The Bute Community Land Company held an all-day community consultation yesterday in Rothesay Pavilion, around the proposed plan for the community to buy Rhubodach Forest in the north of the island. It will be developed in a range of ways to sustain jobs, outdoor activities, tourism and community energy.
With the inventiveness that is a characteristic of this initiative, the consultation day was advertised not only by the legwork of hand-posting postcards through letterboxes but by a specially composed jingle being played incessantly on Bute FM. This ‘Pied Piper’ device drew people to the event in the spirit of curiosity alone.
Something over 310 people came to see the range of displays prepared by BCLC’s consultant, Duncan Bryden. Everyone had something to say and a lot to ask, so ‘engagement’ was the order of the day. The questions, reactions and suggestions are now being distilled into material for the feasibility study. Food for thought.
One interactive and fun idea in the way the consultation was handled was that people were asked to stick a little flag carrying their sugestion or query into the relevant part of a scale drawing of the forest which was on display. Organisers say that, by close of play at 4.00pm, this model was beginning to look like another forest itself – of ideas.
A significant measure of the strength of community support for the initiative is that 177 new members joined the Bute Community Land Company. This is fabulously encouraging for the organisers and a sign of the energies of the people on this great Clyde island, willing to take responsibility for shaping their own future.
People attending expressed doubts as well as enthusiasm and both are important for the community company to gather into its planning. Doubts highlight areas where attention must be paid. Enthusiasms highlight unseen areas for development.
Together, as the organsers recognise, the cautious and the exuberant make an unstoppable team.
People interested in becoming members of the Bute Community Land Company need only to be over the age of 12. If you don’t live on Bute but want to show support for this exciting initiative, you can join as an Associate Member. All varieties of potential members will find membership forms here on the BCLC website (scroll down to the foot of this page).
the nationalisation of land has long been the ambition of the left .
what effect has the community interest had on the seller of the forestry ?
does it mean they are left in limbo unable to agree a sale when perhaps they are facing crippling capital gains tax bills for example ?
what is the knock on effect for other landowners ? will they be unwilling to improve their asset in case the ‘community ‘ decide they want their hands on it too ?
clearly the forest got to the beautiful condition it is in thanks to the hard work and planning of many people -the argument about new jobs is unproven .
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Kintyre1 shows himself as uninformed as ever. For a start this is not nationalisation: for that the government has to own the land on behalf of the nation. No, this is a local community bringing land into a more accessible, ownership which must ensure community benefit in everything it does.
The BCLC is purchasing the land under the Land Reform Act legislation which means that the landowner gets the market price for the land, and is assured the price if the BCLC get a positive vote from the community. Not only that, this legislation does not force landowners to sell land, it simply means that communities can get a first right of refusal if the land in question comes up for sale. And actually this then means that a Community Right to Buy on a piece of land actually incentivises improvement because it means that the price of that land goes up with the assurance that there is an party interested in the purchase.
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I should also say, aside from ridiculous and irrelevant comments, that this is an inspiring story and BCLC should be commended for the vision and enthusiasm with which they are moving this forward.
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clearly taking land ownership from individuals and handing it to “the community” with the use of government money is at the very least a major step towards state ownership
the land reform act forces a landowner to sell to “the community” against his/her wishes if they are in a position where they have no alternative to selling for example to meet government death taxes
it is almost universally accepted by those with a knowledge of land deals that a community right to buy interest destroys the value of the land as other landowners run a mile rather than become embroiled with such legislation .
imagine a situation , you have to sell your house as your wife has left you ,you have a buyer ready to pay a knockdown price knowing your circumstances but government legislation says you must sell it to a three fingered kilt clad alcoholic from auchtermuchty
i suspect you will suffer delay and hardship
what a pity when the snp are apparently so very keen for folk to have a stake in their community that they are abolishing council house tenants right to buy a policy which has brought real benefit to individuals and communities
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Conflating an individual’s right to buy a council house with a community right to buy is foolish. I suspect that the SNP’s reasoning has to do with the lack of affordable social housing in both the rental and first-time buyer market — and if you think about it, this is entirely consistent with their promotion of the idea of community. If the young and unskilled can’t find accommodation in small communities they move away, and if they move away these communities die. When community organisations build affordable homes they create resilience and one of the necessary tools for communities to do this must be the CRtB legislation.
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Charles has it right.
The assinine comment from kintyre1 about “a three fingered kilt clad alcoholic from Auchtermuchty” says far more about him than the issue that he is attempting to comment upon.
I would be willing to wager that kintyre1 sees the efforts of the government to tackle Scotland’s immense problem with alcohol in a similar light.
Nothing to offer at any time but a chilling negativity. Quite pathetic and sad, sad, sad.
Transfer of land to local community ownership is a positive move to help regeneration and stimaulat local activity
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perhaps youve been at the booze? stimaulat
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stim-a-u-lat. Is this a real word or has Kintyre 1 just made it up, which would seem to describle most / all of his other postings.
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It is a great shame that Kintyre 1 can only see the worst in everything, what a sad person he must be. This Community buyout can only be of great benefit to the on going success of Bute has a holiday destination and the directors of BCLC should be congratulated for the hugh amount of ( unpaid ) work they have put in to get the projet this far, in so shorter time, not have their enthusiasm dampen and delfated by reading Kintyre1′s rubbish.
What does he have to say inregard to the success of the buyout of Gigha by the the Isle of Gigha Heritage Trust which is going from strenght to strenght.
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you say gigha goes from strength to strength , my information is that despite the vast sums of taxpayers money things are not that rosy .
there are huge tensions among the islanders , the trust have had umpteen managers 5? in a short time
the ferry /pier problems remain unresolved ,
several grant funded businesses have folded eg chocolate ,
the dairy industry is in dire straights with the biggest and most productive herd dispersed recently casting doubt on the remaining herds futures
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well said retired councillor Bobby Reid and experienced forrester Jocky Robertson , these are people who know what they are talking about
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