Community Enterprise
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Community Enterprise Title: Community Research and Commercial Sustainability Analysis for the Hub Client Name: Upper Eskdale Development Group Date: August 2012 1 Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................... 4 Background .................................................................................................................................................... 4 Vision................................................................................................................................................................ 4 Methodology.................................................................................................................................................. 4 Summary of Findings ..................................................................................................................................... 4 Suggested Outcomes ................................................................................................................................... 6 01 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 9 Preface ............................................................................................................................................................ 9 Scope of Report ............................................................................................................................................. 9 Approach & Methodology .......................................................................................................................... 9 02 NEEDS ASSESSMENT ................................................................................. 11 The Hub ......................................................................................................................................................... 11 Economic & Social Profile ........................................................................................................................... 12 Policy & Strategic Context ......................................................................................................................... 14 Case Studies ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Community Survey ...................................................................................................................................... 28 Community Workshop................................................................................................................................. 38 Focus Group ................................................................................................................................................. 44 Local Agency & Stakeholder Feedback ................................................................................................. 45 03 COMMERCIAL RESEARCH ........................................................................ 53 Overview ....................................................................................................................................................... 53 Community Café and Catering ................................................................................................................ 53 Licensing ....................................................................................................................................................... 63 Community Shop ......................................................................................................................................... 66 Heritage tours ............................................................................................................................................... 73 Post office ..................................................................................................................................................... 77 2 Specialist weddings ..................................................................................................................................... 78 Letting Space ............................................................................................................................................... 81 VAT Assessment ............................................................................................................................................ 82 04 FINDINGS ................................................................................................ 83 APPENDICES ................................................................................................ 88 Appendix 1 : Written Survey Responses .................................................................................................... 88 Appendix 2 : VAT Position ........................................................................................................................... 96 3 Executive Summary Background In 2004 Eskdalemuir Primary School (originally opened 1872) became the latest in the list of public amenities that have disappeared over recent years. These included a shop, a post office and a pub. The Upper Eskdalemuir Development Group was set up by local people in response to these losses. By striving hard to keep the school in community hands, in 2006 the local community succeeded in obtaining full ownership of the building as public asset in perpetuity. The Hub is a much loved asset in Eskdalemuir and despite its physical condition, current usage of the old school building remains high with a broad range of activities around learning, culture, community events and a small cafe. Vision The project is much more than just a building project. The board is working to cultivate a focal point for the growth of new ventures and social enterprises that can bring much needed jobs and services through a sustainable model. Ultimately the objective is to keep Eskdalemuir alive and vibrant by assisting young people by creating opportunities for them to work and thrive here and families to be motivated to stay here. There is also a need to make sure that the increasing number of older people will be able to stay here in the knowledge that the care and support they may need will available locally. This vision for the building is part of a 10 year plan for the trust which includes a wood fuel enterprise, social housing and health and social care. Methodology The research was split into two phases, though the first informed the second. Initially the focus was on in depth local research to identify the need in the community. The second phase was to see which elements of the project could be commercialised to ensure long term sustainability. A wide range of qualitative and quantitative research took place to put this report together, which was fundamentally built on the work already achieved by the group themselves locally. Methodology included; A wide-ranging community survey Stakeholder and partner interviews A focus group Open public meeting Competitive analysis Market analysis Sub-contracting to professionals, for example in post office set up, VAT assessment and catering. Mini feasibility studies which informed an amended cash flow and business plan. Summary of Findings There are 55 main findings of the research set out in section 4 which should be read in full and have been used to amend the finances of the business plan and to inform the outcomes set out below. The following give a flavour of those findings: 4 General Support and need 1. Most respondents to the survey appear to be very satisfied with Eskdalemuir as a place to live. 2. The hub is something that is hugely valued and the nature of that value should be protected. The thing that people wanted to see improved most in the village (64%) was better local facilities. 3. 82% of respondents to the survey agreed that developing the old school as a better asset would bring the community together to improve life in the rural area 4. The benefit the hub can provide to the community is clearly restricted by the nature of the space and the state of the building Response to the building 5. The majority of people described the fabric and physical condition of the existing facilities as “average” (46%). 6. The workshop event identified a huge range of potential space, including alternative therapy rooms, café, sauna, and shop and so on which are largely already designed into the building plans. Rural Deprivation and Isolation 7. The total number of dwellings per hectare is 0.01 compared to 0.11 in Dumfries and Galloway and 0.32 in Scotland 8. While the SIMD crime domain figure is 6034 (one of the most crime free in Scotland), the access to services domain figure is 90 (one of the worst). 9. The rural nature of Eskdalemuir means that there is a lack of services and there is a need to enhance services locally. 10. Local people are used to travelling significant distances to access many services as illustrated by the responses in the table in the survey analysis above and demand to access these locally is very high. Fit with Policy and strategy 11. The aspiration of the organisation has a strong fit with policy context particularly around rural isolation, the growth of local services, getting health services and retail out to remote areas and the protection of fragile communities as well as the promotion of development trust models and social enterprise. 12. There is a strong fit with environmental