This is an aerial photograph of the 1700-acre Rhubodach Forest which lies at the northern end of the isle of Bute on the west of Scotland.
It is owned by Sir Richard Attenborough who has put it on the market with a sale price of £1.4 million.
Campaigners wishing to buy the forest held a ballot and sent out forms to 5,200 people on the island. Of the 2,739 papers returned 2,557 were in favour of the plans. The organisers and islanders are delighted.
Peter McDonald, a director of Bute Community Land Company (BCLC), which organised the vote said: "The Government have got to give us the formal go-ahead. Once we get that we have to go and get the money... We feel very confident that we can do this. We are hoping a lot of it will be grant-funded."
So the islanders aren't buying the forest, the taxpayers will be doing that. Grants, as we know, come from the public purse.
No wonder Lord Richard is laughing.
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9 comments:
Another wealthy socialist via the tax payer.
Yes but good news.
The Community Right To Buy (Scotland) is just that, no more, no less. If a rural community can come together and declare a majority interest in purchasing a local piece of land, then if they can match the asking price, their’s will be the preferred offer.
There is no guarantee of any government or grant cash, they only get a right to buy.
That community has to come up with the cash by whatever means they can raise it. Be that by public donation, commercial sponsorship – or by applying for one of the grants that are available to anyone for improvements in forestry management, environmental awareness, or enhancement of tourist potential. Such monies are not guaranteed.
Good luck to them, this certainly would be in the public/community good.
As for Mr Attenburgh, he is merely selling an asset he no longer requires. I’m sure he will be delighted with whoever pays the asking price, be that a Russian billionaire, fed up with football teams, or the local community.
In this case, a community purchase would indeed be good news.
Dickies no lang for the big lowp. I'd get doon there, mak him an honery chieften of Bute with full burial rights and statue and see if'll tak half o the price?
Man's no like his brother - he likes all the arts, farts an graces.
Actually I hand it to Dicky having the sense to invest in it in the first place OR.
Indeed Strathturret. Bute is sorely hit by the fact that so many don't want to travel to the island as it holds little of interest for them.
It's a super result John and I'm pleased for them. Used to have friends who lived there but they moved purely because of the journey home. Many times both had to work late in Glasgow and missed the proverbial boat.
They always said it required something more of interest to attract people to the island. Hopefully that will happen now.
Mr McDonald feels it will mostly be payable from grants. True the grants must be applied for but are usually given if what landowners around here say is true.
Now that it's up for sale and if the community buy it, there's no way it should ever be sold to an individual again. It should be kept in trust, in perpetuity for the islanders. I'd like to see that extended across the rest of Scotland. When estates come on the market they are purchased outright for the nation.
That's the way it should be, but short-sighted politicians lobbied by the rich, think otherwise.
I've only seen this forest from the road and the aerial photo shows its vastness. They could have a lights display such as Dunkeld just for starters.
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