RPWCDT

This April is a significant milestone for the Development Trust as it was on 27^th April 2010 that the Board held its first meeting. On Saturday May 7^th at 2pm in the Burgh Hall, they will deliver the Community Action Plan to which we have all been contributing over the last six months. Project Groups have already started to consider how some of the projects emerging from the surveys and public meetings might be brought to fruition. The creation of the Community Action Plan was only achieved through the assistance of Stephen Singer and his colleagues at Community Links Scotland. Their participation was funded by grants from Voluntary Action Fund, Argyll and Islands LEADER programme, Dunbritton Housing Association, Community Enterprise in Scotland, the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland, the Big Lottery Fund, and Community Energy Scotland. It’s easier to list these supporters than it is to spend the hours completing and lobbying through the applications. Enormous thanks are due to Arlene Cullum, one of the Trust’s Vice-Conveners, who spent many weeks engaged on this task. Without her, the Community Action Plan would never have come into being, so the Board hopes there is a large turnout on Saturday 7^th May to see the results of her, and your, efforts.

 

Alongside the presentation of the Community Action Plan, there will be five-a-side football in the Church Hall grounds, and the Board will be giving an update on the role of the Carbon and Energy Reduction Officer. She, or he, will be employed to give energy efficiency advice to every household in the community. This is part of our co-operation with the Climate Challenge Fund which is supporting the pre-development investigation on our Community Wind Power project.

 

The Glasgow Institute of Architects, in conjunction with the Development Trust, is holding an architectural competition on the redesign of Kilcreggan Village centre. This prestigious event will take place through the summer and will include various events designed to ascertain the views of the community on the emerging plans. The final exhibition and prizegiving will be held in the Burgh Hall in August.

 

The Development Trust has come a long way in just a year and your support has been very much appreciated. Please come along on Saturday May 7^th to participate in the next step of the journey.

August sees the climax of our architectural competition to redesign Kilcreggan village centre. After a series of meetings throughout the summer, the judging panel have winnowed the fifty-six entries down to a final five. On Saturday 20th August, the top competitors will be making their final presentations at Cove Burgh Hall, where the winner will be announced and the prizes presented. The Hall will be open (free) to the public from 8pm till 10pm to enable all members of the community to view and applaud the winning proposals.

The competition was jointly organised by the Glasgow Institute of Architects and the Community Development Trust, and we are grateful to the GIA for all their professional assistance. The judging panel was made up mainly by GIA officials, with the Trust being represented by our two Vice-Conveners Arlene Cullum and Grant Watkinson, alongside Kilcreggan’s Turner Award nominated sculptor Christine Borland.

We received entries from architectural firms from all over Britain, and even one from New York, and the large number of entry fees has ensured that we will easily cover the competition’s costs. The winning firm will take away a cheque for £1,000, and, more importantly, the prestige of winning the GIA competition. The city of Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and Alexander “Greek” Thomson still has considerable standing in the architectural world, and we hope the good folk of the peninsula will join us on 20th August to applaud their twenty-first century successors.

The Development Trust’s Architectural competition reached its climax on Saturday 20th August with a gala final and prizegiving in the Burgh Hall. Fifty-six architectural firms entered the competition to redesign Kilcreggan village centre, and, in true X-Factor style, the six finalists presented their plans to the judges and the assembled community to sort out the winning designs.

The event was organised under the auspices of Glasgow Institute of Architecture, which gave considerable kudos to those reaching the short list. Each firm was allowed ten minutes to showcase their proposals before the judges convened in private to make their decision. Most of the judges were professional architects, with the Development Trust being represented by the two Vice-Conveners Arlene Cullum and Grant Watkinson. Christine Borland, Kilcreggan’s Turner Prize nominated sculptor, provided some additional artistic insight to the judging panel.

Highland Fault Beach and Pool in Konishi Gaffney's architectural design for Kilcreggan village

The winners were the Edinburgh based Japanese-Scottish firm Konishi Gaffney Architects with their concept of totemic landmarks that would enhance the village. Second were Lucid Architecture, and third were Gordon Murray Architects, both of whom are based in Glasgow. A special mention should be made of the four students from Kingston University, London, who came up for the final and more than held their own with the professionals.

The Echo Chamber in Konishi Gaffney's architectural design for Kilcreggan village

The Development Trust is grateful to Babcock for providing so much of the food alongside Colin and Alison Morrison from the Terrace Café, and Kevin Walker for the cocktail sausages. Thanks also to Paul Munro of the Lighthouse who donated considerable quantities of alcoholic refreshment and equipment, and to Adam and Rory MacDonald, who with their friends Erin and Chris, kept the cocktail bar going all night. We owe an enormous debt to Ian Hamilton, President of the GIA, David Ross, the competition organiser, and to Stephen Singer of Community Links Scotland, who not only brought us the idea, but also underwrote the finances.

With the hall again filled to capacity it was another great night for the village. Now all the Development Trust has to do is find the money to put some of these wonderful ideas into practice.

The Trust’s first AGM was held at the Burgh Hall on 11th November. It has been a remarkable first eighteen months. Among the landmarks were the compilation and delivery of the Community Action Plan, the Kilcreggan Architectural Competition, the appointment of Martin Aldridge and Catherine Slavin as our carbon and energy reduction team, and the feasibility study and on-going pre-development work on our community windfarm. By the time this issue goes to press, we will also have held our Renewable Energy Exhibition in the Burgh Hall.

All these activities have been funded by grants, and we owe Arlene Cullum thanks for the huge effort she put into the many applications. Particular thanks are also due to Louise Young, who drew up our Constitution and negotiated our registration with Companies House and the Charities Regulator.

Three of our inaugural board, Brenda Collins, Laura Galbraith, and Andy Logue stood down this year. We are very grateful for their support and engagement on behalf of our community. The directors for 2012 are Ann Bray, Malcolm Brown, Annie Burden, Arlene Cullum, Alan Devenny, Neil Isaacs, Murdo MacDonald, Catriona McMurtrie, Paul Munro, Tony Page, Loz Slavin, Grant Watkinson, and Louise Young. Each of us would welcome any comments and suggestions on the future operation of the Trust.