Rosneath Peninsula West

Limited Company Number: SC380398Registered Charity Number:SC041983

MINUTES

Annual General Meeting – 26th November 2013 at 7:30pm at Cove Burgh Hall

Attendees

Directors in attendance: Alan Devenny, Derek Fowlis,Martin Aldridge, Arlene Cullum, Marianne McNeilage, Louise Young, Murdo MacDonald(Convener), Ann Bray, Malcolm Brown, Laurence Slavin, Paul Munro & Gwyn Simons.

A list of all attendees can be found at the end of these minutes.

a)Apologies

Dave Arnold, Jim & Margaret Blair, Sandra & Jeff Eaglestone, Richard Flannigan, Margaret & Neil Isaacs, John McMurtrie, Jane Pelly and Jane Wright.

b)Approval of the minutes of the Annual General Meeting of Rosneath Peninsula West Community Development Trust (RPW CDT) held on 9th November 2012, at Cove Burgh Hall

Proposed: Laurence Slavin, Seconded: Val Walker.

c)Convener’s report

Murdo MacDonald thanked the board of directors and members for all their efforts on behalf of our communityand added that we were fortunate to have a group of such talented individuals willing to devote their time to benefit their villages.

The Trust has been engaged in many activities throughout the year and colleagues will make their reports in due course. However, at the start of this year the Trust’s primary focus was the Cove Community Wind Farm and unfortunately the Trust was obliged to withdraw the planning application. This was because we were unable to secure an option and lease agreement with the landowners and we could not proceed through the planning meeting without such an agreement in place. Had planning permission been obtained in such circumstances, the Trust would have had no legal rightto the land and such an outcome had to be avoided.

Throughout this exercise the Trust had assistance from many outstanding people and gratitude is particularly expressed to:

Iona McDonald and her colleagues of Community Energy Scotland;

Keith Horner, the Landscape and Visual Impact Consultant;

Richard Kerr of Argyll & Bute Planning;

Gavin Catto, the technical advisor from Greencat Renewables;

Professor Cara Aitchieson for help with Tourism and Wind Farms;

David Bone, the lawyer at Harper MacLeod;

Neil Grey, of the Co-operative Bank;

Dr Gavin MacGregor of Northlight Heritage; and

Graham Campbell of Scottish Power.

The Trust was given support from MSPs fromall political parties including:

Mike MacKenzie, Stewart Maxwell, Stuart MacMillan, Annabelle Goldie, Patrick Harvie and Jackie Baillie.

Thanks was also given to the three Argyll & Bute Councillors; Rober McIntyre, Maurice Corry and George Freeman who went out of their way to assist the Trust’sendeavours.

Murdo MacDonald confirmed that the scheme did not succeed and went on to advise members that the board discussed in detail how to present that news to the community. It was decided to act in a manner that would avoidany further recriminations and todo everything possible to heal any scar tissue caused by the demise of the project, the best way to achieve this aim was agreed to be not to respond to reporting of the position. It was understood that directors might be criticised for so doing but it was believed it was the proper way to proceed.

This resulted in many questions from members in the audience, with some very supportive comments being made.

Harry Cathcart asked if deferment had been a possible way of a continuation being possible. It was pointed out that the landowners had deferred completion of the contract for many months. They had given no reason for doing so, and there was no indication that further deferment could achieve a positive outcome. The landowners had been fully aware of all the deadlines from funders and the board.

Ms Glover from Blairmore askedabout the validity of the wind data that had been recorded, and whether the initial feasibility study had been flawed.Murdo MacDonald answered that there was clearly a difference between the initial feasibility study (8m/sec), the wind data being quoted by the South Ailey Farm application (8m/sec) and that reported by the site anemometer analysis (6.7m/sec). As the analysis had been questioned by one of the turbine manufacturers, the board had decided to re-evaluate the data, but as the problems with the Option and Lease agreement had intervened, the board had not done so. The matter was now irrelevant.

Andrew Reid added his view of the negotiation with the landowners by reading a pre-prepared statement, and requested a copybe added to the minutes.Accordingly, a copy of Andrew Reid’s remarks is attached at the end of these minutes together with minutes of responses from Murdo MacDonald and Malcolm Brown.

Nick Davies (Community Council Chair) congratulated the directors for all their hard work and asked how the Trust planned to move forward from here. LaurenceSlavin explained that the board was attempting to identify suitable areas.

Bruce Jamieson asked about the possibility of smaller turbines? Murdo MacDonald answered that the land issue precluded any development on that site.

Alan Bray asked about the anemometer, Murdo MacDonald answered that an agreement had been reached with David Connell, a developer, who had agreed to remove the anemometer and make good the site. Mr Connell had been in touch with the landowner to make arrangements.

Simon Malzer asked the Convener to clarify the confidentiality agreements which prevented the Trust issuing full answers to every question. Murdo replied that turbine manufacturers and banks would not even open talks with the Trust unless we signed formal confidentiality documents. The competitive business reasons for this were obvious, as was the confidentiality necessary in talks with the landowners. The Trust had always adhered to these agreements.

d)Treasurer’s reportfor Financial Year Ending 30 June 2013 given by Laurence Slavin

Surplus and Reserves

Copies of the 2012/13 Financial Statements are available here tonight for you to view and they are also available to download on our website. They show a deficit for the year of £1,783, after taking into account all income and expenditure. This compares with a previous year surplus of £932. As at 30 June 2013, the Trust holds reserves of £204, a decrease in year of £1,783. The Trust has set a minimum level of £100 to be held in reserve to accommodate any unforeseen liabilities.

Expenditure

Total expenditure for the year was £50,835 (2011/12 £184,946) with the majority of this relating to the wind farm project (£48,703). The balance was made up of items such as the Sea Change festival, venue hire, supplies and miscellaneous administration costs.

Income

Total income in the year was £49,052 (2011/12 £185,878) with £48,499 of this being grant funding which was restricted to be used in accordance with restrictions imposed by the donor. The remainder was membership subscriptions and donations by the public and directors.

Net Assets

As at 30 June 2013 the trust’s balance sheet shows net assets of £203. This breaks down as current assets of £46,156 and current liabilities of £45,953. The fact that our current assets and liabilities are broadly equal reflects the fact that we are predominantly grant funded and therefore our liabilities to third parties are matched by the funding to be drawn down to pay these liabilities.

CURRENT POSITION - Balance Sheet as at 26 November 2013

Cash / £ 3,089.00
Debtors / Big Lottery Fund / £ 6,000.00
CARES / £ 15,656.34
Total Assets / £ 24,745.34
Creditors / Climate Challenge Fund / -£ 2,465.20
University of St Mark & John / -£ 6,552.24
Brodies Solicitors / -£ 2,953.20
Harper MacLeod / -£ 2,532.00
Members Fees / -£ 410.00
Short Term Loan / -£ 8,925.00
Total Liabilities / -£23,837.64
Net Assets / £ 907.70

Treasurer’s Comment

In the 3rd year of existence the Trust has returned a deficit. However, cumulatively over the 3 years we have returned a surplus. Financial security is assured by not entering into material liabilities without secure funding in place. Expenditure not covered by grant funding is minimal and as such the year end reserve of £203 and the net asset position and cash balance as at 26 November means the Trust is well placed to cope with any unforeseen costs.

This provides members with assurances that the Trust’s finances have been managed carefully and will continue to be so.

I would like to record my appreciation to everyone who has helped the Trust over the year either through generous donations or by donating their time and support.

e)Housing Group reportgiven by Murdo MacDonald

The Trust has also been working all year on our hopes to bring some affordable housing and some special needs housing for the peninsula. The Trust has done this in conjunction with Rosneath & Clynder Community Council, Dunbritton Housing Association and Argyll & Bute council. After several meetings this project is at the stage of designing an appropriate Housing Needs and Demand Survey Form which will be used to convince the Council that there is demand in this area. Thanks goes to all those on the Housing Group for bringing the Trust to this point.

f)Environment Group reportgiven by Ann Bray

The focus of the Development Trust has been on improving the foreshore in Cove and Kilcreggan. The knotweed is continuing to be treated but with the end of the windfarm project there will not be money to pay for the spraying. One positive is that there have been definite moves by some individual householders to improve the shore opposite their homes. This is an attitude we would endorse heartily.

Next year is the centenary of the Brownie Movement and to celebrate this, the Trust is co-ordinating work on one part of the foreshore known as “The Brownie Park”. The Brownies, Guides and Rainbows are planting about 1000 daffodils this weekend. Various village organisations will help with the work leading up to an event in the summer similar to one which took place in 1953.

We are grateful to Paul Wilson for grass cutting, Coveand Kilcreggan Trust who own the foreshore and Rosneath Peninsula Amenity Society. Finally wewould appeal for more volunteers to help when work parties are advertised.

g)Art Group reportgiven by Arlene Cullum

Background

The Arts Group was established in 2012 to meet the needs and aspirations as articulated by the community in the Community Action Plan May 2011. Specifically the Arts Group is tasked with the development of festivals organised by the local community to attract tourists to the Peninsula West area. As part of this, we see the role of involving more people in the area in arts and culture, as a way of fulfilling a social goal and civic function. We also recognise that there are other events developed in the area, such as the successful Real Ale Festival and this year’s new Cove Fringe, a three day event aimed at families with a ticketing policy which allowed a family ticket to all events, under 14's free and reduced prices for people coming to more than one. The Arts Group does not have a direct involvement in these events but has a link to some of these through membership and we will do all that we can to support them.

Detail

The Arts Group is a volunteer group chaired by Ruth Wishart and includes myself as Trust representative. Current members of the group are Lesley Carruthers, Stephen Adam, Julian Forrester, Nicola Jamieson and Gwyn Simons. We are ably assisted by a large number of volunteers who help by performing and/or assisting in running events. The number of volunteers from November 2012 to now is 80. I would like to thank them for their input, without which none of the work would have been possible.

From November 2012, the Arts Group has been focused on four things;

1. ‘Sea Change 2’ which took place in June 2013
2. Developing Sea Change 3 which will take place in June 2014
3. Developing a year round programme of arts and cultural events for the Trust’s area of operation for which we were shortlisted for a Creative Places award in December 2012
4. Developing a further year round programme of arts and cultural events in partnership with the whole peninsula andGarelochhead. This was submitted to Creative Scotland’s Creative Places Programme in August 2013.

Sea Change 2

Building on the positive feedback from our first Sea Change Festival in 2012, it was agreed that a second Sea Change should take place in 2013. This Festival happened over three days in June but involved local primary schools, Rosneath and Kilcreggan, in the run up to the event, as well as preparation time from our local performers.

The theme was coastal natural heritage and the June weekend consisted of various events andwascaptured on video and photography:

1. Friday 21stAn evening with Alison Turnbull at Cove Park
2. Saturday 22ndBike Parade, Schools Exhibition and prizes, Mermaid Café, The Little Mermaid + Sea Shanties join in performance by Joyce Falkner, Acadmie de Salsa
3. Sunday 23rdAlison Turnbull with the Taggarts at Linn Gardens, Mid-Summer Performances in the Park featuring the Peninsula Choir, Veronica Leer and Joyce Falkner and musicians Helen and Pippa Reid-Foster.

The total audience for events was 550, and anecdotal feedback has been extremely positive. We would like to take the opportunity to thank our sponsors for their involvement and donations to this Festival; in particular Cove Park who developed and ran Friday night and Sunday inspirational talks with Alison and the Taggarts, and Iain and Fiona McKellar who allowed us the use of their property, Parkhead Gardens, for the stunning performances by choir, actors and musicians.

Sea Change 3

We have been planning a draft programme for next year’s event which will take place Friday to Sunday 20th-22nd June 2014. This draft programme includes: working with local primary schools and Cove Park who are bringing a well-established artist to work with us; a Friday night BBQ; the Saturday morning parade, prizes, café and children’s entertainment; a tribute band; and a Sunday Brunch on the Beach mid-summer performances at Cove Bay.
We hope to both involve and provide entertainment for the community both before, and over this weekend. Before the weekend we’d like to encourage people to make their costumes and take part in drumming lessons, so that some of us can lead the parade.

Creative Places Award 2013

Late in 2012 we were selected to give a presentation to the Creative Places Board in Edinburgh which then led to us being chosen as finalists in the Creative Places Programme. Arlene Cullum, Laurence Slavin, Murdo MacDonald, and Simon Maltzer attended the award ceremony in St Andrews. Unfortunately for us, Pathhead Midlothian was the winners of our category which was for populations under 2,000 with an award potential of £50,000.

Creative Places Award 2014

This year we have been meeting and developing a programme of arts and cultural activity with groups across the whole peninsula and Garelochheadto submit a bid for a Creative Places Award 2014. We are in the category for populations under 10,000, with an award potential of £100,000 and have been shortlisted. The final decision will be announced at an awards ceremony in Kilmarnock in January 2014.

Conclusion

The Arts Group hasdelivered a successful festival for the peninsula in 2013. We also raised the profile of the peninsula with Creative Scotland by being chosen as a finalist in Creative Place’s Award 2013, and now again for the award for 2014. We would like to thank everyone who has helped us to achieve this on behalf of the community and hope that you will continue to take part.

h)Resolution 1: To receive the report of the directors and the independently examined accounts for the year ended 30th June 2013

Proposed: Louise Young, seconded: Paul Munro.

Resolution 1 was adopted.

i)The constitution of the RPW CDT requires that all directors retire at each AGM

Resolution 2: To re-elect as directors:

Martin Aldridge, nominated by Val Walker, seconded by Jim Young

Ann Bray, nominated by Arlene Cullum, seconded by Marianne McNeilage

Malcolm Brown, nominated by Laurence Slavin, seconded by Richard Reeve

Arlene Cullum, nominated by Paul Munro, seconded by Nick Davis

Alan Devenney, nominated by Paul Munro, seconded by Louise Young

Derek Fowlis, nominated by Alan Bray, seconded by Martin Aldridge

Murdo MacDonald, nominated by Ann Bray, seconded by Martin Aldridge

Marianne McNeilage, nominated by Laurence Slavin, seconded by Gwyn Simons

Paul Munro, nominated by Murdo MacDonald, seconded by Alan Devenny

Jane Pelly, nominated by Louise Young, seconded by Martin Aldridge

Gwyn Simons, nominated by Richard Reeve, seconded by Derek Fowlis

Laurence Slavin, nominated by Val Walker, seconded by Arlene Cullum

Louise Young, nominated by Ann Bray, seconded by Martin Aldridge.

Resolution 2 was adopted in full.