Moving Forward

January 13, 2023

Now we are through the festive season, we would like to provide an update on progress to date. Since getting the keys to the hotel in December, the steering committee have been working very hard towards reopening the establishment as soon as possible, and still hope that this will be possible in a staged manner beginning late February, early March

Essential repairs and a deep clean have been commissioned and the building is being monitored regularly. We have further plans including a complete refurbishment of the top floor staff accommodation, including a new fire escape at the back of the building. Plans have been drawn up and we are already talking to builders to estimate for the work. A more general refurbishment is also in hand.

With regard to staff appointments, we are at an advanced stage in the process to appoint a new general manager, and once they are in place we should see further appointments with the opportunity for local employment.

Very shortly, the day to day management of the new Lochranza Country Inn will become the responsibility of the Lochranza Community Inn Ltd. As we always said, the inn will be run by a separate subsidiary company, although the North Arran Community Benefit Society will remain owners of the building and will have an ongoing interest in refurbishment and maintenance. The new country inn board will comprise of a chairman from the community, the general manager, a representative of the NACBS board, a non executive director with a finance background and two elected representatives from the community. Arran Accountants in Brodick, will provide the financial control and bookkeeping function. The role of elected representatives should not be particularly time consuming,  but does give people in the community the opportunity to be part of the decision making process about how the inn should function and be run for the benefit of the community. There have been many views expressed about this issue, so why not consider putting yourself forward for these positions? In the event of more than two candidates we would require to have an election process.

To assist the Lochranza Country Inn board we hope shortly to appoint a development officer to guide the progress of making the business a success. They will be responsible for monitoring and driving the refurbishment program, as well as marketing the business and ensuring it delivers on providing the promised community hub. A job description has been approved and the position advertised. Anyone interested in this position should contact the secretary at the address below for further details.

We hope the transition of the hotel to the new company will allow NACBS to move on to other important issues such as housing, a winter ferry service, and other areas of interest including further fund raising for community projects. To this end, we are holding a public meeting at Pirnmill Village Hall at 6pm on the 18th of January to further inform local residents, address any concerns, and seek their views on the way forward. We hope to repeat this process in Lochranza in early February, when we should have much more to report.

Finally, we would like to thank you for your continued support. With it, we have already achieved a great deal, but it is your community not ours, and we must have your views, participation and support to continue to progress a secure and prosperous future for the Northend of Arran.  Share applications continue to arrive,  and we have decided to keep the application process open. Every little helps, so if you have not contributed, or just not got round to it, why not consider investing now and making a real difference to the success of the project. Application forms are available from the website or secretary.

Web : www nacbs.co.uk    Email : secretary@nacbs.co.uk

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