About Your Organisation
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Section 1 - About your organisation General Contact Details for Your Organisation 1.1 Name of Community Body (CB) (or unincorporated association if applying under the Sponsored Sale of Surplus Land) Dalavich Improvement Group Full I address for nisation Address c/o Dalavich Post Office Dalavich Taynuilt Oban Postcode PA351HN Fax E-mail ( Position held in Chair if different from the nisation address Address Postcode Tele hone ( Address As main contact Postcode Tel one 3 you undertake. 100 word maximum. DIG's purposes are to: • manage community land and associated assets to benefit the community and the public • provide, or assist in providing, recreational facilities for members of the community and the public • advance community development, including rural regeneration • advance environmental protection/improvement including preservation, sustainable development and conservation of the natural environment. DIG manages: • Dalavich Community Centre • an area of Loch Awe foreshore • a playing field • income on behalf of the community and supports • a Social Club with bar and seasonal restaurant • a gardening club • an arts and crafts club. 1.5 What type of organisation are you? Description Documents to be enclosed Company Limited by Memorandum and Articles of Guarantee (required under Association community Acquisition) Certificate of Incorporation Yes - please tick Unincorporated Association Constitution / Set of Rules Yes - insert date established ~ ......~~~~ ...~~~~~ If yes, please give your registered Inland SC032664 Revenue Charity Number and provide a copy of r letter or 4 1.10 Please tell us about your community. We need you to describe your community to allow us to decide whether you have demonstrated community support for the application (see Criteria 3, p14). You must include the location, population size, and a description of your community. This must also include a geographical definition such as community council boundaries, electoral wards, or postcode unit maps. Please also tell us who your neighbouring communities are. 300 words maximum. The 0 ulation of your community The operating area of Dalavich Improvement Group (DIG) is designated by the postcode areas PA35 IHH, PA35 1HJ, PA35 1HL, PA35 1HN and PA35 1HS and includes the villages of Dalavich, Inverinan, Kilmaha and Lochavich, and the Forest Cabin site adjacent to Dalavich. The population of 120 is comprised of 60 working age adults, 46 retirees and 14 children across 62 households. 38% of the population are pensioners. Situated on the shores of West Loch Awe and Lochavich, the villages are heavily dependent on forestry and tourism to provide employment. Some residents commute to Oban (26 miles, 50 mins) or Lochgilphead (22 miles, 35 mins) for alternative employment; a substantial amount of local employment is seasonal or part-time. The main local issues are: • an aging population • a lack of social housing • accessible employment to attract and retain young people • fuel poverty • remoteness, being accessed solely by 3 single track roads to the neighbouring villages of Ford (10 miles), Taynuilt (15 miles) and Kilmelford (10 miles). Section 2 - The land that you want to acquire 5 2.1 Please give the name and location of the land you want to acquire. You must attach a map clearly showing the land and outlining the boundaries in red (Forestry Commission Scotland will provide you with a copy of the map that you can submit) The site is located at Grid Reference: NM969138, Easting 196900, Northing 713800, and is situated on the River Avich in Dalavich oakwoods, by the village of Dalavich. See map in appendices. The land lies just inside the Dalavich Oak woods, close to the village of Dalavich and within DIG's operating area. There is a footpath that runs past the site up to the spectacular Falls of Avich, a popular walk for locals and visitors. Historically there was a hydropower scheme on the same site as the planned one, and the ruins of the old generator house are still visible there. The water supply for Dalavich village and the neighbouring Forest cabin site is extracted from the river Avich and utilises some of the old hydropower pipes to bring water to the treatment shed. 2.5 Tell us why your organisation wants to acquire the land? Please give a brief outline of your plans for the land including the long term objectives your wish to achieve, and how you will manage the land differently. 300 words maximum. DIG would like to build a run of river hydropower scheme on the River Avich. The total pipe length would be 420m and no river crossings would be required. We plan to site a 350kW generator which, at 35% capacity, would generate between 751 and 1073MWh per year. This an was first considered DIG directors in 2009 as a means to nerate income 6 to benefit the community as well as to reduce our carbon footprint. Our long term objectives are to generate a sustainable source of income to enable DIG to: • support the current charitable works carried out by DIG • create local employment • support other energy efficient projects locally • improve the quality of life of local residents • support charitable groups in the wider local area. The area of land leased by DIG will be managed by us and the wider area will continue to be managed by Forestry Commission Scotland. a. Date of ballot. 9-30th June 2014 b. Questionwhich was put to ballot. Are you in favour of building a hydro electric generator on the River Avich above Barnalinecar rk? c. Number of people eligible to vote. 109 d. Number of eligible peoplewho voted, 79 includin details of the number of votes. e. Percentageof those eligible to vote who 72.5% voted dlc x 100 = f. Number of eligible peoplewho voted in 71 favour of the land. g. 89.9% 7 Title First Name Surname Address Electoral Reform Services The Election Centre, 33 Clarendon Road, London Postcode N8 ONW Tele hone 020 8365 8909 E-mail Section 4 Capacity to Manage Land The importance of correctly managing the land on which the scheme will be built is of considerable importance to the DIG Board, many of whom are professionally involved in land and heritage management. Others are passionateconservationists. DIG was incorporated in 2002 and has successfully managed Dalavich Community Centre and the area of foreshore that it owns for 12 years. It recently purchased a playing field in the village and had a children's playground constructed outside the Community Centre. Gregor Cameron Consultancy Ltd will be responsible for delivering the construction of the project, with support from DIG directors and members (see BusinessPlan attached for more details). One of DIG's directors has considerable professional experience of Project Management (see Carol Thomas' resume in appendices) and will ensure that the land is appropriately managed during the construction phase of the project. 8 Post construction the land will be managed by DIG. One of DIG's directors (see Ronnie Maceachen's resume), and several DIG members have considerable experience of forest management. Section 5 - Showing that your plans for the land will provide additional benefit, are consistent with the principles of sustainable development, and are in the public interest. Acquisition should achieve a range of additional public benefits for the community. These can be listed as economic, social and environmental benefits (but may not involve all of these). The benefits will come from your planned activities and outputs. In addition the land to be acquired should be sustainably used or developed. See Criteria 6 and 7, pp15-16. 5.1 What economic benefits will the land acquisition bring to you and the wider community? Economic benefits might include new jobs, greater job security, benefits from tourism income, generation, timber sales or processing, a wider mix of economic activity in your area, development of renewable energy schemes etc. 300 words maximum. The hydroelectric scheme situated on the land will: • generate a sustainable income for DIG enabling it to widen its areas of charitable activity within the local and wider community • create one local job servicing and maintaining the plant • provide income to support tourism related projects • enable DIG to support new local' enterprises. 5,2 What social benefits will the acquisition bring? Social benefits might include community involvement, development of affordable housing, and increased recreation and access benefits for particular groups within the community (eg young or old people, unemployed, disabled) etc. 300 words maximum. The hydro scheme will generate income that will enable DIG to: 9 • Develop a good neighbour hub to support elderly residents by providing free handyman, maintenance, and other support services • Fund a community car club or a "dial-a-ride" scheme (possibly by providing additional funding to existing volunteer driver schemes) • Create a tourist attraction centred on the Hydro Scheme itself • Support further education schemes e.g. scholarships • Install and maintain public conveniences in key spots • Fund apprenticeships and youth voluntary schemes • Develop local water activities on Loch Awe. 5.3 What environmental benefits will the project bring? Environmental benefits might include improvements to the way in which the land is managed, habitat benefits, improved deer control, protection or enhancement of archaeological features etc. Including information on environmental and heritage designations. 300 words maximum. The hydro project will generate between 751 and 1073MWh per year of low carbon electricity saving 11,950 tons of C02 per year. In addition, the income generated by the hydro will enable DIG to: • Fund the next generation of renewable energy e.g. a second hydro scheme, air source heat pumps • Protect the site of the old generator house • Create and maintain signed walks and cycle routes • Provide viewing areas for some of the local beauty spots • Create information boards to explain views and local flora and fauna.