Check out this page to keep up to date with all the latest Local Development Plan news

Carradale Community Open Day 13 August (12/8/22)

The Carradale Community Open Day is in Carradale Village Hall tomorrow between 11-3 and the hall will be full to capacity with local information. This is your big chance to find out what funding is available to assist all local community groups and feed into the Local Development Plan. Lots of key groups and ears open there on the day to hear what you wish for in the Community going forward, as well as to find out about areas that interest you and to offer your particular key skills to help the community grow and flourish. Would you like to be a Community Fireman, a Community First Responder, a Community Shop Volunteer, assist developing the Heritage Centre, have key financial, IT, creative or administration skills for Community groups, or would you like to be involved at a strategic level on major upcoming projects with the Carradale Community Trust, then now is your ideal chance to find out more all in one day. If you are unable to attend please send in your thoughts, ideas and/or offers of help to either East Kintyre Community Council memers, Carradale Community Trust Trustees (details available at https://eastkintyre.org ) or DM this page (by 21 August) and I will forward to the correct person. Blackbird Tearoom will be on site providing catering.

East Kintyre Community Open Day 13 August (1/8/22)

Carradale and East Kintyre Resident and Visitor Survey 2022 Launched (3/2/22)

The East Kintyre Community Planning Group are launching a new Community Survey with an Open Day for Saturday April 9th. The Group are committed to continue listening and responding to the needs of our community and last reached out in 2019 whereby those responses helped shape the Local Development Plan. Since then lots of things have changed and we want to take the opportunity to get up to date opinions on what improvements and changes you now feel are necessary to make our community sustainable, happy and healthy. To provide ideas, we would appreciate it if you would complete this questionnaire.

Carradale Community Shop & Post Office Thank You (18/06/21)

Thanks to everyone who has visited the new shop over the last couple of weeks. Your support and encouragement during the transition, while we get to grips with expanded services and technology is very much appreciated. Shelves are being filled with new products and fresh fruit and veg are flying off the very trendy display unit. Being able to walk round and view the shelves while shopping is such a pleasure.

Carradale Community Shop & Post Office Update (07/06/21)

We are delighted to welcome Tracey Muscroft to the position of Shop Manager. The shop management team and volunteers look forward to working alongside Tracey while continuing to develop the range of services to our community. We are also delighted that Mary continues to cheer us up with her smile in the Post Office. Tomorrow the new shop opens and we look forward to welcoming everyone. The shelves have lots of goodies and over the next few weeks new items will fill up any of gaps on our smart new shelving. Good news there is a delivery of fresh fruit and vegetables due on Thursday. The move last Saturday went smoothly and we sincerely hope this will continue, but if we do have some hiccups please bear with us. The management committee and volunteers greatly appreciate the support and encouragement from the community from the minute the Temporary Shop opened and especially as this move became reality. This shop belongs to all of us. You made it happen.

Temporary Shop - Thank You (4/06/21)

Although we are all delighted to move from temporary to permanent, the wee cabin by the village hall has become a special place for all of us, during the last couple of years. It has been packed with so much, it could almost supply most of our household needs. Many volunteers have played their part in making this possible, but 2 people have gone more than an extra mile or a Carradale Canter in their volunteering. In fact they are marathon Gold medalists. Liz.and Ian McGhie. A Massive Thank You to you both. Enjoy some well deserved time in your garden, playing golf and sailing.

Carradale Community Shop & Post Office (30/05/21)

Things are moving in the right direction and the interior of the new shop is taking shape. The new freezers have finally arrived. The shelves look pretty spacious and all the painting, flooring and lighting is complete. Plans are well underway organising the move from temporary to permanent shop in early June, in a manner which hopefully will involve as little disruption as possible for our customers.

The support and encouragement from the village has been tremendous. When this new shop opens it's doors, and you go in for the first time, remember that all you see has come about because you have been part of making it a reality. Carradale has always been a welcoming village with great community spirit. Over the years many changes have taken place but people have moved with the times and have recognised and embraced these changes. It is right that we remember with fondness the history of the village, but support building a sustainable future for the next generation. Keep an eye on the Facebook page for updates.

We Need You! (11/02/21)

It really is happening! "The Carradale Community Shop & Post Office" is ours and we will soon begin a comprehensive refurbishment and refit. We will start planning for the transition from our Temporary Shop - and are going to need your help! (Or to continue to need your help for those of you who are already involved in running the Temporary Shop).

We need people to:

Become a member of the Management Committee to help a Manager run the shop. Carradale Community Trust plans for the Management Committee to run the shop for about two years, and we will use funds from the Robertson Trust to pay our Manager. After two years, the Management Committee will recommend to either carry on as a community run shop or to pursue another model*.

Join our bank of volunteers supporting the running of the shop in a wide range of capacities, both customer facing and behind the scenes. This might include serving customers, stocking shelves, cleaning, helping with deliveries, checking inventories and dates, posting on facebook and other social media, etc*. We are also going to need lots of people to help in aspects of the refit and in the move from the Temporary Shop!

Give us advice, support or publicity

If you can help us in any way at all - or know anyone who could - please get in touch with me Jenn Lee 

Carradale Forest Group (02/03/21)

The East Kintyre Community Council, Carradale Community Trust and Forestry Land Scotland have formed a new Carradale Forest Group*. One of the areas we are working on together is improving access to the entire Deer Hill area. We are really pleased to report that work will soon begin to connect the Grianan and Port na Storm car parks and provide a forest link for the Kintyre Way. So if you are in the area from 8 March 2021, please be aware that there may be a bit of disruption until the link and upgrade is completed.

*If you wish to be involved in the Carradale Forest Group, please get in touch with a member of East Kintyre Community Council.

CCT Buy Village Post Office (09/02/21)

Carradale Community Trust is extremely pleased to announce the purchase of the Carradale Post Office. CCT will be launching the Carradale Community Shop & Post Office after a full refurbishment is completed - watch this space! East Kintyre will soon have a permanent shop!

Our community would like to thank everyone who has worked so very hard in making this happen. We would not be celebrating without the generous support of funders, including: the Scottish Land Fund, MOWI, Fern Community Funds, Abbeyfield Trust, East Kintyre Wind Farm Trust, The National Lottery and the Robertson Trust. Likewise, we are extremely grateful to the magnificent volunteer Manager, staff and supporters of the Temporary Shop, who have kept the community fully supplied during this hugely trying time, and have been a reservoir of hope for the future. Thanks also are owed to members of the Carradale Community Trust and East Kintyre Community Council, who have persevered in securing a permanent shop, drafting plans for a refurbishment, and delivering the first local development priority of East Kintyre. Finally, all of us are enormously grateful to Kenny & Mary Semple, who stepped in when our initial plans fell through, generously offered the Post Office as a location for our shop, and will be joining us in the creation of the Carradale Community Shop & Post Office.

Community Right to Buy Carradale Forest has been denied (13/12/20)

Hi Everyone,

I am sorry to report that our application for a Community Right to Buy Carradale Forest has been denied - Scottish Ministers Decision Letter.

After reading the lengthy response from the Ministers, my understanding for the denial is that we could not provide sufficient evidence that the community had a connection with the land. We also could not, in their view, meet the public interest criteria. However, our sustainable development plans were considered to be robust, and we were encouraged to engage with FLS in the development of Deer Hill.

For my part, I am not in the least surprised. My expectations were always low, knowing full well the political pressure coming from the government's renewable energy targets, its close relationship with FLS and the lack of support from Argyll & Bute in its current approach.

Our CRtB application nevertheless has attracted the attention of a wide range of actors, and we need to build upon this. For instance, the Government’s own Scottish Land Commission appears to disagree with the Minister’s view on the scope of FLS’s obligations to consult with communities. I will continue to liaise with them, as well as pursue avenues for wider public pressure where I can.

Unfortunately, the residents of Grogport, Rhonadale and Carradale must be under no illusions: you are going to have to fight if you are to have any influence over the location and height of the turbines that are now coming your way*. Moreover, we are also going to have fight for each and every one of the aspirations in our LDP and CRtB if they have any hope of happening. We know from our recent meeting with FLS that local planning staff have not been given the resources to do, well, pretty much anything at all. The vast sums that FLS - a government quango - will make from the Carradale Forest Energy Offering will go into coffers elsewhere, not to support or invest in the forest or our community.

The EKCC will keep a vigil for all planning applications affecting the Forest, whilst the Planning Group of CCT will recommence work to complete our development plans, as begun in our CRtB application. We will engage fully with our local FLS team and make sure we include them in any discussions - and we will ask that each of you consider becoming more engaged with CCT, EKCC and the planning for our future.

Regards,

Jenn, Planning Group, Carradale Community Trust

*Please be very aware that the documents associated with the recent FLS consultation did not include the location of most existing or planned wind turbine developments, let alone those that will result from FLS’s recent Energy Offering.

FLS Land Management Plan Consultation (23/10/20)

Please give your feedback - Following delivery of a Forestry and Land Scotland information board to the Village Hall car park, you can also view Carradale Land Management Plan Consultation documentation and maps online. These documents also include a questionnaire - please complete to give your input.The consultation will run from 1 November to 30 November 2020.

CCT Newsletter (08/09/20)

The October 2020 CCT Newsletter sets out our future plans for a permanent village shop in Carradale.

The Village Shop Update: (30/09/20)

CCT is extremely disappointed the sale of the shop to the community will not now go ahead. We are grateful to Scottish Land Fund, the grant providers for the planned refurbishment (The East Kintyre Wind Farm Trust, The Abbeyfield Trust, MOWI, Cour Fund and the National Lottery), INCH, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, as well as all of those who have generously given their time and effort in making our bids a success. Whilst we wanted to put the shop back at the heart of the community, we are now pursuing our other options to fulfil our promise to return a permanent shop to East Kintyre.

Funding Success (17/09/20)

Carradale Community Trust (CCT) has been awarded the funds to purchase Paterson’s Bakery & Village Stores, which has been closed since 2018, and re-open it as a retail, social and information hub. Thanks to the generous support of Scottish Land Fund, CCT are delighted that East Kintyre will once again have a permanent shop. Our wonderful Temporary Shop has been a lifeline - and has taught us so much - but volunteers and customers cannot wait to have Paterson’s back at the heart of our community!

The Carradale Community Composting Centre is now open for use (24/08/20)

Members of Carradale Community Trust (CCT), Carradale’s community business, were tempted to get the champagne out earlier this week after finally getting its community composting centre ready for use. It has taken the trust more than six years to complete this project following a number of delays, most recently the disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The idea for a composting centre was one put forward as part of a village plan many years ago and East Kintyre Community Council asked CCT, then Network Carradale Limited, to deliver the project. Alan Walker, chair of CCT, said: ‘We are now ready for garden waste as the village tidies up in time for winter. We are very appreciative of the support from SSE which provided hardcore and digger time and to East Kintyre Windfarm Trust for funds to equip the project. This facility is very green and will benefit the village and hopefully stop fly-tipping of garden waste alongside forest tracks.’ The ground works at the site, which is located at Seneval, opposite the play park entrance, were completed by Donald McLean Contractors and the composting bins supplied and installed by Saddell Nurseries. A substantial shed is to be delivered and put up soon by Quarry Sheds, based at Minard. The composting model is for garden waste to be deposited in one of four receiving bins: grass, leaves, tree branches and mixed garden waste like hedge clippings and weeds. Every so often the raw material will be mixed together in ‘hot boxes’ to accelerate the creation of compost. In due course this will be made available to local gardeners.

Save Carradale Forest (15/07/20)

Carradale Community Trust with the support of  East Kintyre Community Council and a huge number of residents, submitted an application to Register an Interest (RoI) in Carradale Forest on 15 July 2020. Thanks so much to all of you who have given your signatures.

Our application aims to ensure CCT can work to deliver what you asked for in the survey and local development plan. Through our Community Survey, we learned many residents and visitors wanted much more choice in terms of things such as footpath networks, cycle and bridle ways and viewpoints (of Arran, the Kilbrannan Sound and the last remnants of the Atlantic rainforest). Many were keen to observe wildlife, especially our golden and white tailed eagles. Visitors also wanted us to preserve East Kintyre’s quiet beauty. We have been refining plans to try to meet these aims and to encourage green tourism and sustainable growth.

We invite all CCT members to join us in the process of active planning for the future of Carradale Forest. Contact: Jenn Lee, Planning Group, Carradale Community Trust (jenniferlanelee@gmail.com)

The East Kintyre Local Development Plan for 2020-2025 is live!(02/04/20)

Carradale Community Trust and East Kintyre Community Council did not expect to deliver the Local Development Plan in the midst of such an epic crisis. However, maybe there is no better time for us all to reflect on the future and the differences that each of us can make?

We hope that the Plan inspires you to join us in delivering projects described in its pages, all of which came out of the Visitor and Residents Survey and Open Day feedback. Please help us in making a better and brighter future for all of us who live, work and visit East Kintyre!

A huge thank you from the whole community to the LDP team for the work involved in producing the wide ranging and inclusive 2020-2025 East Kintyre Local Development Plan. We have uploaded the pages of the report for you to review as photos below.

East Kintyre Open Day Report (09/11/19)

A HUGE THANK YOU to everyone for making the Open Day such a success! We were following up on our hugely successful Visitors and Residents Survey, and asking those attending about ideas for developing our area and making it more sustainable.

The event, jointly sponsored by Carradale Community Trust and East Kintyre Community Council presented a number of displays with options for the future development of a shop/hub project and our harbour. Other displays covered our heritage and sought to promote local businesses. Fish Farm operators MOWI displayed their plans for the expansion of their Carradale operation, while SSE representatives were able to advise those attending of upcoming developments in the area. Members of the recently established East Kintyre Renewable Energy Group were kept busy answering questions about their intentions to secure a degree of community shared ownership in current and future wind farm developments, which it is hoped will help finance the legacy projects identified throughout this planning process.

Carradale Visitor & Residents Survey (Summer 2019)

The survey was prepared for the Carradale Community Trust by Project Perspectives with the Carradale community. Views were collected from 852 people with the aim of informing a later Community Consultation which would in turn help shape the East Kintyre Local Development Plan.

Following a pilot in early June, the survey ran through the tourist season to mid September using a short printed questionnaire. It was actively and widely distributed by the community in Carradale and other East Kintyre settlements, also via an online link to Survey Monkey shared on social media.

Action Plan 2012-2017 (Archive)

The previous Action Plan can be found at Action Plan 2012-2017