Author: Amalia

Please refer to previous posts around Cruachan for background information if you are new to DCT: Cruachan and a path to affordable land? Community Survey (now closed) Opportunity at Cruachan Woods for Woodland Crofts and Community owned housing Cruachan Feasibility and Business Plan   We have been working towards bringing Cruachan woodland- an area of approx 8 hectares in Orbost, and Cnoc nan Craobh, or Bluebell hill, into community ownership, from the point of view of dividing Cruachan woodland into 2 woodland crofts, and maintaining Cnoc nan Craobh as an area of local recreational importance. We commissioned a feasibility study into the project and a business plan (link above) which recommended that DCT requests an asset transfer of the land from HIE for £18,000, a discount of £17,000 from the market valuation of £35,000 – on the basis that HIE perform an arboricultural survey on roadside mature ash trees suspected of Chalara die-back infection, and act on the recommendations. At the recent AGM in November, we held a vote on whether to pursue an asset transfer on that basis/adjust the discount to reflect the costs of acting on the recommendations of an arboricultural survey, and it was unanimously in favour of proceeding. HIE declined to perform the survey prior to sale, so we commissioned the survey with a well qualified and respected Arboriculturalist ourselves at the end of 2024. The findings of the Arboricultural survey (link below) show 45 mature ash and sycamore along the road within the boundary of Cruachan woodland and Cnoc nan Craobh which are either dead or dying, with the recommendation that they are cut to ground level ASAP.  This obviously won’t be a small job, and it will really alter the landscape and environment of a beautiful place we love, and which is home to some of our members – it will undoubtedly cause some disruption. DCT don’t own the land (yet) so for the time being this isn’t our ‘responsibility’ as such, but as we are pursuing an asset transfer we need to plan for the future and the actions we will need to take to ensure we’re acting in the best interest of the community, and that we can manage the work in a responsible way.  Felling infected ash is expensive, it requires expertise to be carried out safely, and as the trees are roadside, it would probably require road closures. We are seeking advice from various sources including the Woodland Trust and Forestry Scotland, as well as people in the community with expertise and local knowledge. If the trees are felled, the area would need to be replanted with native broadleaves and protected from browsing herbivores. We are also looking into potential local benefit from the felled timber itself- there would be a substantial amount suitable for firewood, but also potential to have some wood planked and used for woodworking workshops and training, or sold to contribute to the associated costs. In light of this, we have submitted an asset transfer request to HIE offering £1000 for the land (as opposed to the market valuation of £40000). We think this is fair considering the social value the project will bring, and the extra expense that we will be responsible for, at least partially as a result of a lack of woodland management at Cruachan over a long period of time. If this goes through, we would develop a small scale woodland management plan for the area, which would include re-planting a mixture of native broadleaves. It has been suggested that we include some more mature trees in the replanting, including perhaps slower growing trees like oak .  Please be assured, we’re seeking the best advice we can, and we don’t take any of these measures lightly! If you have any comments or queries please don’t hesitate to get in touch at [email protected]. We did only commission the survey for the roadside trees on the land we are hoping to acquire for community ownership – If you are concerned about any roadside trees on land owned by HIE and not part of this acquisition please contact us at [email protected] or HIE at [email protected].  Link to Arboricultural Survey

Link to more info on traffic in the DCC area.  Skye Traffic Stats A good community action plan should not only guide local action, but should also be a tool to hold public bodies to account. An interesting thing to come out of recent CAP research has been the official traffic stats for the DCC area. If official traffic counts are only conducted in the winter, they will not provide THC with an accurate picture of the volume of traffic on our roads! We’d like to include a local count in the CAP research – would you be willing to volunteer an hour or 2 in January and again at Easter?

This year we were supported by the Scottish Land Fund to look specifically at bringing Cruachan woodland- an area of approx 8 hectares in Orbost, and Cnoc nan Craobh, or Bluebell hill, into community ownership, from the point of view of dividing Cruachan woodland into 2 woodland crofts, and maintaining Cnoc nan Craobh as an area of local recreational importance.  The following study, which is long, looks into the short and long term cost implications and potential benefit for the area. It recommends that DCT requests an asset transfer of the land from HIE for £18,000, a discount of £17,000 from the market valuation of £35,000 – on the basis that HIE perform an arboricultural survey on some mature ash trees suspected of Chalara die-back infection, and act on the recommendations. HIE have declined to perform the survey prior to sale, so DCT have commissioned the survey, and would propose requesting the asset transfer with a discount that includes the cost to enact on the recommendations. (Depending on the condition of the mature trees, removing them safely can be expensive). Part of the brief of the study was also to identify potential sites for housing associated with the crofts. 2 options were identified, and we have commissioned site surveys and flood risk assesments – particularly necessary as one of the options is near the burn opposite the LSHA houses and HIE workshops. These should be taking place in the next month or so.  This is the first opportunity DCT has had to acquire land to address the barriers that prevent young people, families and residents being unable to acquire land on which to live and work.      We will be in Dunvegan Hall on Saturday from 2-4pm to discuss the plans and the wider issues of land and housing, and we will be holding a vote at our AGM at 4pm to give members the opportunity to vote on whether we should proceed. We’ll have a copy of the following study on the day – please come along to have a chat about it.  Cruachan Feasibility and Business Plan

While the population of Scotland as a whole is aging, NW Skye is experiencing as more dramatic shift in terms of demographics than the rest of Skye and the highlands and Scotland in general. NW Skye, North Skye and Raasay have been designated ‘fragile areas’ in recent Scottish government research, but NW Skye’s population is experiencing a greater shift than both of these other fragile areas. Please read our report: Census Analysis 2024

Thanks to everyone who came along last Thursday to talk about beginning to develop a community action plan for the area! We had some copies of other groups’ action plans on hand to look at, but if you would like to read them in full we have the Links to them here:  Lochlash Community Action Plan Lochalsh Community Survey Report Lochalsh Youth Survey Report Applecross Land Use Plan Applecross Community Company Action Plan Struan Community Action Plan Struan Community Action Plan Summary Raasay Climate Action Plan There were 37 people in attendance on Thursday and there were constructive concerns raised – how do we make sure the resulting plan is put to good use and drives genuine change- and it is our collective responsibility to make sure it does. Also comments about what improvements to the area folk would like to see, urgent areas like paths which need attention before they deteriorate , and how we can harness the momentum of positive developments in Dunvegan like the new school and the park to develop new projects. A few folk put their names down to join a CAP working group to talk about next steps and develop a survey. If you are keen to get involved, or discuss any aspect of the process please email [email protected]. Suggested topics to cover in the plan were:  Local Amenities, Biodiversity and Invasives, Deer, Public Transport, Population retention, health and fitness facilities – all ages indoor/outdoor, community pub, access to the sea, help the ages, improved pathways, land, housing for young people, community seating area, adapting to climate change, sports clubs, wraparound childcare, foreshore, nature walks/ paths/cycleways for all, village appearance and tidiness, social spaces, adapting to an aging population. SO many topics can be covered, let’s thrash them all out!