Tarbert and Skipness Community Trust
Argyll and Bute Council · 1 November 2023
Back to Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group — 1 November 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Tarbert and Skipness Community Trust, William Duncan & Co, The Old Surgery, School Road, Tarbert, Argyll, PA29 6UL Registered Charity: SC033379, Company Limited by Guarantee: 233786 www.tsct.org.uk info@tsct.org.uk TARBERT & SKIPNESS COMMUNITY TRUST Summer 2023 Newsletter It has been a while since we have produced a newsletter. Here is an update of our work over the past year TARBERT HOUSING Housing in Tarbert & Skipness is a major issue. Over the past 5 years the Trust has carried out several studies to prove the need and demand for housing. Argyll and Bute Council and Argyll Community Housing Association (ACHA) recognise the need and demand for housing in Tarbert. In September 2022 the latest Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) 2023/24-2027/28 was published. The plan lists potential completions of houses in Tarbert by 2028 as 30 in 2 stages of 15 each stage. Inclusion in the SHIP commits the Council and ACHA to build houses in Tarbert. The Trust has met with the local councillors and Douglas Whyte, A&B Council, Team Leader Housing Strategy and wants to keep involved as plans evolve. We are at an early stage and the Council, ACHA and Forestry Land Scotland are working together to identify opportunities for the delivery of affordable housing in Tarbert – a site visit is planned to take place in September 2023. WHITE SHORE PATH AND CYCLE STANDS The first beach clean of the harbour area and White Shore since lockdown took place early in May 2022 followed by a second in September due to the build-up of rubbish over the pandemic. Over 60 people turned out and collected a massive amount of rubbish. Our annual clean took place in April 2023 and we were pleased that our work in 2022 resulted in the pickers being able to concentrate on smaller rubbish left from earlier years. We were pleased that the number of plastic bottles and blue gloves was much less. However, we were disappointed that the amount of microplastic had increased, resulting from plastic being caught in small spaces and ground up by the waves. The Trust thanks all the volunteers including students from Tarbert Academy and Tarbert Toppers who helped in the last two beach cleans. A family of seals are regularly spotted lazing on a small island no more than 50 metres from the path – look out for them. The cycle stands continue to be delayed by planning permission but hopefully this will be coming soon to help prevent the clogging of pavements with bikes. In the meantime, many cyclists are using the lamp posts on the harbourside to secure their bikes.
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Tarbert and Skipness Community Trust, William Duncan & Co, The Old Surgery, School Road, Tarbert, Argyll, PA29 6UL Registered Charity: SC033379, Company Limited by Guarantee: 233786 www.tsct.org.uk info@tsct.org.uk TARBERT LIFE Tarbert Life has re-located to the “Purple Door” at the quayside. It is open from Wednesday to Sunday and has a local display of heritage, natural history and a children’s area. This year we have received a donation of the backbone and skull of a Cuvier beaked whale that beached at Tayinloan some years ago. This is a protected species and the Trust had to obtain a licence to display the skeleton. This was done but a quick Google search showed that these bones would be potentially attractive to those who are less than honest, as they have significant value. Tarbert Life is looking to fund a safe way of displaying the skeleton. Please come and visit Tarbert Life at the Purple Door and give us your views. We really want to know how the people of Tarbert want their heritage interpreted. COMMUNITY PLAN Our Community Plan is now 13 years old. A new plan has been written based on public meetings and surveys in both Tarbert and Skipness. The shortened plan is attached with this newsletter. COMMUNITY BENEFIT DISPERSAL The Trust receives an income from RES Freasdail which it disperses in the form of Community Benefit to local groups once a year. Since 2017 the Trust has dispersed over £180,000. These grants help around 20 local groups maintain and develop their services and over the years include Tarbert Golf Club, Feis an Tairbeart, Tarbert Academy Parent Council, Skipness Sheepdog Trials and Kintyre Food Bank. This year the Trust welcomed an application from Tarbert Women’s Football Team. It is always good to see new groups emerging. A ful list of successful applicant will be displayed on the Trust website. SKIPNESS VILLAGE HALL The Trust is supporting the re-development of Skipness Village Hall and are delighted that they have received funding from Fern Community Funds to produce and cost plans for the work that needs to be done to secure the building and make it wind and watertight Skull of Cuvier beaked whale – about 1.5m in length.
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Tarbert and Skipness Community Trust, William Duncan & Co, The Old Surgery, School Road, Tarbert, Argyll, PA29 6UL Registered Charity: SC033379, Company Limited by Guarantee: 233786 www.tsct.org.uk info@tsct.org.uk TARBERT HERITAGE AND REGENERATION SCHEME In May A&B Council announced they had been successful been successful in their applications to both the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NHLF) and Historic Environment Scotland’s Heritage and Place Programme (HES) for the Tarbert Heritage Regeneration Scheme. The council has secured £40,000 from NHLF and £40,000 from HES, and with match funding of £60,000 from the council for the development phase. There has been one meeting in July attended by Tarbert & Skipness Community Trust, Tarbert Castle Trust and Tarbert Harbour Authority. Representatives of these groups and the Community Council will become partners with the Council to work together on the delivery plan. As more information becomes available we will keep you informed IF YOU ARE GOING FOR A WALK ALONG THE OUR SHORES, PLEASE TAKE A BAG, A PAIR OF GLOVES AND COLLECT LITTER. THIS IS A SIMPLE WAY OF HELPING KEEP OUR BEACHES CLEAN. TARBERT HARBOUR AUTHORITY HAVE AGREED THAT LITTER COLLECTED CAN BE PLACED IN THEIR BINS