From Caithness Broch Project…..From ‘Wild Justice’…..
by Bernie Bell - 08:31 on 12 December 2024
From Caithness Broch Project…..WITH CORRECT LINKS!...
"Dear Supporters,
Merry Christmas to one and all! We are excited to share some important updates regarding our charity’s initiatives and progress. But, before we get into the details we would like to announce our AGM ON THE 15TH OF JANUARY!
The AGM is open to all CBP members and will be held online. Now's a good a time as any to say - if you wish to sign up as a member on the link below.
CLICK JOIN HERE TO JOIN AS A MEMBER
Our project is built on the strength of support - both local and from further afield - and so every new member makes our case for a 21st-century broch stronger. Please do consider joining, or why not buy a membership for a loved one as a very thoughtful and charitable Christmas gift!
if you intend on joining the AGM, please email us on the address below:
Planning application progress
Having submitted a PiP (planning in principle) application to the Highland Council in September, along with extensive supporting information, CBP director Dawn met with the planning department to discuss the application.
It was felt that we had nearly enough information to go for a full planning application. To this end our PiP application was withdrawn, and we now look to submit our full planning application in January 2025. Starting the year as we mean to go on!
This marks a significant step forward in our project’s development, we are confident that this will be approved and we will be celebrating good news early in 2025...!
Additionally, we are currently working on an ongoing application to de-croft the site, ensuring we meet all necessary legal requirements. Unfortunately the Crofting Commission have refused to accept our proposal as it stands, unless we can supply them with an approved planning application from the planning department. Nothing is ever straightforward in the broch-building business!
However if all goes according to plan we will be submitting this additional information to them as soon as possible.
Funding Highs and Lows
During the last quarter of 2024 we have endeavoured to make headway in funding the site acquisition. We have submitted a handful of applications to different windfarm funds across Caithness in order to raise the £110,000 needed to obtain the site.
Unfortunately we have not been successful in any of these applications. Understandably the world of fundraising has it’s ups and downs - you don’t win every time in this game. Luckily we’ve had some useful feedback to work through: some funders simply don’t fund site acquisitions, others are concerned about what might happen to their investment if the Broch Project should falter.
To this end we’re making progress in reaching out to other ecological organisations in a bid to form partnerships, fostering more resilience and security in investment in the site.
Funders can be reluctant to be the first to get behind a bold project. We are certain that when the planning application is approved, and the subsequent de-crofting is awarded, concerns will be laid to rest and funding boards will be in a better position to have confidence and get behind the acquisition.
Purchasing the site will give us the footing we need to develop the project - allowing us to satisfy a range of requirements from funders. We're so close to making this happen.
If you want to help get us there, then please do consider getting in touch if you can make a donation towards the purchase of the site:
Or use the link below:
Heartfelt Thanks for Generous Donations
With fundraising in mind, we are overjoyed to announce that we have received numerous generous donations from kind members of the public.
Our heartfelt thanks go out to to Faith and David Boardman for their incredible generosity in donating £10,000 to the Broch Project. These contributions are invaluable to our efforts and truly reflect the spirit of community support.
We also extend our gratitude to Professor Alan Renwick, who donated £1,000 after a chance encounter with our director, Chris Aitken, while he was busy strimming long grass at Nybster Broch.
This gets us on our way to our building of a broch - if you can match these donations, then why not drop us a line?
Progress with HHVJ Architects Studio
In collaboration with HHVJ Architects Studio and MKA Economics, we are entering an exciting - and crucial - phase of our project.
The team is set to wrap up our site selection appraisal document and commence work on the “outline strategic case” for the build. This process will include the development of concept designs that align with our vision and objectives.
This work forms a necessary part of our business case that larger funders expect to see for capital projects of this scale.
We look forward to sharing these designs and documents with you soon!
Thanks to Robin
We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to Robin Herrick as he steps down as Chairman of the Caithness Broch Project. Robin joined the charity in 2016 and took on the role of Chair in 2019, leading the project with dedication and vision.
Under his guidance, the project successfully navigated the site selection process and oversaw the vital conservation efforts at the Ousdale Broch. Obviously there are a great many other projects that benefitted from the guiding hand of Robin’s leadership, too many to list here!
His experience, commitment, meticulous attention to detail and professionalism have undoubtedly made the Caithness Broch Project the organisation that it is today. We are incredibly grateful for the time and expertise he has shared with us.
He’s also shown immense patience as sometimes dealing with all the various talents of the committee can be like herding cats!
Thankfully Robin will only be stepping down as chair but staying on the board of directors. As a team we have all learned a great deal through working with Robin and the project will forever be indebted to his efforts.
New Camera Installed at Ousdale Carpark
We’re pleased to announce that a new security camera has been installed at the Ousdale Carpark.
The previous camera was installed to deter fly tippers from dumping at the carpark. The camera blew over in a storm and whilst it lay on the ground “someone” stole the inverter and camera from the mast.
Latterly, we re-erected the mast and Installed a new, smaller camera. This enhancement aims to improve safety and monitoring in the area, hopefully preventing further pesky fly tippers and help us monitor visitor numbers.
Thank you for being a part of our journey. Your support fuels our efforts to make a positive impact in the community. Stay tuned for more updates in the coming months!
Best wishes for the new year from all of the Broch team!
Iain Maclean, Vice Chair
Caithness Broch Project
Eor those who are wondering why a camera is needed at Ousdale Broch…
https://theorkneynews.scot/2020/10/28/what-is-wrong-with-these-people/
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From ‘Wild Justice’….
“Good morning,
Today we publish a report that reveals that housing developers are failing wildlife.
You might be familiar with street names that give a nod to the natural world; Skylark Close, Foxglove Avenue, Bluebell Mews. But do these names simply remind us of the wildlife that has been lost?
The Lost Nature report - click here for both Summary and Full versions – exposes how developers include just half of the ecological features they should, even those legally binding requirements set out in planning conditions. Housing developers are failing to deliver the bat boxes, bird boxes, Hedgehog highways, bug bricks, trees and wildflower meadows they promised. And cash-strapped local authorities don't have the time or resources to check up on what has happened.
That's where a group of researchers from the University of Sheffield stepped in. They visited nearly 6,000 houses across 42 new developments in England and recorded what was and wasn't present. We thought their research was thorough, and the findings are damning and very important, so we asked them to write a report for us. We've enjoyed working with them on the report and have learned a lot.
Wild Justice is not afraid to call out large, powerful industries if they harm nature. Our work to do this, including helping people like the authors of this report to get these findings across, depends on donations from those who support us.
You are our source of funding and a donation today would feel like a vote of confidence in the Wild Justice way of doing things. You can donate through PayPal, bank transfer or a cheque in the post - see details here.
That’s it for now. We’ll be back in touch soon, including updates on our petition to ban driven grouse shooting (30,000+ signatures so far).
Thank you,
Wild Justice (Directors: Mark Avery, Chris Packham and Ruth Tingay).
This reminds me of how Housing Developments and Industrial Estates are often named after what has been destroyed, for them to be built.
Near where we used to live in Suffolk there was Pound Farm Estate, where Pound Farm used to be. People need somewhere to live (and manufacturing of goods needs to take place) but……the difference is….Pound Farm produced food and had a big pond (an old bloke I knew who had lived in the area since before the Estate was built remembered this). The estate was a sprawling mass of identical bungalows, mostly with one or two people living in them, and not much other life. I used to walk through the estate to visit a friend and it was like walking through some kind of horror film scenario where all living things have been consumed by an Alien lurgi!
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