, with a larger footprint, is a possibility should the community wish it and the footprint meets community priorities.
  2. At face to face engagement events, comments are being gathered by – residents writing comments down and posting into box provided; residents speaking to either myself or a Director who will take notes of comments ready for collation; and I also record comments as part of any general discussion I am involved in at events.
  3. As previously stated, feedback and comments will be collated and discussed by the Company to help inform our next steps and also shared with the community.  As will voting on building options – all will inform the next phase of community engagement which has yet to be discussed and agreed.
  4. Professional fees – I would anticipate these will be higher than those of Garve Public Hall given the size of this project.  All fees will be subject to our Procurement Policy.
  5. The funds you mention (LCT Project Number 57 as per their website) were allocated to employ consultants to achieve independent initial community consultation plus other outcomes, all of which have now been achieved and funds spent.

I do hope this now answers your questions Chris, if not please do pop along to see us on the 20th.

C

Chris Green said:

OK just to be clear, project 57 which was for £26,220, has now been fully spent, not a penny more not a penny less? If that is the case then does this mean SKS have no more funding available to them unless another award is granted? So their work is at a standstill? Or, instead of spending more with SKS, will a professional organisation be engaged to provide actual drawings as opposed to more sketches? Thanks

Tina Hartley said:

Good Morning Chris

  • As previously stated SKS have completed their work within budget - consultation process.
  • Further professional input (not SKS) will be commissioned for the next stages of the project - architect etc.

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