The New Luce Community Trust aims to create a more positive, prosperous, and attractive community for New Luce. The Trust was formed to manage projects funded through local windfarm monies, and is run by local volunteers. For the next 25 years, the community is due to receive payments of around £250,000 per annum. This is a substantial sum of money for a small community and represents a real opportunity to invest in the local area. There are obviously limitations for what the funding can be spent on - the Trust will be sending out full details shortly, but if you have any questions please contact Sharon on sharon@newlucect.org.
In the Autumn - Winter of 2016, we conducted a community consultation to understand what local people wanted to see happening, and what the priorities were for investing in the area. This research led to a Community Action Plan for New Luce, with six key priorities. These were winter fuel payments, underused buildings, community transport, green spaces, mobile phone mast, and community broadband.
In the last year, we have been working hard to deliver the priority projects for the community:
- we have employed a part time Development Officer to help deliver projects
- we have started winter fuel payments
- we have partly funded the construction of the playpark (due to be finished in August this year)
- we have undertaken consultation to establish a community transport scheme
- we are working to improve broadband and mobile reception in the area
- developing and improving our green spaces
The next project we are working on focuses on the buildings and assets in New Luce Village - the pub, the shop, the church, and the memorial hall. The future of these four buildings came through very strongly in the community consultation last year, and there are clearly a range of different ways to move forwards. Each building has unique characteristics and is suited to different uses. We want to understand how they can best work together to meet local need.
There is currently strong political support across Scotland for communities to take on ownership of land and buildings - this is supported by the Community Land Reform Act, and through grant funding dispensed by the Scottish Land Fund. There is therefore an opportunity for the people of New Luce - if local people wanted it, the Trust could use grant funding combined with windfarm monies to acquire (or lease?) and develop one (or more?) buildings for the benefit of the community.
The Trust is keen to ensure that any project (particularly one of this scale) is led by local people, and will have genuine community benefit. It will also need to be sustainable beyond the 25yrs of windfarm money. We don't expect a project in one building would mean that any other would close.
In order to support us, we have commissioned independent consultants, Community Enterprise. An initial consultation was held on 2nd May - 40 local people attended to share their early thoughts and ideas. The questions below are based on what you told us at that event.
This survey will inform a feasibility study to look at the best options for the community, and suggest a viable future for the buildings in New Luce. We will hold another community meeting at the end of June, at which Community Enterprise will present their findings and local people will get the chance to give feedback on the options and ideas.
All information gathered will be treated in the strictest confidence. Paper copies of this questionnaire are being posted out to everyone with a stamped addressed envelope. We would like you to tell us what you think by completing and returning this survey directly to the Consultants.
The survey can also be accessed online at https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/NewLuce and will be open until 15th June 2018.