Community Led Affordable Housing
Following carrying out various studies/reports, and pending the results of these, the current planning application has been ‘on hold’ for some time to respond to concerns raised primarily by The Highland Council Flood Team. A revised site layout has been completed to comply with the new National Planning Framework 4 policy and is in the process of being re-submitted to Highland Council Planning under our current planning application. It appears that the original site layout submitted following the new NPF4 cannot be made to work in an affordable way. Therefore, this has resulted in a reduction in the number of homes – we can deliver six in total. The revised planning application can be resubmitted at no further cost; however, this means it will be re-advertised with fresh statutory consultations required.
Dalarossie Church
As previously reported, we have the opportunity to acquire Dalarossie Church. The initial starting point is to arrange a feasibility study which includes a specialist condition survey report. Many will know the building itself is listed, and is surrounded by a graveyard, with some environmental factors to consider. The feasibility study will be helpful to inform the community as to the sustainability of acquiring a heritage church. We are currently in discussions with The Trustees from The Church of Scotland to agree timescales and we will keep the community updated on the progress.
Renewables Project for The Strathdearn Hub and Shop/Cafe
The global energy crisis has affected everyone, and we are no different here in Strathdearn. Although our hub and shop/cafe already have strong green credentials, there is always room for improvement to reduce our operating costs and carbon footprint. Following a procurement process, we are planning to install 93 Solar Panels and Battery Storage facility at the hub, with 67 Solar Panels at the café/shop. This will provide both facilities with some resilience and control over energy cost, with a view to reducing the operating costs to each building. It also adds value to the community’s assets and provides some future proofing and sustainability for any further unpredictability within the energy market. This is a significant project and we have applied to the Scottish Government’s Community and Renewables Scheme for grant funding. This can be up to 80% of the cost of the project. The remaining 20% either must come from our own funds or match funding from SSEN’s pot of community funds. We are hoping this match funding will also be granted to allow the delivery of the project. All being well, we anticipate the timescales for this will be commenced this year. This is dependent on grant awards, installers programme of works, and weather permitting! Let’s hope the sun shines on Strathdearn!
Hazelbank Woods
We have submitted Stage 2 of our application to the Scottish Land Fund for the proposal to buy Hazelbank Woodland, subject to grant funding being awarded. Commercial discussions are ongoing with the owners. The next steps are an assessment of our submitted feasibility and project plan. Following that it will be presented to The SLF Committee mid-November for consideration. We will make an announcement as soon as we are advised of any outcome of funding that potentially will be awarded.
Community E-Bikes – FREE E BIKE HIRE FOR RESIDENTS OF IV13
Following up on the session with Bikeability Instructor of the year 2020 Iain Bamber from Cycling Scotland which was held at The Strathdearn in July. There was lots of support on offer to cycling enthusiasts with the opportunity to try different styles of bikes. SCD continues to support the community in its quest for health and wellbeing to use cycling as a way of getting around locally and keeping fit. To enjoy a free trial on an e-bike funded by SCD, contact enquiries@strathdearn.org who will be happy to help.
Schools Out For Summer Kids Holiday Activities
The summer holidays are over! Time to get back into the “normal” routine for families. SCD were delighted to be able to support seven local families during the break with 50% subsidised places for High Life Highland’s Multi-Sports camp as well as providing a free minibus from the Strathdearn Hub. We had great feedback from the families as this provided entertainment and exercise for the children as well a much needed break for parents. SCD looks forward to continuing this relationship with High Life Highland to provided subsidised activities for the residents of Strathdearn in the future.
High Life Highland Membership – half price to Residents of IV13!!!!
The below classes require more people to participate, otherwise, unfortunately they will not be able to continue. Please support the classes. High Life Highland have offered a FREE class so you can ‘try before you buy’. Come on get your dancing shoes on for Zumba and stretch it out at the end! SCD pay 50% of the membership fee – contact info@strathdearn.org, or you can attend on as Pay as You Go basis. The more residents that join the scheme the more activities we will be able to bring to The Strathdearn! It’s an incredible offer as there is so much included in the High Life Highland membership!
18:00-18:30 Core HIIT
18:45-19:30 Zumba
19:30-20:00 Stretch and Flex
High Life Highland Coach hire
SCD are very excited to announce that we are currently in discussions with High Life Highland to fund a Lead Coach position. The proposal is to organise a day a week during term time of after school activities for local families at The Strathdearn Hub. Watch out for further information! Once hired the Lead Coach initially will arrange activities from 3.15pm onwards and will support the current football sessions run by a dedicated young member of the community. These activities will either be in the MUGA or Auditorium depending on weather conditions.
The SCD Snug hosted at The Strathdearn
The Summer months has seen low usage of The Snug, especially over July and August. For the month of September, we will continue a Tuesday and Friday with free tea/coffee newspapers and the space to catch up with other residents. Come along if you haven’t been – all welcome! As we start to come into Autumn, we will be looking at increasing the Snug offering over the colder months. We plan to provide soup and a roll from October all the way through to the end of March 2024. Hope to see you all there.
Upcoming Community Events
Our Events Co-ordinator has been putting together SCD’s forthcoming Autumn and Winter community events! Look out for the upcoming information, it all sounds very exciting!
Community Computer Skills & Online Support Course
We are delighted to have had a successful first day of the Digital Inclusion course! There was a high attendance and participants said that Kirsty and her team from Red Chair Highland were very patient in guiding them through the lesson. During the “drop in” session they also helped residents solve those pesky issues people have been having with their devices. Thank you to all who provided feedback from the digital questionnaire – this gave valuable information so that the course could be tailored to best suit the community’s needs. The above sessions were a starting point to gauge the demand and the level. We hope to extend this offer to include evening sessions in the future which may suit others who work during the day. We will advertise these when we find a suitable provider. This course will be running every Friday morning from 10am -12pm at the Hub until the 15th of September – if you would like to attend, please email info@strathdearn.org or pop into the Hub to sign up.
