The Community Survey Questionnaire went live at the weekend and has stimulated considerable debate on Facebook. We encourage you all to complete the questionnaire and welcome your comments. Comments offering constructive criticism are always welcome, but these must always be directed to the Board of Directors, and never our staff.

We understand the frustrations expressed by some of you regarding project delivery and the efforts of SCD in supporting the community needs by delivering value from windfarm funds. Whilst some of the comments are levelled at the SCD Board, we note that several comments relate to our staff. We do not consider that any of the staff deserve criticism. We value our hard-working staff, most of whom have stuck with us through all the difficulties of the pandemic, lockdown and in some cases furlough. They all carry out their duties as directed by the Board of Directors who are responsible for setting the strategic direction and making decisions on behalf of the company. Without our staff the SCD could not function, so we want them to be comfortable in their respective roles. We would therefore ask you all to respect the staff in our community company.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to receiving more of your comments and other feedback from the survey in due course.

We would also remind you that SCD is answerable to you as the Strathdearn community and is more than willing to answer any query either by email, personal message or phone call. Better still put your name forward to join the SCD Board and be able to influence more directly their actions within the community. Board Meetings are open to the public and we would love to have you along to hear the discussions; minutes are available on the Strathdearn website. Over recent years SCD’s actions have been focused on delivering the outputs of the 2011 CADISPA (Conservation and Development in Sparsely Populated Areas) study; a democratic survey that was undertaken to capture the community’s wishes at that time. The construction of the Strathdearn facilities and the current push to deliver affordable housing were clearly seen by the community in 2011 as being the primary objectives for the area. The current study aims to carry out a similar exercise to identify our community aspirations.

In 2011, our Community Council commissioned a survey of every household in Strathdearn. The results formed a wish-list of projects which were enacted in the following years. You asked for affordable housing, a new hall with public toilets, a cafe, improved medical services, faster broadband, and paths. You got them.

Have your say!!

Strathdearn Community Council, the Strathdearn Community Charitable Trust and Strathdearn Community Developments Ltd are working together with Dawn Griesbach (Griesbach & Associates, Crieff) to produce an updated Community Plan.

The Community Plan will be informed by YOUR views, and we hope you will let us know what those views are by taking part in our community survey.

What’s this about a survey?

Anyone who is 12 years old and over and who lives or works in the Strathdearn Community Council area can take part in the survey. The survey is anonymous (you will not be asked to give your name) and will take around 15 minutes to complete. It contains a combination of tick-box questions and space to provide comments.

You can take part in the online survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/StrathdearnSurvey

Deadline for responses is Sunday 31 October.

Please take the time to complete the survey – this is your chance to influence the community’s priorities for the next 5-10 years.

What if someone I know can’t take part in the survey online?

From the end of next week, a limited number of paper copies of the survey questionnaire will be available in the Tomatin Community Shop for people who cannot access the internet.  You can also return your completed questionnaire to the Shop, unless you would prefer to post it. If you cannot get to the Tomatin Shop, please phone Vivian Roden (tel: 01808 511355) and a paper copy of the questionnaire will be sent to you.

If you have any questions about the survey, or have any difficulties completing the online version, email Dawn at d.griesbach@griesbach-research.co.uk.

MOY, DALAROSSIE & TOMATIN PARISH CHURCH

Scottish Charity No SC015653

HARVEST THANKSGIVING – 2021

PLEASE NOTE : THE PLANNED HARVEST SUPPER ON OCTOBER 9th HAS BEEN CANCELLED BECAUSE OF ANOTHER EVENT ON THE SAME DAY. THE HARVEST THANKSGIVING SERVICE ON OCTOBER 10th WILL GO AHEAD AS PLANNED (SEE DETAILS BELOW).    

Harvest Thanksgiving Service

with Rev Robert E Brookes

Sunday 10 October at 10.30 am @ The Strathdearn

You are also invited, if you wish, to support local people in crisis by donating an item from the list below at the Supper or the Service:

Items our Church has been asked to contribute this Harvest-time

* Juice (long life)
* Crackers/oatcakes
* Potatoes (tinned or smash)
* Milk UHT (blue or green)
* Rice (1kg bags or microwave packs)
* Deodorant (male and female)
* Washing detergent (small, for carrying)
* Washing up liquid (small, for carrying)

ALL ITEMS FOR THE HIGHLAND FOOD BANK   

Administered by Blythswood Care

Charity No: SC 048001 Company No: 583493

The Church would like to thank Strathdearn Community Developments Ltd and the Strathdearn Community Charitable Trust for supporting the supper.

Community Council Meeting 14 September 2021 at 7:30 PM Via Zoom Meeting

Members of the public are welcome to attend all meetings of the Strathdearn Community Council.

Meeting ID 84594508964
Pass Code 854637

Agenda

1 Apologies

2 Declarations of interest

3 Minutes of last meeting held on June 8^th 2021
(View minutes HERE)

4 Matters arising

5 Financial report

6 Olivia Hogan Gates, Network rail, Questions
(View Network Rail press release HERE)

7 Law and order

8 Roads safety

9 Applications to the SCCT

10 Planning matters

11 Windfarms

12 Update from SCD

13Highland Councillors questions

14 Correspondence

15 AOCB

16 Date of next meeting October 12 2021, 7:30 pm

[Press Release from Network Rail. It is hoped a representative will attend the next SCC (Zoom) meeting on 14 Sep 2021. If you can’t attend, send questions to SCC chairman Jimmy Duncan]

Mole cuts through railway embankment at Lynebeg in Scottish Highlands

Region & Route:
Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Works advance in preparation for the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project

Work is underway at Lynebeg in the Scottish Highlands as Network Rail engineers prepare for the reconstruction of the rail bridge near Moy as part of advance works for the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project.

The works which are being undertaken by Network Rail on behalf of Transport Scotland involve the construction of a new underbridge of the railway and undertrack utility services.

One of the first tasks for the project was to create an under-track crossing (UTX) which will be used to accommodate temporary utility diversions during the demolition of the existing structure, and the installation of the new wider railway bridge.  Longer term it will also serve as an overflow outfall for an ecology pond being created adjacent to the track.

To minimise disruption for rail passengers, Network Rail brought in a Mole – an Unclemole 1200 Tunnel boring machine (TBM) – that tunnelled 33 metres under the railway to break through a mixture of sand, gravel and rock over a period of four days.

The hydraulic drilling machine pushed deeper into the railway embankment and created a channel for the 1200mm diameter, 2.5-metre-long concrete pipes to be positioned and installed using a hydraulic jack.  Eleven concrete pipe sections were installed under the railway in total. 

The traditional method of removing track sections and excavating would have caused major disruption on the railway line to Inverness due to depth required through the embankment.  The ‘mole’ allowed the trains to continue to run whilst pipe sections were being installed, and at the same time embankment and track monitoring was being carried out.

Malcolm McGowan, Network Rail project manager on the Lynebeg bridge replacement project said, “Finding ways to carry out work on the railway in a way that minimises disruption to train services is a fundamental part of our planning process and shows how we are putting passengers first.

“By bringing in the ‘mole’ tunnel boring machine to excavate the channel under the railway and the hydraulic jacking rig to position the pipes, we could get the job done efficiently while keeping the line open to traffic.

“We are at the early stages of the project but are looking forward to sharing more details about the work and engaging with the wider community as we move forward.”

Nick Conroy, project manager for the A9 Dualling: Tomatin to Moy project, said: “Undertaking these works in advance of the main construction contract to dual the A9 between Tomatin and Moy, helps to provide more certainty to our contractors programme for the main works contract.“  

The replacement of the railway bridge at Lynebeg is part of the significant investment by the Scottish Government to dual the A9 between Perth and Inverness.

The procurement process to select a main contractor to construct the next section of the A9 dualling programme between Tomatin and Moy was launched by the Minister for Transport Minister Graeme Dey last week (Thursday 19 August 2021.)

Additional Note from website manager for techno-geeks!

The Iseki Unclemole Super TCS1200 is powered by hydraulics which pushes the Tunnel Boring Machine deeper underground with slurry pipes treating the excavated material from the cutting face. This technique will install eleven 1200mm diameter concrete Pipes (2.5m in length), by a jacking frame installed in the launching pit. The special boring machine, called the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), is attached to the head of the Pipe that follows the path of the tunnel as it is being bored.