Highlights: Hall Planning Application submitted and awaiting status from ELC via CSY. Funding discussion with Community Wind Power to be requested to formalise agreements. First construction company made contact with OCA, requesting to be considered for the hall build!
Author: gareth
Committee meeting, August 13th 2024
Highlights: Winding up of “old” OCA and moving fully to OCA SCIO is nearing a close. One more trustee signature required. OCA SCIO financial accounts submitted to OSCR. Village hall land purchase details being reviewed.
Village Hall Planning Submitted!
After a lot of time and effort spent, OCA are very happy to announce that the village hall Planning Application has been revamped and resubmitted!
You may already be aware that OCA took the disappointing decision to withdraw our previous Planning Application after some points were raised by East Lothian Council, which needed addressing in detail before our application was likely to proceed. We went back to the drawing boards with CSY, our architects, and went through a formal “pre-Planning Application” with ELC. This gave us a chance to get as clear an idea as possible of what ELC would like to see in a revised plan for our village hall.
Lots of iterations and a Local Place Plan later, and we now have our modified design committed to (electronic) paper. The changes are minor, in that the form and function of the design we all voted on is essentially unchanged. The hall now sits just over a metre further back behind the village green wall; and improved car parking, including an accessible parking space and footpath to the hall, are now formalised in the plans.
You can read the whole (now much more extensive!) document set here. The ELC Planning Application numbers are 24/00747/P and 24/00748/CAC for the new hall build and old hall demolition, respectively.
Committee meeting, June 13th 2024
Highlights: Land purchase for the hall slightly altered for agricultural reasons, giving us more land in the end. No-build boundary strips still in place. Laminated copies of the final hall plans to be put up outside the current hall.
Road Closure Announcement
ELC have announced that road from Lawfield Farm, heading to the A1 will be closed from Monday 10th to Friday 14th June for drainage works.
See the official ELC announcement document for details.
Committee meeting, May 7th 2024
Highlights: Year’s summary of the growth of our Community Benefit Fund – looking very positive. New Planning Application for the village hall being finalised. Local Place Plan being finalised by ELCC.
RES Energy Storage Exhibition
Renewable energy company RES are hosting a public exhibition in the Oldhamstocks village hall to discuss their proposed Lawfield battery storage project. All are invited to join from 3 – 8pm on Wednesday 8th May. Further information in their event poster and newsletter.
Committee meeting, April 2nd 2024
Highlights: RES gave a presentation to the Committee about the new energy storage facility proposed for a location near Branxton Farm. Updated village hall drawings from CSY were review with a view to resubmitting to ELC Planning.
Committee meeting, March 5th 2024
Highlights: CSY Architects had provided a series of revised sketches, which took into consideration comments/recommendations made by the ELC Planner. These were discussed with a view to moving to a final Planning Application. Still no progress from Savills on the land purchase. ELC have advised that they are willing to empty new dog waste bins if OCA can install them.
Committee meeting, February 6th 2024
Highlights: ELC advised that we should hear back on the village hall pre planning application by 22nd Feb. Purchase of village hall land shows no progress, despite all being agreed between OCA and the estate. On-demand bus service to start potentially as early as 12th Feb!