In 2021 and 2022, IKDT secured funding to construst 1.79KM of brand new road connecting the North and South of the island. This project has been in the pipeline for many decades and has connected up the two different communities and is allowing our island to thrive as one. Just after we have secured the funding for the 2nd stage of the project, the tar topping, war broke out in Ukraine. Apart from the obvious humanitarian crisis, this had an instant impact on the price of all the raw materials required for surfacing. It meant we had to scale stage 2 back and make do with tarring the new built section of the road with a single layer of tar and leave approx 500 metres of road in an unbound, farm track state. Our plan for stage 2 had been to deliver 2 layers of tar over the new road (1.79km) and the 500m of existing road when we could petition the council to adopt the road as it connects up the existing council road to several council tax paying households. As it stands, while the road is in use and is hugely beneficial to life on the island however the maintenance burden on IKDT is not ideal. The council will not consider adoption until the road is brought up to the standard we had planned for stage 2 so we are hoping to complete the job. Adoption is key to the long term future of the road and indeed to whole community as it will allow unfettered access to all including vital services, emergency vehicles and access to the lifeline ferry service. The surfacing could be delivered in one week but the effects would be felt for generations to come. We would hope to continue the excellent working relationship with A&B Roads department to help deliver the best value for money possible.

IDI has set aside an initial 25 acres of Cornabus Community Forest to deliver housing, a Community Orchard, Garden and allotments for the community. 

In 2021 we carried out extensive consultation on the proposed development site within the now community owned Cornabus Forest. Formerly a commercial Sitka Spruce plantation, the whole site will eventually be replanted with native broadleaf to replicate the Atlantic Rainforest once prevalent on Islay, delivering significant biodiversity benefits but also on the community wish list from the consultation was housing for young people, allotments, an orchard and forest trails and a garden areas. 

The project will endeavour to add social and environmental value to the site and also create a space for community members and groups to enjoy. In 2020 Islay lost it's well-known community garden at Islay House, due to the property being sold on the open market. This was a much loved and used community space. Although the site at Cornabus is not a walled garden, extensive research on other forest garden initiatives was carried out in 2022 - including visits to Royal Botanical Society managed forests and formal garden spaces, such as Benmore and Puck's Glen. The intention is to take some elements of the old community garden site and duplicate them and the new, with lots of additional features.

The project is highly ambitious, and the first stage of funding has been secured from Inspiring Scotland for development of the tree nursery site where we will grow the replacement trees.  Secondary funding has come from Carbon Neutral Islands, specifically to create some of the infrastructure and assist with a circular economy approach to fuel wood supply on the island at affordable rates. 

This is a lifetime legacy project that will create a destination for outdoor enjoyment but also offer a range of solutions to the socio-economic challenges that the island faces with a strong focus on becoming Carbon Neutral. Islay is in a housing crisis and the addition of 10 affordable houses will help address some of those issues. To ease pressure on the Grid, the project also comes with it’s own district heating system using the remaining Sitka Spruce on site as a fuel source, a wind turbine and solar panels.  

The finished project will deliver a host of positive benefits including but not limited to:

• Employment
• Affordable Housing
• Circular Economy approach/local fuel
• Community garden
• Allotments
• Carbon capture in new tree planting
• Significant destination space for locals and visitors alike.

The project will link into Argyll College, Islay High School, Youth Initiative and employability. Partners and funders will be Scottish Government – Rural and Islands Housing Fund, Argyll and Bute Council and National Lottery. Community group usage will be open to all groups on the island and will link into national networks such as Community Woodlands Association, Scottish Islands Federation and Community Tree Nursery Network.

The new sports facility will be suitable for all weather conditions and will enable the playing of various sports on the same surface, including five-a-side football, netball, basketball, and shinty practice.

The Jura Community Development Plan, produced by the Jura Development Trust, highlights the necessity for improved youth and recreational facilities on the Island and concludes that further investigation is required regarding the preferred nature of these facilities.

Developing community-owned and managed assets is strongly supported by national and local policy.

This proposal meets RCGF criteria:  supporting locally developed, place-based regeneration projects that involve local communities, helping to tackle inequalities and improving the economic, social and physical environment of deprived, disadvantaged and fragile remote communities across Scotland. It is community led, addresses market failure (inadequate parking and outdoor event space) and will result in strong regeneration outcomes.

The Rockfield Centre is owned and run by Oban Communities Trust, a Community Benefit Society run by and for its members and the wider community. It sits within c. 2000 m2 of old playpark, currently used as a car park

What will your project do? The project will re-surface the existing outdoor space surrounding The Rockfield Centre, resulting in a safe, smooth surfaced area which can be used to bring the community together through large-scale outdoor events, create economic additionality by unlocking new potential for town centre events, and contribute to ongoing town-centre carparking demand.

Why is your project needed? In the recent past, The Rockfield Centre's outdoor space has been used for a range of outdoor events from the Clipper food and drink village (July 2024) and the centre's Spring Festival (June 2025), whilst day-to-day it contributes ~ 50 spaces to the town centre parking supply - a critical resource during peak season. However, the space is badly in need of resurfacing, both to ensure its future as a carparking resource and to enable its use as a safe and accessible community gathering space. 

What positive changes will your project bring about? We belive that this project will unlock huge potential for outdoor events within Oban town centre, with benefits for business, local charities, and the wider community. Our strategic planning has identified a need within the Oban town centre area for a flexible and adaptable outdoor space that can be used by community groups for a wide range of activities - including markets, concerts, festivals, and outdoor theatre. Our outdoor space is the ideal location for holding these events as it is enclosed, easy to secure, and removes the need for disruptive and costly road closures which would be highly advantageous in a town which regularly experiences traffic flow issues and can struggle with capacity at peak times. We believe that Oban and the wider community will benefit from this project as it will open up opportunities which have otherwise not been considered, as there is no alternative suitable town centre area that can offer these facilities. This project will allow these opportunities to be fully explored and realised. The Rockfield Centre is strategically placed at the heart of the town, and is open to all. We have a track record of successfully delivering exciting, inclusive, and novel community-focussed events alongside large contracted projects, and are fully commited to working collabaratively and building strength through partnerships.

How long will your project run for?  Once funding is in place, the works could be completed quickly with actual disruption to the space kept to 2-3 weeks. We estimate the cost to be £60k (based on quotes obtained in summer 2024). We aim to have this work completed by the end of 2025.

The Problem

Our petrol station is threatened with closure due to retirement of the owners, and the business case for a commercial purchase is very weak. We are likely to end up with no fuel within 24 miles (and more for the isolated parts of our district). If people are forced to travel out of the area for fuel, they will tend to do all their shopping on the same trip, affecting other local shops and businesses . Carbon emissions will increase as people are forced to travel at least 48 miles round trip for fuel, over single-track mountain roads. Even running garden tools will become problematic, and our local Life Boat and volunteer Fire Service will have problems with adequate supply.

The Solution

This type of scenario is a perfect fit for a community enterprise response: improving the resilience and sustainability of the local area; providing opportunities for business and employment; and helping our community plan ahead for the switch to electric vehicles. We need a community-owned petrol station to secure fuel supplies in the area in the medium-term, install charging points, create business units for rent, and refurbish the historic building as a community transport and resilience hub. Having run two community consultations in the past two years we know that people will continue to need fuel for the next 10 - 15 years, that there is demand for workshop spaces for small businesses and that the petrol station building (a former Victorian pier house) has a high heritage value for the local community.

Opportunities

Since consulting on the community purchase of the petrol station, we have a had two direct approaches from potential workshop tenants. One local community group has a waiting list of small businesses looking for premises, so the creation of new work units would have a positive impact on the local economy. With joint support from the Scottish Land Fund we would be able to employ a Project and Transition Manager, tasked with delivering improvements to the building, installation of charging points and other renewables measures, managing the workshop spaces and developing our plans for electric community transport. We see many benefits arising from this project as well as securing a vital service.

Current Stage of Planning

We are about to apply to the Scottish Land Fund for support in meeting the purchase price and employing a part-time member of staff. Other funds will come from applications to charitable trusts and the Scottish Government, a community share issue and our own resources. We have a clear idea of the costs of the building refurbishment and the replacment of the fuel pumps with card payment models. Support to install charging points will be our other target for the early stages after our community purchase and there are several possible sources of funding.

Longer Term Goals

The move away from fossil fuels is envrionmentally and socially necessary. Climate change is driving a rise in the number of destructive weather events - Storm Eowyn resulted in a five-day power cut for the district. Our scattered population has a very high percentage of older people and the lack of power and communication was very concerning for them. In bringing the petrol station to community ownership we are not blind to the impact of carbon emissions and their effect on community resilience and environmental sustainability.

Although it may seem paradoxical, our purchase of the petrol station will help in lowering carbon emissions by removing the need for unnecessary journeys of around 50 miles. It will protect local services by keeping a point of sale in the area. It will make the district more secure in providing a storage space for emergency resilience supplies (like camping stoves and satellite phones to be used in future storms). It will allow us to install charging points and solar panels. It will bring a restoration of the adjoining pier into consideration as a tourist and leisure resource for swimming and boating. It will give us a site to base the community transport project that was viewed so favourably in our 2023 community survey. All of these achievable goals mean that the community buy-out will be benefiting the area long after the need to sell fossil fuels is gone.

What we want to do - Lorn and Oban Reuse Initiative (LORI) is our long-standing furniture reuse project based in Oban, serving communities for over 15 years. The project, which aims to achieve a Zero Waste society, diverts furniture, household goods and electricals etc. into reuse and before [these] unwanted items enter the waste hierarchy. In the last 12 months, LORI has supported over 11500 customers including businesses, individuals and families. Those in poverty and personal crisis, those displaced by war in Ukraine and communities challenged by the ongoing cost of living crisis. “Such a fantastic way to reduce wasting perfectly good products. Furniture is top quality and the staff I met were friendly, welcoming and incredibly helpful.” CustomerThis is an exciting period for our charity, as we are planning a major expansion of our work to enable us to better support the growing number of people who come to us for help. Our plans are well advanced including planning consent and building warrant for the proposed improvements and renewals to increase available floor space to meet the growing demand for reuse goods. GRAB has set aside reserves to contribute to the cost of these improvements.Under this grant we propose to move forward rapidly with the project. Available match funding already secured will support project management and admin resources and back LORI during any disruption to trade while improvements take place. Under this grant, captal funds will be deployed to prepare groundworks and the foundations to accommodate new modular buildings, the purchase of new buildings to replace derelict and delapidated units and much-needed welfare facilities. And extensive refurbishment to an existing building.    Why the project is needed - In Argyll and Bute, landfill accounts for around half of the Council’s annual production of Carbon Dioxide equivalent emissions (CO2e). (Source: Argyll and Bute Council Decarbonisation Plan 2021). Positive changes will the project bring about - Planet – Tackling the climate emergency, LORI reduces landfill; 45% of greenhouse gases come from products we use and purchase. Saving valuable resources from landfill, LORI reduces the communities’ carbon footprint and cuts emissions.  In Oban and Lorn approx. 858 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste is produced each year.  Currently just over 10% or 86 tonnes is diverted through reuse by The GRAB Trust.  People – supporting local people and creating jobs, LORI supports communities to utilise existing resources, LORI has steadily increased volumes diverted from landfill each year; diverting over 450 tonnes from landfill in the last 8 years. The initiative sustains 7 jobs and 12 regular volunteers.  Pounds – Strengthening the circular economy we offer low cost, high quality furniture and homewares to everyone as a sustainable, low cost alternative to buying new.  LORI supports the Circular Economy by keeping existing resources in use for longer and our not-for-profit community enterprise now recirculates over £120,000 in our communities annually. Reducing the tax burden, LORI decreases landfill tax, saving local taxpayers over £8,000 annually. Place – engaging and empowering communities LORI is a place where ideas flourish. We support community groups and partners in the third sector. We help businesses like cafes, hotels and Air B&B furnish their premises.  We help communities to share and to learn new skills; reusing and repairing is a creative way to try new things, gain useful skills, appreciate what we already have and find new uses to make the most of it.  GRAB is part of Circular Communities Scotland Share and Repair Network and LORI is a source for tools for makers and craftsmen - keeping traditions alive.Our renewals project at LORI will ensure communities are supported for years to come - increase available floorspace by 80%, introduce welfare facilities for staff and volunteers and extend product lines – the new provision of running water at the site will open up the possibility of testing white goods (washing machines & dishwashers) for example. With increased floorspace LORI will better serve the growing demand for reuse, further reduce landfill and offer increased support to the circular economy in Oban and Lorn.   

What do you want to do?

Build a wet weather and indoor sports hall next to the Island playing fields at Garmony, near Craignure.

A healthy lifestyle is essential for the well being of a community. A core pillar of attaining health is access to physical activity. Over the past 20 years there has been a dramatic weather change on our island. Gone are the frosty days and snow covered mountains. During winters it rains most days and is often stormy. As a direct result of this sports participation on Mull has fallen away at an alarming rate. The proposed project is to construct a desperately needed Wet Weather Sports Hall. The project has significant support from throughout Mull. This was reinforced by active participation by our Community Council who submitted our application for full planning permission. This facility will be available for all to use. The Mull Rugby Club will be in full consultation with Sportscotland on a fair and equitable way to manage the facility. 

Why is your project needed?

There is no wet weather or indoor sports hall on Mull. As Mull is an island people cannot travel to facilities elsewhere without difficulty. They must be provided locally. 

Apart from greatly improving life on Mull this project will be invaluable to existing community sports groups, create opportunities for new organisations and, hopefully, re-establish some we have lost. Many events are organised at the Garmony playing fields but with the increase in inclement weather these often have to be cancelled on the day of the event. For example our island sports day has now been abandoned after many disruptions due to weather. It cannot proceed on wet grass. This was sole destroying for all involved. A cancellation causes great disruption to island life due to difficulties of communication as children are travelling by a variety of methods from up to 40 miles away and in different directions. With the hall this event could move inside if it was raining. The hall would also give our indoor athletes a suitable premises and allow them to have well catered home events on Mull. At last Mull would have a full sized basketball court and could, for the first time, play home games and join leagues. The facility would mean evening training for all sports could always go ahead no-matter the weather. Multiple badminton courts would provide an exciting and competitive space. It will even accommodate a tennis court for our keen players. It is heart breaking to record that the once very active Isle of Mull Football Association is no longer in existence. There is still a strong football presence on Mull and this facility will provide an indoor pitch giving an gateway to football participation in all weathers. And finally our own club, the Isle of Mull Rugby Club has seen a drastic decrease in player numbers over recent years. Training is almost always in wet, cold windy weather. This is disheartening for the players and leads to more injuries as the fitness to participate is diminished.

What positive changes will your project bring about?

This project will enrich life on the Island of Mull.

For the active participants the wet weather hall will provide a comfortable environment. This results in higher skill levels and increasing participation. For voluntary officials it will enhance achievement and remove the demoralising effect of bad weather. For communities it will encourage supporting roles and family involvement across all sports and leisure activities. The project also aligns with many lifestyle priorities. Well-being is improved. A tailored space protected from a hostile environment encourages diversity and inclusion for all. Try running a fun day in horizontal rain and our use of words becomes well chosen as only the hardy participate. Performance is improved across all age groups and skill levels leading to enhanced personal satisfaction.

It is highly probable that a project of this nature will encourage local families to stay on Mull and remove barriers to decisions on whether to move to our island. It is therefore considered that the project will have a positive impact on the population of our island. The Mull Community Council was unanimous in its support of the project.

By situating this project at Garmony it becomes part of a prooven sports destination. The Isle of Mull Rugby Sevens takes place at Garmony and this event has attracted teams from as far away as America with four figure attendances each year. Members and players of visiting teams and organisations will find the experience of using the facility highly rewarding.

How long will your project run for?

This project is stage three of the long term development of sports facilities at Garmony on the Isle of Mull.

Out of a need for playing facilities the Isle of Mull Rugby Club decided to embark on a long term development of sports facilities for the island. There were none available on Mull. An island survey by Tobermory High School selected Garmony as it was in a central position on Mull and was situated between the two main ferry terminals of Craignure and Fishnish.

Stage 1 Building a two pitch sports field from scratch on waste ground. Successfully completed.

Stage 2 Building changing rooms and community club house with kitchen. Successfully completed.

Stage 3 Building a wet weather facility. This objective was always planned but has become a matter of urgency in recent years. We project a start date and completion in 2026

The existing Garmony facilities are available for all to use. They also receive no revenue support and are fully self-supporting financially. We anticipate the same for Stage 3.

In 2021 and 2022, IKDT secured funding to construst 1.79KM of brand new road connecting the North and South of the island. This project has been in the pipeline for many decades and has connected up the two different communities and is allowing our island to thrive as one. Just after we have secured the funding for the 2nd stage of the project, the tar topping, war broke out in Ukraine. Apart from the obvious humanitarian crisis, this had an instant impact on the price of all the raw materials required for surfacing. It meant we had to scale stage 2 back and make do with tarring the new built section of the road with a single layer of tar and leave approx 500 metres of road in an unbound, farm track state. Our plan for stage 2 had been to deliver 2 layers of tar over the new road (1.79km) and the 500m of existing road when we could petition the council to adopt the road as it connects up the existing council road to several council tax paying households. As it stands, while the road is in use and is hugely beneficial to life on the island however the maintenance burden on IKDT is not ideal. The council will not consider adoption until the road is brought up to the standard we had planned for stage 2 so we are hoping to complete the job. Adoption is key to the long term future of the road and indeed to whole community as it will allow unfettered access to all including vital services, emergency vehicles and access to the lifeline ferry service. The surfacing could be delivered in one week but the effects would be felt for generations to come. We would hope to continue the excellent working relationship with A&B Roads department to help deliver the best value for money possible.