Armistice day: Wreath laying at Rowardennan

ARTHUR Hannan will lay a remembrance day wreath at the Rowardennan memorial on Friday 11 November at 11am on behalf of the ELLCT and its members.
Local resident Kevin Mcleod will also lay a wreath on behalf of his regiment – The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Scotland.
Local piper Willie Park will play at the ceremony.
All members of the community are welcome.

Local place plan: information drop-in

THE local place plan core group – including representatives of the ELLCT, hall committee and well-being group  – is hosting an informal drop-in session at Buchanan Memorial Hall on Sunday 13 November from 11.30am to 1.30pm
The session will allow anyone interested to have a chat about local place plans and finding out more about how they can be involved.

Affordable housing

SINCE the last ELLCT update in April, another round of tenders has resulted in even more escalated costs reflecting the volatility of the current market.
Rural Stirling Housing Association is to discuss options with national park planners to take the project forward. Further updates to follow.

Community asset transfer: Balmaha car park

THE community asset transfer request to bring Balmaha car park into community ownership is still ongoing, despite being lodged in October 2020.
The request was not officially acknowledged until June 2021 and four requests have been made by Stirling Council to extend the decision date in the past year alone.
ELLCT trustees have been consulting with local councillors and seeking advice from Community Ownership Support Service (COSS) to speed up negotiations.

Drymen to Balmaha footpath

THE rapidly deteriorating footpath along the B837 between Drymen and Balmaha has been identified by the ELLCT as a priority for repair.
The need is highlighted by the expected increase in  footfall from West Highland Way walkers diverted by the planned closure of the Conic Hill path from mid-January until mid-March for repair and upgrade. Further Conic path closures are expected autumn/winter 2023/24.
ELLCT has repeatedly contacted Stirling Council and is still awaiting a response from roads department. The trust has also requested support from LLTNP to put pressure on the council to respond.

Buchanan Smithy defib

REPLACEMENT pads for the Buchanan Smithy defibrillator have been purchased and supplied by the ELLCT.