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An Cridhe: The Heart of Coll's Community

 

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 Designs for An Cridhe include provision for:

Shared space including library, service information and interpretation points to enhance social cohesion
Performance, music and exhibition spaces to enhance cultural appreciation and learning
Meeting space to enhance social inclusion and cohesion for the numerous community groups
IT capabilities to enhance life-long learning
Sports facilities to enhance healthy lifestyles
Office space/kitchen to enhance business opportunities
Disabled access throughout to enhance inclusion
Use of renewable energy technology to increase economic and environmental sustainability
Recycling facilities for the building and space for educational materials on recycling and renewable energies
All of these provisions will improve the long term sustainability of the island of Coll by increasing confidence in the viability of life on Coll and by increasing Coll’s sustainable economic growth. The island will have better access to a higher standard of amenities and services and the ability of the island to be more enterprising and self reliant will have increased.
The centre will incorporate the requirements of the individuals and organisations in the community and will meet their needs on a long-term basis. Integral to the financial sustainability of the project once grant funding has ceased, is the plan to build community-run bunkhouse accommodation to provide revenue for An Cridhe. The community centre will serve as a social and cultural lynchpin and both buildings will provide business opportunities for a range of island residents. As such, all islanders will benefit directly or indirectly socially and/or economically.
In line with sustainable development principles, maximising the use of renewable energy and demonstrating best practice in building in a remote area are key priorities for our project. We are working with energy advisors and have employed specialist designers to ensure proposals are cost efficient and environmentally sustainable. The mechanical and electrical systems in the building will be designed and specified to ensure efficient use of resources. Renewables and energy saving measures will be used and materials and components will be chosen to ensure that both of our buildings will be exemplars in reducing the development's carbon footprint in construction and use. This approach will be backed up by the island-wide sustainability initiative regarding energy use which is being developed and recycling initiatives already in place. The new building will incorporate recycling also.
The directors of Development Coll are ultimately responsible for the delivery of the project. A working group has been established specifically dedicated to overseeing the project. The local development officers, appointed by Development Coll are in charge of the day to day running of the project. A design team of Architect, Quantity surveyor and structural engineer has been appointed. The working group, in combination with the local development officer, will deal directly with the architect and through her, the quantity surveyor and structural engineer. During the building phase this arrangement will hold true for dealing with the chosen builder.
The project will be delivered in three main stages:
Pre build: August 2009 -- March 2010
Building and handover: March 2010 – July 2011
Open and run: August 2011 – July 2014
Key stakeholders:
The resident population
The visiting population
Public agencies, including off-island bodies such as

* Argyll College
* Argyll and Bute Council

Partners of the Initiative at the Edge programme:
Argyll & Bute Council
Scottish Natural Heritage
Crofters Commission
Highland Islands Enterprise
West Highland Housing Association
The idea for the entire project has come from the community. The resident population has been consulted extensively throughout the pre-project planning stage as individuals, businesses, and members of community groups. The visiting population has been consulted via public stalls throughout the summer, and access to information about the project via the web. Aside from youth membership, Development Coll has two levels of membership: full voting (need to be on the electoral roll) and associate (need to have an interest in Coll). Currently, over 80% of eligible residents are members of Development Coll and we have a further 120 associate members. A number of public agencies have been working as partners of Development Coll since its inception in 2006.
 

 The Project

Documents you can  Download:
Timeline
(*pdf, 150kb)
Business Plan
(pdf, <1MB)
Appendices to Business Plan
(pdf, 1MB)
Financial Summary
(pdf, 170kb)

* pdf documents open in Adobe Reader, which can be downloaded here:

Downlod Adobe Reader (33MB)

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Coll Half Marathon22-Aug-09

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For more information about Coll,
see www.visitcoll.co.uk

 
This website has been part funded by:
The Scottish Government Argyll and the Islands Leader + Program The European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development