Community consultation on KGV garden has been thorough
The Ardrishaig Community Garden (ACG) Committee is disappointed to learn about the KGV Park Association’s objections to the development of a community garden within the KGV Park in Ardrishaig.
The idea for a community garden was first proposed at a public community council meeting in February 2022.
Two public meetings were then held in the public hall to canvass people’s opinions about what they wanted from such a project.
These views have been considered when developing the plans for the garden.
The ACG group had a formal meeting with Argyll and Bute Council in October 2022, at which Mr [Blair] Johnson [of KGV Park Association] was present, to discuss plans for the community garden.
Almost every household in Ardrishaig was sent a leaflet outlining the aims of the project and showing an artist’s impression of what the garden could look like.
An article was published in the Argyllshire Advertiser in May 2023 discussing the proposed project.
The ACG had a stall at the Ardrishaig Gala Day in August this year explaining the aims of the project with plans of the area and have kept Ardrishaig Community Council updated of their progress throughout.
Our aims include: growing food with all age groups involved; cooking and sharing; encouraging wildlife and creating a calm meeting place.
We are happy to work with local organisations to progress this and have already had discussions with other groups who may wish to use the garden area, in particular the local primary school.
After submitting all the documentation required, including our constitution, health and safety policies, insurances, plans for the site etc., Argyll and Bute Council has issued a licence to the ACG Committee enabling us to develop the designated area for the garden which is in an area separate from the main KGV Park playing field.
ACG Committee openly stated at the last Ardrishaig Community Council meeting that it is happy to coordinate with other groups which have a licence to develop other areas of the KGV park.
Argyll and Bute Council and Ardrishaig Community Council have both stated that they are happy for the community garden project and any other future proposed projects to be developed side-by-side.
We have support from a number of local businesses, the Ardrishaig Community Trust and up until now have only received positive encouragement from the community.
We feel that the project is now in a position to seek funding from various sources, of which there are a number that support local food growing and education, improving biodiversity and mitigating climate change.
Ardrishaig Community Garden Committee.
Does Argyll matter?
You could be forgiven for wondering, given the continuing plight of folk who have to travel between Mid Argyll and Oban.
I was reminded, last Friday (November 17), of how insignificant we seem to be, when a piece appeared on the BBC 6 o’clock News, covering the ravages of the storms that struck Argyll on October 6-7.
The fact that it was broadcast some six weeks after the actual events is, in itself a measure of the importance given to this news item.
As if that was not sufficiently insulting to us who live in this remote corner of Scotland, the image of school children boarding a boat on Loch Craignish in sunshine on a calm day, added insult to injury by misrepresenting a hardship as one of the bucolic pleasures of West coast life. Aye, it will certainly be fun for the kids on dark, cold, squally mornings.
While the number of people who need to travel to and from Oban on the A816 is tiny by Edinburgh standards, neither the reasons for this journey, nor the hardship caused by the detour, are trivial.
For those who, for example, must travel this route to and from work every day (including health workers), and for patients attending the Lorn and Islands Hospital in Oban, the experience is exhausting and soul-destroying.
The word on the street is that the new short-cut to by-pass the avalanche will be completed by mid-December. That remains to be seen.
In the meantime, it would be good to hear about ministers being challenged in our Parliament about why this is taking so long, instead of hearing about squabbles over some iPad.
Prof Angus Mackay, Ardrishaig