Allotments /Runrigs

COMMUNITY LAND AT THE FOURPENNY PLANTATION

 

The origins of this area of community land lie in the Embo Woodland Croft project from 2007 to 2010. The Trust plan was to acquire the 400 acre plantation from the Forestry Commission under the National Forest Land Scheme (NFLS) and create a minimum of twelve 4 Hectare no-right-to-buy woodland crofts with tenancies to be allocated to local young people to allow them the opportunity of a house site and associated croft-land. After an official village vote in favour, the NFLS application was approved by the Commission in 2009, and the valuation placed at £360,000, with funds to be provided from the Scottish Land Fund. Unfortunately Alex Salmond decreed that the Land Fund should be placed under the control of the BIG Lottery, and after a year preparing the Lottery bid, this was rejected in 2010.

 

In 2015 the Trust picked up on this idea again with a view to creating runrig rather than crofts, as the old village runrig in the Loch na Magan field in front of the village had been absorbed into Embo Farm after the War. This was agreed under the NFLS system for an area of 17 Ha at a valuation of £25,000 with this money being provided from a bid to the SSE Sustainable Development Fund.  There was an immediate payback on this investment as 5 Ha of standing woodland on the site was sold in 2017 for £36,000.

 

Currently there are 7 rigs of various sizes being successfully cultivated with space available for quite a few more. If you'd like a rig use the Contact form.

In the time since purchase a re-planting of native species trees has taken place over the remaining area. Also, natural regrowth of conifers is showing well and in a few years there will be an attractive canopy of mixed woodland covering much of the site. 

Using grant assistance from the Tesco fund, an access track has been constructed from the Tinkers Drive onto the western part of the Trust land, and the northern boundary partially fenced. 

The next ambition is to provide a circular path from the main access to the Scottish Water track, along the northern boundary, then onto the Tinkers track and then either up to Trentham and round through Skelbo, or down onto the Embo Road and back to the Crossroads.