Highlights: Work on the village is currently on hold to some degree, pending progress with the land purchase. OCA members met with people that led on the building of Abbey St. Bathans village to compare notes – very productive!
OCA/OCA SCIO AGM announcement RESCHEDULED!
OCA and (technically separate!) OCA SCIO are pleased to invite you to this year’s AGM. Please save the date! Sunday 9th February 2025, 2.00pm in the Village Hall.
Please note the new date: TUESDAY 4TH MARCH 2025, 7.30PM IN THE VILLAGE HALL
EDIT: Due to a combination of circumstances (possibly a clash with school holidays and Six Nations Rugby match) we had very few attendees from the community on the original AGM date. In fact we were not quorate and so could not continue with the meetings. In consultation with those present we have a re-arranged date, which will hopefully be more suitable for lots more community members.
As usual, a summary of the big news of the year will be given and both committees will stand down and be re-elected.
If you are not already, please consider signing up to be a voting community member of the SCIO. This will be necessary in order to vote in the new SCIO committee! You can sign up here.
Committee meeting, January 15th 2025
Highlights: AGM preparations. Latest village hall cost estimates from the QS are much higher than 2 years ago. Approach from here agreed is to approach builders for more reliable cost estimates.
Committee meeting, November 5th 2024
Highlights: All current Trustees of the “old” OCA have now signed and agreed, allowing us to wind up OCA and move fully to OCO SCIO. Our new QS has come back with revised costs for the village hall, which are reduced but still need further input. We have been informed by our solicitor that the land purchase should be tied up before the end of this year.
Committee meeting, September 17th 2024
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!
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.