DEVELOPMENT MANAGER'S AND PROJECT OFFICER'S MONTHLY REPORTS

Development Manager's Report September 07

Development Manager’s Report

Prepared for AF Board Meeting on 13th September 2007



Housing
Ledbeg. We have had valuation surveys undertaken at a cost within our original budget. The reports are favourable. Most of the work suggested is what we expected; re-window, re-wire, re-plumb, install central heating?, and re-line walls and ceilings. The roof is sound though, but it has been suggested that the suspended floors are replaced with concrete. The before Vs after valuation difference is £65K.

Inveruplan. We have been notified by the agent of the name of the valuer who will perform the valuation and this should happen any day soon. Once completed will have 28 days to conduct a public ballot to gauge support for a Community Purchase.
Highland Small Communities Housing Trust (HSCHT). Two HSCHT representatives ran an Affordable Housing Surgery during the afternoon and evening of 13th Sept to quantify the size and nature of demand for housing in the area. This will inform the future scale, direction, and nature of our housing policy.
Housing Sub-committee. Rural Properties renovation grant – Peter to report current position.

From previous Board meeting: Sub- committee needs to be directed by AF Board to produce a draft of criteria by which prospective tenants (initially for Ledbeg) are selected. What progress?

Renewables
The pre-inaugural meeting of ACRES was held on Tue 11th Sept. It was agreed that a group would be set up under the auspices of the Assynt Economic Development Association (AEDA). The AEDA chairman explained after the meeting that a possible first step would be for the AEDA to identify interested parties and groups and invite each of them to nominate a representative to sit on a panel. The list of nominees and those declining the invitation would be published along with a request for suggested additional invitees. The possibility of a working sub-group and the makeup of any review panel would be discussed at a well-publicised open meeting.

Lodge
See Adam’s PO report.
More furniture has been offered to us from a number of sources. Collection of which is still to be arranged. We must address the potential problem of where (if?) to store the existing Lodge furniture during the renovation.
There are a few fairly minor works to be done. Some may be tackled by staff and directors and or staff. (cabinets, kennels, plumbing)

We have had a constructive meeting with a representative of an ethical bank concerning the possibility of a loan to aid cash flow and cover the shortfall for the lodge redevelopment project.

Boathouse
Seems to be up and running well and both trainees now settled. Cooker installed.
Stalking/Venison/DMP
A new outbreak of Foot & Mouth has been reported some 30 miles from the original outbreak. As yet I have not found out about any restrictions.

SNH
We have been asked by SNH to have regular (every 6 months) meetings to update on progress etc. SNH are happy that the Management Plan draft will soon be available for discussion. Two Directors spent a happy morning in the driving rain with an SNH representative, discussing blocking of old field drains as part of our commitment to blanket bog restoration. The Directors were also shown a good site for Bog Orchids.

Forestry Commission
Two Directors and I spent a day with a representative of FCS, again in the driving rain, inspecting the regeneration in our woodland grant scheme areas along the south shore of Loch Assynt. I am very pleased to report that the FCS is very happy with the majority of the regeneration that is now establishing. No little thanks should go to those who contributed to last year’s stalking efforts. Whilst there are still some open patches our current view, supported by FC, is that current regeneration is likely to repopulate these areas without the need to “beat up”. If needs be we can go in at a future date and make good if the anticipated regeneration does not occur.
JMT
JMT requested some small additions to our original wording of the Management Agreement. We made a minor amendment to simplify the position and this was accepted by JMT. This should trigger payment of this year’s grant from them.
SERPID / SEERAD
Our Land Management Contract (Menu Scheme) claim form, for footpath, and footbridge work and for woodland visits, was returned within deadline and has been acknowledged. We await notification of any adjustment that may be required following scrutiny and checking.
Land Management
I await an example “Short/Medium Tenancy Agreement” draft from our Solicitor to adjust and pass to the Land management sub-group and the prospective tenant for comment. Initial discussions have suggested an agreeable rental figure.

For insurance purposes, particularly in view of our two new trainee deerstalkers, we should agree a formal policy for vehicle usage. A draft policy has been circulated. This will enable us to ensure efficient usage of vehicles and hopefully contain costs.

Elphin School
Chair to update.
Inveruplan
We had a very useful meeting with representatives from CKD Galbraith and I have subsequently had a letter from them confirming what was discussed. It is the wish of the Glencanisp and Drumrunie Deer Forest Trust for the Foundation to remove its registered interest in various parcels of land in
its ownership. This we are unwilling to do. We are happy to discuss the option of not exercising our rights afforded by our registered interests. To this end we have been invited to propose a “package” of benefits that we would accept in recognition of not exercising our rights in a given instance. I have still to write to CKD Galbraith with details of our proposal.

Conferences and Courses Etc
• Twenty-Twenty Summer School: for Scotland's Social Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow 20-23 September – Update Claire Ford
• HICEC 3rd Annual Conference and Networking Event 15–17 Oct, Sleat, Isle of Skye.

The Walled Garden
We have had a meeting with the new representative from “Health & Happiness” and will shortly receive and update on their current thinking. I anticipate that this will allow the development of new proposals for implementation in the New Year. In the meantime I am aware of developments with regard to the existing arrangements for the Garden and am confident this will be resolved in the near future.

Communications
After the failure of our broadband router and an inadequate response from our provider we investigated our contract with them and what was available from other ISPs. We have opted to transfer to a different company. This should provide us with a better service, a significant saving in cost, and a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) phone. The new router and connection should be up and running next week. We will then address the problem of changing our e-mail addresses to ones based on our Domain name. This will mean that should we wish to change ISP in the future we will not have to change any e-mail addresses. I have purchased two additional domain names that will be donated to the Foundation. It would be very easy to set up new e-mail addresses based on either of these domains (assyntfoundation.org.uk and assyntfoundation.ltd.uk)

Finances
These will be dealt with under a separate heading at the end of the meeting;

Income and Expenditure workbook attached. This is our position at the end of August. I suggest that the first spreadsheet within the workbook (titled P&L Account) is the most easily digested.

Our financial position is reasonably healthy with grant from JMT due shortly. Reserves are split fairly evenly between AF’s High Interest Account and A.Biz’s Current Account. There is however no room for complacency and our surplus income for new projects or purchases is meagre. For future ease of preparing accounts and for our own monitoring I propose spending time with the accountant to revise (if necessary) the format of financial recording. As part of this I propose to split Land Management income and expenditure more clearly from the Lodge & Other income and expenditure. It is my view that, including the land management grants that any conventional landowner would be entitled to receive, our Land Management activities should be at least self sufficient if not capable of generating a reasonable surplus.

I am pleased to report that our books etc for 2006/07 are now with the accountant and will be audited in due course. This does mean that they have all our bank statements for this year for a few days more in which time they will take authorised copies. I hope to have audited accounts returned to us at the end of September/early October.


Mark Lazzeri
11th September 2007