A charitable trust in the Cairngorms is considering its options for community land ownership in and around Glenmore.
A public meeting held last night in Aviemore heard from Aviemore and Glenmore Community Trust (AGCT) that while it may have been ruled out of running a local campsite for now – it wasn’t taking “no” lying down.
In September, AGCT was rejected in a bid to run Glenmore Campsite by owners Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS).
A public meeting held last night offered trust directors “huge support” to keep knocking at FLS’s door to consider what could come into community ownership.
Trust was not shortlisted
The group’s previous bid for the lease of Glenmore Campsite had been given the backing of Cairngorms National Park Authority and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, but in the end was not even shortlisted as one of the three final bidders.
An online campaign to fund the tender process raised £5,785.
FLS asked for offers over £315,000 for the purchase of the lease, and expected an annual rent of £190,000. The lease is for 15years.
The successful bidder has not been named by FLS.
The lease was one of three FLS campsites advertised in May.
They are on land previously leased by The Camping and Caravanning Club.
The other two are on Loch Lomondside and at Cobleland, near Aberfoyle.
More than 80 locals came to a public meeting
AGCT director Mike Dearman said the knock back had strengthened the community.
He said: “More than 80 locals came along to our public meeting last night.
“Many of them are still surprised that with the backing we had from public bodies that we were not considered by FLS.
“We had hoped that FLS might be open to an asset transfer, but we do not think that is likely in the short timescale that we have.
“We are now running out of options to pursue with FLS, but we are still trying a few avenues. We have the support of the community to do that.”
He said taking all things into consideration, including the impact of the busy Loch Morlich area and social problems such “dirty” camping and roadside parking – the group were likely to be interested in looking at community land ownership in and around Glenmore.
He said: “Glenmore, as an area, is popular but what is offered has not changed much in the last 20 years.
“There have been lots of consultations about problems, but they have gone nowhere.
“We would like to see something much more sustainable in place for the area. So that is the starting point.
“It is very positive just thinking about what any future offer could be.
“The meeting was very positive and people wanted to find a way forward where we as the people who live here become more involved with the area, and how it is managed.
“It will take a bit longer to think about how we do that, and what we are looking at.”
AGCT is a not for profit entity. Its directors are voluntary.
£3.5million lost to local community
Campaigner and author Cameron Neish called up the Scottish Government to intervene to help the trust.
Shocking that @ForestryLS are selling the lease of Glenmore Campsite near Aviemore to a commercial operator rather than a bid from the local community. It's the equavalent of selling a house as a second home rather than sell to a local family. @scotgov should intervene asap.
— Cameron McNeish (@CameronMcNeish) October 6, 2022
In a post on Twitter, he said: “Shocking that @ForestryLS are selling the lease of Glenmore Campsite near Aviemore to a commercial operator rather than a bid from the local community.
“It’s the equivalent of selling a house as a second home rather than sell to a local family. @scotgov should intervene asap.”
A FLS spokesman said: “At the start of this process, all 11 interested parties were advised on the form that bids should take, the elements that should be included and how all of those would be evaluated.
“All eleven parties accepted this and were happy to participate on this basis.
“Securing best value for the public purse meant that commercial considerations were involved.
“However, of equal importance were future plans for the campsite and how these would align with FLS objectives to make positive contributions to the local tourism economy and the community.
He added: “The three bidders that scored highest across all the criteria were shortlisted, with the eventual successful bid being the most well-rounded overall package that delivered highly against all required criteria.
“An additional important factor was assessing bidders’ readiness to begin operating the campsite by December 1 both to ensure the continued employment of site staff, and to ensure continuation of service to customers.
“The preferred bidder was best able to demonstrate this capability.”
He added: “We are aware that AGCT is disappointed that it was unsuccessful.
“However, we believe that the trust shares with us some common objectives regarding the local community and its involvement in providing local services.
“We believe that there are other opportunities in and around the Glenmore area that we would like to explore with them and have offered a further meeting with the trust to consider these options.”
What else do AGCT do?
AGCT works to develop and deliver projects which benefit the whole community and visitors alike. Our current projects are:-
- Aviemore Glenmore Corridor Shuttle Bus – pilot a shuttle bus service to better connect the Aviemore and Glenmore corridor.
- Aviemore Ice Rink – to develop the ice rink from recreational ice to sports ice. To see the return of all ice sports, including curling, ice hockey and ice skating, and to be able to welcome back ice tournaments and events.
- Dalfaber Community Park – the trust is at the early stages of an asset transfer application with Highland Council for land on Dalfaber Drive.
- Cairngorm Mountain – develop a framework for community ownership.
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