The Glendale Trust board of directors received a valid requisition from a group of members which sought to elect a new board for the Trust.

This meeting will take place in the Glendale Community Hall on October 27^th 2018 at noon.

When the current directors of the Trust received this notification, they took the decision to organise the General Meeting as requested and issued a statement that they would no longer continue to carry out any further work for the Glendale Trust until a new board was elected.

As part of this process Highlands and Islands Enterprise was informed and they have asked that the following update be issued to the members of the Trust and wider community.

This is to clarify the current position.

• The current (3) directors have obligations to the company (The Glendale Trust) and must follow due legal process with respect to the General Meeting and election of a new Board if so desired.  
• As a member of Development Trust Association Scotland (DTAS), the company can access legal advice – the company cannot act without active Directors to manage due process.
• If the company cannot or does not elect a new Board of Directors, there will be implications for the financial obligations to HIE in respect of all grant funding paid to date, which is still within its period of obligation.
• The approved funding for a development officer will not be released and will be withdrawn.
• Given the potential implication for the return of HIE grants, it is highly likely that other funders could exercise their right to the return of grants paid and you should familiarise yourselves with any details regarding other grant funding received by the company.
• In addition to the risk of returning grant funding, there is concern that the commercial lease in respect of Meanish Pier, which is expected to generate income for the company via its trading company, could be at risk as the lease has not yet been finalised.
• There is an understanding that an application has been progressing with the Scottish Land Fund and the Scottish Land Fund have now been made aware of the current situation.
• If new Board of Directors can be elected, it does not guarantee the development officer funding.  HIE will require to review the capacity of new Directors to deliver the agreed project(s).

The current directors have agreed to continue as directors if the General Meeting on the 27^th of October is not quorate or if a new board can not be elected. All three directors will step down formally from office to ensure those willing to stand as directors can continue to deliver the projects agreed by the community and complete the mandate agreed at the last General Meeting.

For directors who may wish to be nominated for election please can a nomination form be completed and returned by Friday 26^th October 2018 

The nomination form can be downloaded and completed here – Nomination-Form-Pdf a word version – Nomination-Form-word

THE GLENDALE TRUST

Registered Company No. SC327627
Registered Charity No. SCO38741

Notification of Annual General Meeting 

6pm, Saturday 16th June 2018

The Glendale Community Hall

All members are welcome.

A special resolution will be put to the members at the AGM proposing that the Trust’s current Articles of Association be replaced in their entirety by the attached new Articles of Association which are based on a model provided by the Development Trusts Association Scotland.

 

Proposed Articles of Association based on DTAS Toolkit – draft version d

 

A West Skye community organisation has taken a significant step forward with a major harbour development by securing a licence to install a new pontoon and moorings from the
national regulator.

The Glendale Trust Meanish Pier Project has also clinched a key funding grant to help it value land and foreshore it wants to purchase. Marine Scotland has approved two Marine Licenses permitting the installation of a new pontoon and 5 deep water moorings in Loch Pooltiel. It comes six years after the Trust purchased the Glendale Pier Slip and surrounding area at Meanish from Highland Council and developed plans to meet the needs of the community and local users.

The pontoon and deep-water moorings will provide residents and visitors safe access to the sea at all times, with the potential to increase economic activity in Glendale. The moorings will be offered to visiting yachts and provide a welcome anchorage for visitors to the area from the sea.

A Scottish Land Fund award will be used to provide an independent valuation of two pieces of land adjacent to the area already in community ownership, this includes the foreshore which is managed by Crown Estate Scotland. The Trust will no longer be subject to annual fees and able to manage its own marine assets if it can buy the foreshore. The land, which is currently in private ownership, will allow the community to develop plans for improvements to the local environment as some stone ruins in the area have been used as popular wild toileting sites in recent years. 

It is anticipated that a stage two SLF application will be lodged later this year once the independent valuation has been completed and agreements reached with the land owners.

Elgar Finlay, the Trust’s Project Officer, said: “It’s been fantastic to have been involved in this Project since its inception back in 2011. As with almost all community-led projects it has taken a significant length of time with many ups and downs to reach this stage. “The key to our success has been building excellent working relationships with multiple stakeholders including Highland Council, the Crown Estate Scotland, the Glendale Moorings Association, local landowners and Kames, a commercial aquaculture company. All have had a part to play and have shared the vision for Glendale. The Trust is reaching the stage where the Project is beginning to deliver real community benefit and is testament to the commitment of all those involved, particularly the volunteer board of directors who give up so much of their time.

“Glendale is already benefiting from increased pier usage, improved landscaping is already in place, as well as the creation of two full-time fish farm operator jobs. “A leasing arrangement with Kames, the fish farm operator, will see sustainable revenue raised from the Project which could be used to benefit the wider area of Glendale. The brand new safe and welcoming stop off point for sailing visitors to the area is a real bonus and may well encourage further marine-based activity in Glendale.”

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes said she was delighted to see the progress made: “It is a fantastic start to 2018 for the Glendale community, well in advance of another busy summer season,” she said. “I have been impressed with the sheer determination and vision of the Glendale community in driving these projects forward.

“The approval of the Marine Licenses, as well as a successful Land Fund application, shows just how much can be achieved by Skye communities. There is no question as to the growing popularity of pontoons along the west coast and it will be a serious boost to the local economy if visitors and locals can access the sea at all times. “The £10 million strong Land Fund is available for all communities to apply and I am absolutely delighted that Glendale’s successful application is putting land back in the hands of communities. These two successes are testament to the hard work and persistence of those involved and hopefully there will be many more successes to celebrate in 2018.”

Crown Estate Scotland’s head of property, Andy Wells, said: “We have been pleased to support the Glendale Trust with this project. Crown Estate Scotland is keen to work with coastal communities to identify opportunities for collaboration and partnership working. We wish the trust and the community every success with this project in the future.”

Stuart Cannon CO of Kames said: “Over 45 years Kames Fish Farming Limited has maintained a strong ethos of participating in the communities in which it operates. It employs local people, utilises local businesses and supports local organisations. It has been particularly exciting times at Glendale with the successful installation of our marine cage site and we are very pleased to be able to offer help to the Glendale Trust Meanish Pier Project. Using our expertise and resources to install a pontoon and deep water moorings which can be used by both locals and visitors.”

Following on from a public meeting on the 5^th of October 2017 where the Glendale Community Council received a unanimous mandate from the community the Glendale Community Council has published an options report which details suggestions put forward to improve local tourism related infrastructure.

This report follows on from two previous reports detailing the incredible levels of traffic and visitor numbers to the area, and the impact the area is facing due to a lack of public toilets.

Glendale, which is recognised as one of the most iconic and best known destinations on Skye, is so popular due to stunning scenery locations such as Neist Point; being home to the world famous Three Chimneys Restaurant; and being one of the most important locations in terms of Scottish heritage and culture, due to the Glendale crofters leading role in delivering land reform across Scotland.

The recent announcement of the The Scottish Governments Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund – which will see £6 million invested over two years, supportive remarks Fiona Hyslop (Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism and External Affairs and the announcement of a local “Task Force” by Kate Forbes MSP, has encouraged the Glendale Community Council to call for a local project stakeholder group to be set up. Invitations will be issued to the Highland Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise and local stakeholders to deliver a tourism infrastructure project for the area.

Speaking on behalf of the Community Council, Vice Chair Kevin Stockley says, “there is a real opportunity to see much needed improvements delivered in Glendale. Given the recognition of the issues by our community, tourism related businesses, public-sector organisations and public servants, we, as a community are now ready to deliver. There are a range of options to be considered many of which, if delivered properly will make a real difference to locals and tourists alike. It won’t be long until the tourist season is back in full swing and we simply cannot be in a situation where improvements have not been delivered. The time for talking is over we must make sure our communities and Island are ready to welcome visitors.”

Fellow Community Councillor Neil Fergusson highlighted the need for urgency. “Glendale is ready, we have undertaken consultations, highlighted the issues, and possess a clear mandate to deliver improvements. What we urgently need is a direct working dialogue with key stakeholders such as the Highland Council, who have responsibilities for roads, signage and public transport. It is imperative that these organisations are round the table early and we work together to get our responsibilities, plans and funding in place as soon as possible. Our short term goals need to be delivered as soon as possible while we ensure there is an ongoing long term sustainable strategy for the area, which encourages sustainable growth based on a solid infrastructure foundation. It is clear that Councillors are keen to re-engage with the community and strengthen the local element to the services they deliver. This will reverse the perception of remoteness from Inverness and the Councillors through the local ward group should seek core capital funding as a matter of priority for significant critical projects for the area. There is a need to reverse the failure of local government in our area through lack of core funding. This project amongst others presents a real opportunity for nurturing further Council led village projects that draw all agencies together with community interests foremost.”

Kate Forbes MSP Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has offered her support – “The progress made in Glendale is a model for how communities proactively capitalise on the benefits of rapid growth in tourism.

“Whilst it’s clear that residents had an exceptionally busy summer, it’s remarkable to see how quick and enterprising they have been in highlighting the challenges, engaging with each other and public bodies and sourcing solutions.

“I, for one, am willing to do anything I can to assist the Glendale community take forward ambitious plans for sustainable growth. We could all take a leaf out of their book.”

John Finlayson a local councillor added that “he continued to be impressed with the proactive approach taken by the Glendale community to identify projects that would make a difference for locals and tourists alike and which had been identified following community consultation and an evaluation of surveys and hard facts.

He also hoped that the by working in partnership with the Glendale community, the council and other agencies could begin to deliver projects that will make a difference very soon.”

The Options Report Can be viewed here – GCC-TIP-Final-14-11-17

 

==================================================================================

 

ENDS –

Please contact

Donald Murdie Community Council Secretary via email – glendaleccouncil@gmail.com

The Glendale Community Council has taken the first step towards a community led solution to address the impact of increased visitor numbers to Glendale. Two reports have been published one detailing the levels of traffic and visitor numbers to the area, the other details the impact of the lack of public toilets.

 

The popularity of Glendale, which is recognised as one of the most iconic and best known destinations on Skye, stems from stunning scenery at locations such as Neist Point; being home to the world famous Three Chimneys Restaurant; and Glendale’s status as one of the most important locations in terms of Scottish heritage and culture. The people of Glendale brought the land struggles of the late 19^th century to the fore, leading to the establishment of the Napier Commission and subsequent formation of the Glendale Estate, the first ever community buyout in the history of Scotland.

 

The well documented increase in tourism to the Isle of Skye and to Glendale has been observed by the Glendale Community Council and local residents. Concerns have led the Community Council members to undertake two significant pieces of work which highlight the pressures being faced by the area.

 

An assessment of the volume of traffic and visitor numbers passing along the single track B884 Glendale Road (the only road into and out of the area) was recently carried out. Volunteers undertook two counts of vehicles entering and leaving Skinidin at the gateway to Glendale. The days were chosen when enough volunteers were available – 2 volunteers for a 2 hour time slot covering twelve hours each day. The traffic census recorded vehicle type, numbers and approximate number of passengers. Both days happened to be exceptionally wet and windy, with torrential rain and poor visibility on the second day.

 

The results of the survey were staggering, especially as it was felt that given the poor weather conditions, there would be a limited demand from visitors to destinations such as Neist Point.

 

A summary of the data collected is provided below.

Date	Total Vehicles In/Out	Total Approx. Passengers	Local vehicles (Passengers)	Non Local Vehicles (Passengers)
Friday 28 July	1160	2547	173 (217)	987 (2330)
Wednesday 16 August	1320	2639	220 (266)	1100 (2373)
Total	2480	5186	393 (483)	2087 (4703)

 

Using these figures as a basis, annual predictions for the volume of non-local traffic using the B884 to go in and out of Glendale are detailed below.

	Vehicles	People
2 days (From Census)	2087	4703
One week	7304	16460
30 weeks – High Season	219120	493815
10 weeks (80%) Mid Season	58432	131680
12 weeks (20%) Low Season	17529	39504
Total	295081	664999

 

The headline figures indicate that the number of non resident people travelling the road into and out of Glendale is estimated to be approx 650,000 per year with almost 300,000 additional (non local) vehicles travelling over the single track road.

 

This huge volume of traffic and Highland Council’s inability to maintain roads due to continual cost saving exercises has left many road surfaces and verges in exceptionally poor condition. There are over 35 passing place signs missing along a relatively short section of the road, and with only 10 parking spaces available at Neist Point it appears to demonstrate that something must be delivered urgently to ensure visitors and locals can use the roads safely.

 

This increase in visitors also highlighted the need for a report on public toilets in the area. There is currently no provision of public conveniences in Glendale, the closest being in Dunvegan over 12 miles from Neist Point and often over 40 minutes drive on a busy day. The impact on local business owners and residents was highlighted in the report which raised concerns dating back to the summer of 2016. A significant number of reports of human faeces were recorded (and in some cases documented in photographs by residents) at various locations, including, but not limited to, outside the Free Church of Scotland, the Glendale Community Hall, Meanish Pier, Neist Point and by the side of the main road throughout the area. Motor home tourists were also seen emptying toilet tanks at locations such as Meanish Pier and Neist Point.

The results of these reports has led the Community Council to urgently seek to develop a sustainable strategy and plan to alleviate the pressures on the area and in doing so ensure Glendale is well equipped and prepared for the forecast increase in visitor numbers in 2018 and beyond.

Speaking on behalf of the Glendale Community Council, the Chair, Margaret MacPhee said, “These reports clearly demonstrate the huge strain our local area is under. We recognise the need for, and are delighted to welcome, visitors to Glendale but improvements are desperately needed. Everyone should be able to access and enjoy all that Glendale has to offer, while local residents should be able go about their lives and business safely. Standards have clearly slipped dramatically in terms of local road maintenance and to have only 10 parking spaces at Neist Point and no public toilet provision for over 300,000 visitors simply would not happen in Inverness or Edinburgh. We hope that local residents will support our attempts to deliver a community led solution and we seek to work with the Scottish Government, Highland Council and other organisations to develop a solution.”

A public meeting is scheduled to be held in the Red Roof Cafe, Holmisdale on Thursday 5th October at 19.00. Attendees will be asked if a solution to the issues should be led by the local community. If demonstrable and majority support is evident then options and ideas will be sought on what solutions should be considered and which stakeholders should be involved.

Having read the reports, Eilean a’Cheo councillor John Finlayson said, “Glendale Community Council are to be commended on taking the initiative with their own vehicle census this summer and the results of this clearly show the high volume of traffic that uses the B884. The residents’ concerns about the state of the road have to be recognised and I will be speaking to officers of the Council about these concerns, in the hope that some of the issues can be addressed as soon as possible. While we all know how busy Skye is in terms of tourist traffic, particularly at hot spots such as Neist Point, the high numbers that have come from this traffic census were still a surprise. Going forward, I would hope that the community, Highland Council and all other stakeholders will be able to work together to improve things for locals and tourists alike.”

 

Kate Forbes MSP pledged her support for the work of the Community Council: “The results of the survey conducted by Glendale Community Council quantify the impact on local residents this summer of the huge increase in visitors.

“It’s no wonder that people want to visit the area, with its history, quality food and accommodation and, of course, the stunning scenery.

“Tourism is a great opportunity for Glendale and the surrounding villages because it’s creating more economic opportunity than ever before, however I realise that there is a lot to do in advance of next season around roads and public conveniences.

“The next steps for the community council quite rightly should be ascertaining what local residents want but I will most certainly be ready to support whatever the community decide and the community council want to deliver.”

 

ENDS

The reports can be accessed here 

Public-Toilets-Scope-1.06

Glendale Traffic Census 2017

For further information please contact Glendale Community Council Secretary Donald Murdie

Email donald936@btinternet.com or telephone 07483247605

 

 

 

After recently hosting the successful community led “Festival of the Sea” a project to develop the community owned Meanish Pier area in Glendale has taken a significant step forward. The Glendale Trust has secured up to £20,500 support from Highlands and Islands Enterprise.The slipway, pier and surrounding area of land at Meanish were taken into community ownership in 2013 by the Glendale Trust. Plans were put in place to develop the area to meet the needs of the local community and bring the area back into use. Plans including, visitor moorings, safe walk ashore access to the water, improved parking and improvements to the slipway were developed through detailed community consultation by the now Chair of the Crown Estate Scotland, Amanda Bryan who carried out the initial community consultation work on behalf of the local community.

Since then volunteers have secured a Local Management Agreement for Loch Pooltiel as well as planning approval from the Highland Council for the proposed improvements. A new head of terms has also been negotiated with Crown Estate Scotland for the proposals.

The Meanish Pier Working Group made up from members of the local moorings association, community council, Glendale Trust and boat operators have agreed to work with Kames Fish Farm Ltd Oban who were granted planning permission for the production of salmon or trout in the local Loch Pooltiel. Kames as part of the planning process have offered to work with the community group, and using their expertise and resources deliver much needed infrastructure and subsequent wider benefits to the area.

The award from Highlands and Islands Enterprise will provide funding for the professional services required to formalise agreements between Kames and the community group.

Stuart Cannon Managing Director of Kames said I look forward to working and co-operating with the community and Glendale Trust to the mutual benefit of all that participate.  We hope that the deep-water moorings will provide a safe anchorage for passing yachts, men and women who wish to stop over for a night or two to enjoy the fine foods that the local area produces along with appreciating the fine scenery from land.

The floating walkway will provide continuous access for small boats, canoes and small vessels to the shore, no matter what state the tides are. 

These facilities and perhaps improvements to the pier and the slipway, should allow the community to generate more activity and jobs.

Local boat operator and Glendale moorings association secretary, Greg Lane spoke positively about the proposed improvements “This will be a much needed improvement and enable boat users easier access to the moorings at all states of the tide.”

Karen Redfern director of the Glendale Trust made clear, “the Trust understands the importance of our role as owners of the pier, slip and surrounding land at Meanish in our negotiations with Kames. We are pleased that the HIE funding will enable the Trust to secure the professional services that will formalise agreements moving forward and ensure they deliver the maximum benefit to the local community and area users. We look forward to demonstrating that community organisations can work successfully with commercial operators and ensure all parties including the environment can benefit.”

Jennifer Macpherson, development manager at HIE’s Lochaber, Skye and Wester Ross team, said: “The redevelopment of Meanish Pier and the surrounding area is an important growth project for the community of Glendale, having been part of its Community Growth Plan for a number of years.  Our assistance for this project ensures that the community benefit is maximised from a commercial operator leasing a community owned asset. We look forward to seeing more benefits being realised following the valuable work of the HIE-funded Local Development Officer employed by The Glendale Trust.”

 

Exciting Events for Glendale this summer 14th / 15th July

• Family Rocket Competition,
• Family Fishing Competition,
• Hog Roast
• Live Music…. 

See poster for more information

Glendale Trust Board Meeting

Tuesday 9 May at 7pm

The Glendale Community Hall

All members are welcome to attend.  We are currently seeking new Directors for the Trust.  If you are interested please come along to the meeting to find out about our current projects and how you would be able to support the Trust.

The Glendale Trust has been awarded Lottery funding to help us celebrate the success of our local farmers market with four days worth of celebrations.  

Our next Celebrate Glendale Project Working Group meeting is:

11am Friday 5 May 2017

Glendale Community Hall

Everyone is welcome to come along to help organise and celebrate Glendale!

The Glendale Trust currently has a vacancy for a part-time (20 hours per week) Local Development Officer.  To find out more click on the tab above for “Getting Involved and Jobs” for the full advert and a link to the job description.