BALLACHULISH COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN 2016 – 2021 BALLACHULISH COMMUNITY FORUM CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 VISION FOR THE FUTURE 6 OUR COMMUNITY NOW: PROFILE 2 MAIN STRATEGIES AND PRIORITIES 7 OUR COMMUNITY NOW: LIKES 4 ACTION 9 OUR COMMUNITY NOW: DISLIKES 5 INTRODUCTION 173 COMMUNITY VIEWS SURVEY FORMS WERE RETURNED FROM OUR 340 HOUSES 24 STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS AND INTERVIEWS WERE HELD OVER 200 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE COMMUNITY FUTURES EVENT BALLACHULISH COMMUNITY ACTION PLAN This Community Action Plan LOCAL PEOPLE HAVE THEIR SAY summarises community views about: • Ballachulish now The Action Plan has been informed • the vision for the future of Ballachulish by extensive community engagement • the issues that matter most to the carried out over a six month period from community November 2015 to April 2016. • our priorities for projects and action. The process involved: • stakeholder interviews and meetings The plan will be our guide for what - with community organisations, schools, we - as a community - try to make service providers, local businesses and happen over the next 5 years. public agencies; • carrying out a community views survey of all households; • preparing a community profile detailing WORKING TOGETHER facts and figures about the community; • organising a Community Futures Event. The preparation of the plan has been organised by the Ballachulish Community Forum – a grouping of local organisations led by the Ballachulish Community Council and Ballachulish Community Association (SCIO). We have been supported in carrying out the work by the Small Town and Rural Development Group. THANKS TO This plan will help us to develop our joint EVERYONE WHO priority projects and make representation TOOK PART! on behalf of the community on the issues that matter most to our residents, organisations and local businesses. 1 OUR COMMUNITY NOW We have summarised below the main facts and figures from the Community Profile and some of the views from the Community Views Survey. Full copies of these reports are available from the steering group on request. BALLACHULISH COMMUNITY PROFILE 2016 SUMMARY with Highland Council area and COMMUNITY AND LOCATION Scotland RECREATIONAL Ballachulish Community Council • Some large local employers Community Facilities area includes Ballachulish including Abbeyfield, Geo-Rope • Ballachulish Village Hall, village and Glenachulish and Ltd, Isles of Glencoe Hotel, Church Hall, Shinty Pavilion, the cottages at Lettermore. The Coop, and Chisholms. Primary School Ballachulish village lies just off • A relatively high percentage of •The village hall is the main the A82 about 1 mile north of people working or studying community facility for more Glencoe Village and on the south from home (18.9%) compared details visit: http://www.balla- side of Loch Leven. It is in the to (14.9%) for the Highlands hall.co.uk/ South Lochaber area of Highland and 11.3% for Scotland. Council. • High levels of employment in Churches accommodation and food • St. John’s Episcopal Church, POPULATION service activities (16.3%) St. Mun’s Catholic Church, St. There are now around 820 in Ballachulish compared to Munda’s Church of Scotland people living in the area – Highland (9.1%) and Scotland significantly up from 760 in (6.3%) Community Groups the 2011 Census. The Census • There is a useful list of local • Ballachulish Community showed that the population is businesses on the Community Council, Ballachulish relatively older than the profile Council website http://www Community Company, for Highland Council or Scotland .ballachulish.org.uk/see-do Ballachulish Community and with proportionately less /local-information Association SCIO, Ballachulish people of a working age. Patient Participation Group, SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION Lochaber Car Scheme HOUSING • Ballachulish Primary School • Ballachulish Camanachd •In total there are 370 houses and Nursery Association (Shinty Club), with around 31 of those listed • Kinlochleven High School Ballachulish Football Club, as holiday or second homes. • West Highland College South Lochaber Bowmen, •There is a relatively high Learning Centre (in the Glencoe Boat Club, Ballachulish waiting list for social Kinlochleven Campus) Playparks Committee, Walking housing compared with other Group, Ballachulish Golf Club communities in South Lochaber HEALTH AND CARE • 4th Lochaber Scouts (Beavers, with the largest demand being Facilities and Services include: Cubs and Scouts), Playgroup for 1 bedroom houses. • Ballachulish Medical Centre (0 – preschool), Ballachulish •12.9% of the households are • Community Nurses Primary School PTA occupied by one person of 75 • Hospital and Acute services in • Scottish Country Dancing or over compared with 7.7% Fort William and Inverness and other fitness and leisure for Highland and 7.7% for • Abbeyfield residential care activities. Scotland. home – which also provides day care and sheltered housing LOCAL ECONOMY and a lunch club Features of the local economy • Lochaber Care and Repair include: • Car Scheme available for • High rates of economic people with transport problems activity, part time work and • Step it Up Health Walks from self employment compared Ballachulish TIC twice a week. 2 Business Groups – Brecklet, Visitor Centre – HERITAGE • Discover Glencoe Harbour and the Eilean Munde Quarries and slate • There is also a list of outdoor viewpoint, Albert Road – The quarries at Ballachulish are activity providers on the Harbour, Kentallen – Ballachulish a very large part of the history Community Council website Bridge. of our village and community. http://www.ballachulish.org Slate was first commercially .uk/see-do/local-activities/ Local Munros quarried here in 1693 (the year There are two Munros directly after the Glencoe Massacre) Parks and Play Areas accessible from Glenachulish with work continuing until the • Jubilee Park Shinty Pitch, – Sgorr Dhearg and Sgorr quarries finally closed in 1955. Jubilee Play Park, West End Dhonuill. In addition all the The Quarries, Boat Sheds and Play Park, and other play hills of Glencoe and Glen Etive Arch are physical reminders areas at the school and Isles of are within easy reach of the of these times – as are the Glencoe Hotel. community making it a great harbours and headlands which destination for hill climbers. were shaped using surplus slate Community Events from the quarries. • Fireworks – special event in Forestry and Hydro Schemes the Quarry Forest Enterprise own Brecklet Trains, Ferries and • Christmas Market and Glenachulish forests - The Bridge and Christmas Parties commercial forests planted The history of the community • Lantern Making and Lantern around 50 years ago and which is also closely linked with Parade at New Year will be harvested over the transport. For centuries ferries • Boat Club Regatta next 25 years. Rivers in both crossed the Ballachulish narrows • Duck Race and Craft Fair forests offer opportunities for before the Bridge was built in • Autumn Festival planned Hydro Schemes – one is being 1975. The railway arrived in for 2016 by Discover developed by Green Highland 1903 to serve the quarries and Glencoe Renewables in Glenachulish, provide a connection to Oban while the Ballachulish and the Central Belt. The railway ENVIRONMENT Community Company is closed - as so many did - in Designated sites developing proposals for a Hydro 1966. • Ben Nevis and Glencoe Scheme in Brecklet Forest on National Scenic Area (NSA); the River Laroch. Burial Islands Carnach Wood (SSSI); St Eilean Munde (St Munda’s or John’s Wood (SSSI); The Glen Flora and Fauna St. Munn’s Island) in Loch Etive and Glen Fyne Special Wildlife includes Eagles, Leven is the burial place of the Protected Area; Lochaber Otters, Deer, Pine Martens, Red MacDonald clan of Glencoe. Geopark (the Quarry is Squirrels, Wild Goats, Minke The island burial place was included within this wider Whales, Dolphins, Porpoises and also shared by the Camerons Geopark area). Seals. of Callart, the Stewarts of Ballachulish and Appin and other Paths and Access local families. There are a number of local walks and cycle paths in the Ballachulish Timeline area. The main ones are There is an excellent timeline recognised as core paths tracing the history of for Ballachulish and Glencoe Ballachulish through the ages on and include St. John’s – the Community Council’s website Glenachulish, Ballachulish http://www.ballachulish.org.uk/ Quarry, Ballachulish Quarry ballachulish-timeline/ 3 OUR COMMUNITY NOW: LIKES COMMUNITY VIEWS SURVEY Community spirit and community 74% activities Scenery and access to the outdoors 70% Character of village 57% Local amenities 44% Location 43% Community Events 19% Access to Services 18% Village Environment 12% WHAT PEOPLE SAID: “We love the community feeling and friendliness” “The community getting together to look after the quarry, fireworks, Christmas lights, and village appearance and hydro scheme” “The range of after school activities available for primary school” “Plenty of activities for the fit and healthy e.g. walking, zumba, country dancing, shinty” “The great freedom our children have to grow up in the village” “Situated in one of the most scenic and stunning locations in the world” “Access for walking, cycling, and kayaking” “I like the walks – Brecklet, Quarry, Shore and Point.” “Proximity to outdoor facilities – skiing, sailing, climbing, mountain biking” “The quarry is magnificent” “It’s a peaceful village, not too busy, not too quiet” “It feels safe for kids” “It has a rich history of slate mining” “We are lucky to have good amenities