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BLACK ISLE LOCAL PLACE PLAN UPDATE
Your Cromarty & District Community Council (C&DCC) has been in detailed discussions with the other Black Isle Community Councils (BICC) over agreeing a Governance section for the Black Isle Place Plan (BIPP), that has already been registered with the Local Place Plan (LPP) department of the Highland Council (HC), following lengthy consultations with communities across the Black Isle.
In order to create a Governing Body to carry the BIPP forward, that is democratic, accountable and transparent, the BICC is working closely with HC, the Plan authors and well-respected independent experts. To achieve this, draft Terms of Reference for the BICC will be completed by early July, and this will enable the BICC to appoint an independent Chair in a proposed Governance section to be added to the already LPP registered BIPP. This is being fully supported by HC Officers who are keen for this BIPP structure to lead the way across the Highlands in establishing a democratic, accountable and transparent Plan that others can follow.
Once the full details have been agreed and registered, the C&DCC will start a process of identifying how Cromarty’s needs are met by consulting with everyone in town to develop a Cromarty Community Action Plan that works in partnership with the BIPP to achieve the best results for our Town. Further updates will appear, as they are known, in future Newsletters and on this website. So ‘watch this space’.
If you have a question or comments, please email us on cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com. Thank you.
USE OF THE LINKS FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS
As we continue to think positively about being able to organise more community events, we thought it a good idea to remind folk that the C&DCC runs a booking system for the use of the Links.
To avoid planning issues, on behalf of the landowner Cromarty Estate, we are allowed to open the Links for a limited number of occasions each year, to facilitate community events. However not any events that include commercial gain.
The booking calendar is managed by our Secretary, Claire Fraser, who can be contacted either directly or on the C&DCC email cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com, with any proposal to hold such an event.
GREEN AND FOOD WASTE BINS IN CROMARTY (or LACK OF THEM!)
At the April C&DCC meeting we asked the Highland Councillor present to find out why Cromarty residents are not included in the THC uplifts of Green waste (brown bins) and Food waste that seem to be available for all of the Black Isle but NOT Cromarty and Resolis, despite the fact that we all have to pay the same Council Tax bills!
The following answer was received and is obviously very disappointing! Its contents will be discussed further at our 27th May meeting.
All monies for bins comes from the Scottish Government, and not the Highland Council, and these funds are limited and cannot be used to create all waste services for all Highland Council communities. Therefore THC have to decide how far this funding reaches. The Black Isle is included unless you live in Cromarty or Resolis.
Food Waste (Cromarty)
"Part of the recycling improvement funds provides an opportunity to double the number of households that currently have access food waste, this includes around 15,000 properties in Ross and Cromarty, Alness, Avoch, Conon Bridge, Culbokie, Evanton, Dingwall, Fortrose, Invergordon, Maryburgh, Muir of Ord, Munlochy, North Kessock, Rosemarkie and Strathpeffer. I don’t anticipate a position where we will be able to extend food waste collection further. at least in the short to medium term."
Garden Waste
"Unfortunately Cromarty falls out with the brown bin collection area, we will always make every effort support one-off community clean-ups but a solution which addresses routine collections of garden waste from householders is more challenging. Composting organic waste at home or within the community does offer an opportunity to manage household garden waste efficiently, and when used it will provide the most environmental benefits, I concede it will not be for everyone, but it should be considered as best practice. It is likely many Cromarty residents will have a range of ways to manage garden waste which already avoids garden waste entering the residual waste stream."
This only adds to problems residents are experiencing following recent THC recycling and bin changes which are proving to be challenging. Further updates to follow.