Month: March 2025

Crucial wind farm survey now available.

17th March 2025 / Strathdearn

It is vital that you complete the survey. This may be your only opportunity to have your say before key planning decisions are made which will directly shape the future of our community.

The Community Council is gathering residents’ views on six proposed wind farms in Strathdearn—Balnespick, Clune, Lynemore, Highland, Kyllachy, and Carn na Saobhaidh—which are at various stages of planning. Local opinions are needed to help shape responses to both the Highland Council and the Scottish Government’s Energy Consents Unit (ECU). The planning process has now reached a key stage where developers must submit Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), which are complex documents requiring careful review.

Two applications (Balnespick and Clune) are already open for consultation and require responses in the coming weeks. The Community Council has created a survey to collect residents’ views, ensuring that feedback is aligned with national planning policies to carry weight in the decision-making process. The online survey is linked below and paper copies will be made available at The Strathdearn. Submissions will remain private and anonymous. Further consultation will take place at the Spring Fair on April 26, 2025.

Full information on all wind farm proposals can be found on this website’s Wind Farms Information Page (click on links to individual developers’ own websites). A summary prepared by our own Wind Farm advisory group can be downloaded in PDF format HERE.

The Council aims to submit tailored responses for each development, highlight the cumulative impact of multiple wind farms on the community, and address additional infrastructure applications, such as pylons. Residents’ participation is essential to ensure that local perspectives are properly represented in the planning process.

Look out for more details in a letter which will be sent to all Strathdearn households in the next few days.

SURVEY CLOSED – LINK DISABLED

Wind Farm News

14th March 2025 / Strathdearn

As most of you are aware, there are 6 proposals in the pipeline for new or extended windfarms in Strathdearn. Two of these, Balnespick and Clune Windfarm, have now been submitted to the Energy Consents Unit for planning permission.

Our Community Council appointed a windfarm advisory group to look at these proposals, canvas our opinions on them, and coordinate our response. They are creating an online survey (paper copies also) which will be available very soon where you can make your feelings known on all the proposals.

Deadline for public comment on the Balnespick Windfarm Proposal is 29th March 2025 and Clune is 18th April although comments submitted after this date may be considered. In view of this short time-frame, please prepare for the survey by reading the info on the Balnespick development and the other proposals in the area on our Wind Farms Information Page.

The following links provide access to the Public Notices posted by the individual developers of the proposed Balnespick and Clune Wind farms:
Balnespick Wind Farm
Clune Wind Farm
Any members of the community or public at large who wish to express their PERSONAL views on each proposal should contact the Scottish Government Energy Consents Unit by the dates shown on these notices.

Whilst Strathdearn Community Council has negotiated a one month extension to their Balnespick response, this extension does not apply to all. So please make the time to let your views be known. The survey will be available soon to gather community views

SCD WRT General Manager Recruitment

12th March 2025 / Strathdearn

The SCD Board have started the search for a General Manager. This will be an operational leadership role to support and guide all employees and board members of Strathdearn Community Developments (SCD) and White River Trading (WRT). This central role will tie together all SCD / WRT operational and oversight functions, ensuring that future strategy set out by the board is understood and adopted by all staff, working together as a team. The General Manager will work to a clear business plan agreed by the SCD Board and in alignment with the Community Action Plan. There will be a need to report back regularly to the SCD Board with financial updates.

External Structure Review

In 2024 SCD engaged with an external consultant recommended by DTAS https://dtascot.org.uk/ to look at the current structures in place within SCD / WRT and recommend areas where the organisation could be strengthened. This external viewpoint recognised the growth in the last few years, which has increased the complexities, legal and regulatory responsibilities of the business. The consultant recommended the appointment of one operational leadership position with the expertise and skill for ensuring future success whilst minimising organisational risk.

Future Board Role

The General Manager will allow both the SCD and WRT Boards to remain non-executive, responsible for strategy setting and oversight of the progress being made by the organisation in respect of the objectives set. The SCD Board meeting will be where the General Manager will be held to account on operational progress. Out with the board meetings, the Chair of the SCD board will be available to the General Manager as a source of trusted guidance, the SCD Chair will be able to give a second opinion in a safe space with more formal annual appraisals being held as agreed by the SCD Board.

Due to the new structure, SCD and WRT Board meetings should be shorter and less frequent. The directors can then concentrate on future strategy leaving operational matters within the responsibility of the General Manager. Having a General Manager in place may hopefully encourage more Strathdearn residents to take the opportunity to contribute to Strathdearn’s future development by choosing to become a board member.

Success of Operations and Projects

SCD must ensure the success and sustainability of the shop, cafe and hub. Sustainability should be improved in all areas. Community assets already built must be looked after and future projects such as housing and Hazelbank woods must be delivered to satisfactory standards. Having one person with oversight in all these areas, pulling things together, is considered essential if the organisation is to operate as efficiently as possible.

Reductions in hours of key staff

The current Company Secretary, Project and Development Manager and Financial Controller have all shown a wish to reduce their hours and would welcome the recruitment of a General Manager to help this happen. Although the General Manager’s salary may potentially increase current employment costs, the expectation is that most of this new position’s salary would be significantly offset by the reduction in costs currently being incurred due to work being done by key staff members and outsourced resources. The SCD Board are looking for the appointment to deliver an uplift in turnover and progress towards breakeven alongside the delivery of social and environmental goals expected of a social enterprise like SCD.

Independant Recruitment Company

An independent company, Orion https://www.orionjobs.com/ is being used for the start of the recruitment process, and they will put forward suitable candidates for interview. Only at that point will anyone currently involved with SCD and WRT get involved to take the process to the point of hiring. Any interested parties should contact https://www.orionjobs.com/job/general-manager/ for more information on the role.

Further Questions

If you have further questions please contact us by email info@strathdearn.org and your query will be forwarded to the relevant person.

Website undergoes historic upgrade!

6th March 2025 / Strathdearn

Pedlar’s book – “A Journey Through Tomatin and Strathdearn” is finally available on Strathdearn Community Website. Sorry for the delay – we promised it would be ready weeks ago – but it triggered a cascade of changes and other additions which took a while to work through . The result is a much expanded and improved History Section which we hope you’ll agree was worth the wait.

(If you can’t wait any longer to read Pedlar’s book, you’ll find it here.)

“History” now has its own heading in the menu rather than being a sub-section of “About Strathdearn. It is divided into three areas: Ancient History, Recent History, and Archaeology. Work is ongoing, some pages are marked “work-in-progress,” but the menu is now settled enough to allow easy navigation.

Please don’t be put off by the word “history”. You’ll find stuff in here that will educate you, yes, but also amuse, intrigue, and surprise you … and most of all help you understand and appreciate this lovely corner of the world that we are so lucky to live in.

Ancient History

Strathdearn and its people through the ages. Sections include:

Strathdearn – Ancient to Modern Times Hunter gatherers to modern Highlanders – the last 10,000 years.
Invereen Stone A carved Pictish stone, unearthed near Moy, 1200 – 1500 years old.
The Rout of Moy How five loyal Jacobites saw off 1500 Hanoverian troops.
A hand-written record of historic landholdings in the Parish of Moy Land ownership and church ministers in Moy since the 14th century.
The Steep Brae of the Corpses and the Grave of the Soldiers About a cairn erected to the memory of 2 unknown soldiers, executed in the bloody aftermath of the Battle of Culloden.
Cattle rustling in the Streens near Moy (1760) A cattle rustling incident is settled with honour on both sides.
Witches, Thieves, and Archers Historic Strathdearn characters, including sportsmen and witches; pipers and hunters; thieves and archers.
Clan Davidson connections to Dalarossie A Clan Davidson historian is surprised at the number of connections he has found.
Place Names of Strathdearn
An academic paper listing locations and Gaelic derivations. (work in progress)
Tracing your Ancestors A guide for those seeking family connections in Scotland, with emphasis on Strathdearn.

Recent History

It really is quite extraordinary that a small community like ours has such a wealth of recorded memories covering the last century. The quality of the material is due to many gifted locals being able and willing to document their reminiscences in such detail. That so much of it has been retained is largely due to the Strathdearn Newsletter which has published and thus safeguarded it through the years. Sections include:

Anne Glynne-Percy – An exceptionally knowledgeable and well-educated local historian, Anne wrote a series of essays about our locality, offering a rich and detailed perspective on its history.
John Perguson (Pedlar) – A well-known local figure who wrote a book about his childhood and working in the distillery, on farms, and on hunting estates. Pedlar documented the homes, businesses, and families of our community in meticulous detail, creating a lasting record of our heritage.
Oral History Recordings – A collection of audio recordings in which local people recall their upbringing, schooling, work, and family life, painting a vivid picture of everyday life in our area.
Miscellaneous – Various one-off contributions to our historical record.

Archaeology Map

An interactive map of sites in Strathdearn of historic and archaeological interest. The map was created from data collected by the Strathdearn Natural History group. It preserves and makes available the locations of these sites for future historians. Some of the sites have sparse descriptions.

Archaeology Map