As members of the community are already aware, the community application to buy the walled garden was submitted by the FCS deadline and is about to be scrutinised by an Independent Panel of Advisors. As part of that scrutiny, Penny Cousins, Independent Panel Member and Malcolm Wield and Gordon Donaldson of Forestry Commission Scotland, visited the garden on 2nd September and spoke with Trust Directors. They also had access to the village survey responses.
Trust Convenor, Dennis Gower, said ‘We have been encouraged to submit our Business/Action Plan and costings which are in final draft form, for consideration by the Evaluation Panel. If accepted, they will be available to Trust members on acceptance of the proposals, though costings must remain confidential for commercial reasons. Meanwhile we are in contact with other similar community buy-outs and visits are being made to exchange ideas’.
The Trust now awaits the Panel’s final recommendation to FCS , and the latter’s decision, sometime in October.
Consultation documents can be viewed here.
