Welcome to Cromarty
WELCOME to the Cromarty Live website. If you are travelling to the Highlands of Scotland and the Black Isle, you will be delighted with a visit to this charming and unique old town.
If you have links to Cromarty already, you will find news of what’s happening in the local scene.
Our website tells you of Cromarty’s many attractions, amongst which are fine 18th-century merchant houses, an ancient church made famous by being greatly successful in the BBC’s ‘Restoration Village’ programme and a museum honouring the remarkable 19th-century geologist and writer Hugh Miller. There are details of the town’s facilities and its available accommodation should you decide to stay. Hundreds of years of history are waiting for you to explore in its streets and narrow vennels.
Cromarty people are welcoming and always pleased to help.
Cromarty and District Community Council
UPDATED INFORMATION (last updated 27/02/24)
LOTHIAN (HIGHLAND) BROADBAND IS COMING TO CROMARTY WITH HIGH-SPEED FIBRE BROADBAND
1. We have met with Lothian who are keen to establish lines of communication with the C&DCC.
2. They will be delivering a Department of Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) approved plan to bring high-speed fibre broadband connections to Cromarty under Project Gigabit.
3. Lothian's installation sub-contractors are scheduled to begin on 11th March with an anticipated completion by end of June. Inevitably there will be some disruption but we have been promised advance warning of where work will be taking place and when. We hope to post the schedule of work planned but at the very least, this will be available at the Community Drop In being hels on Tuesday 5th March between 4 and 6 p.m. at the Victoria Hall.
4. Every house in Cromarty is having a fibre connection installed outside the property for potential future use, but there is no compulsion to have broadband with Lothian. Residents can apply, but only through any DCMS ‘active’ registered supplier, for a gigabit voucher from DCMS, and this will be redeemed by the active registered supplier, to help fund the cost of the connection. Lothian will have exclusive use of their installed fibre infrastructure for the first 12 months and are offering competitive rates, to attract residential business. The redemption of gigabit vouchers will partially fund the installation. After 12 months, other providers can use the fibre network.
5. A Lothian Welcome Pack was delivered to households in early February. They expect their broadband services to be live by mid-July. As mentioned they are also planning a Community Drop in so members of the community can come and find out about their 'Gigabit capable build' of Cromarty, on Tuesday 5th March between 4 and 6 p.m. at the Victoria Hall.
6. Householders outside of the town or in the broader district, may find that fibre connections are not available or made only to the property boundary, rather than the home. This could mean additional excess construction costs for connection. In these circumstances, alternate means of achieving high network speeds could be considered – for example using fixed wireless technology. Where that provider is approved by DCMS, a gigabit voucher can then be claimed, and redeemed against connection, in the same way as in 4 above.
C&DCC WILL KEEP YOU UPDATED HERE BUT IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE CONTACT US ON cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com
**VOLUNTEERS NEEDED**
We have an excellent Winter Resilience Volunteer Gritting Team, but we need more Volunteers! The C&DCC Team, based at the Victoria Hall, is administered by Fraser Thomson, with the expert assistance of Allan Munro. If you are interested in helping the Community stay safe, please email us on cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com. We have the equipment and training is provided, so any time you can offer would be really appreciated. Thank you.
PLEASE NOTE
THAT LINKS TO ALL THE LATEST C&DCC AGENDAS, APPROVED MINUTES, REPORTS, PORTFOLIO LISTS AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE INCLUDING THE
LATEST C&DCC AGENDA - INAUGURAL MEETING MINUTES
- APPROVED MINUTES - MONTHLY YOUTH CAFE REPORT
plus the YOUTH CAFE 2023 SUMMER PROGRAMME REPORT
**2023 CHAIRWOMAN'S REPORT BELOW**
CROMARTY YOUTH CAFE IS THE 2023 HIGHLAND *THIRD SECTOR ORGANISATION OF THE YEAR*
At the HTSI Annual Awards 2023 Event held at the Strathpeffer Pavilion on 1st September 2023, the Cromarty Youth Cafe won the top award for being the best voluntary sector organisation in the Highlands See www.HighlandTSI.org.uk - #HTSIAWARDS2023
PORT AUTHORITY TO BE MADE MORE ACCOUNTABLE
Cromarty are this week celebrating a significant legal ruling, achieved by Cromarty Rising's work protecting our interests and local environment.
'Following a successful campaign, the Scottish Information Commissioner has confirmed that the Cromarty Firth Port Authority has been deemed a "Public Authority" for the purposes of the Environmental Information (Scotland) Regulations 2004.
A Public Authority must make environmental information available proactively and members of the public are entitled to request information on subjects such as land development, all forms of pollution, energy production, air quality and waste management. Requests must be handled within 20 days and the public have a right of appeal.
The Information Commissioner's Office has published detailed guidelines which can be found on their website here: What are the Environmental Information Regulations? | ICO
As Cromarty Firth Port Authority is a Scottish Trust Port, this decision should align very well with Nolan Committee Standards for Public Office for those appointed to the Board.
The port has 42 days to appeal the decision.'
More updates will be shared on Cromarty Live, as they happen.
ALL HOUSEHOLDS TO HAVE AN EXTRA WHEELIE BIN
All households could soon be having an extra refuse/recycling wheelie bin! After research in to the contents of the Highlands Green Bins destined for landfill, discovered that more than 60% was recyclable!
If the Highland Council's application to the Scottish Government's Improvement Fund is successful, your existing green general waste bin will be converted to collect mixed containers (plastic bottles, pots, tubs, trays, cans, tins, foil, cartons, and potentially soft plastics). The existing blue bin currently used for mixed recycling will be converted to collect paper and card only. The new 180 litre bin will then be used for general waste.
The new General Waste Bin will be uplifted fortnightly with your Recycling bins (green and blue) being emptied once a month each in weeks that the General Waste bin is not.
For more details please click on these links -
https://www.highland.gov.uk/news/article/15159/new_arrangements_for_waste_disposal_in_highland
FUTURE OF THE EAST CHURCH HALL
The C&DCC is supporting all sustainable projects for the future use of the East Church Hall that are in the community's interests.
CROMARTY COMMUNITY CELEBRATION
Thursday 2nd June 2022 UPDATE
All costs of this event were covered by personal donations, of volunteering time, benefits in kind and money, from the community folk who also made this such a success. Following the planned auction of the limited edition Jubilee Beacon, we will have raised further funds to spend on Cromarty amenities.
Cromarty folk at their finest! Thank you.
AUCTION COMING SOON. WATCH THIS SPACE.
DO NEED TO REPORT A PROBLEM TO THE HIGHLAND COUNCIL?
Just a brief reminder for residents wishing to report problems to Highland Council.
Preferably use the website link https://www.highland.gov.uk/report or call the Service Centre contact number 01349 886602 to request a repair. This is important as a reference number will be given. If not the resident should insist one is given. This reference number starts an audit trail that relevant departments, such as Housing, can and must follow up. If telephoning, residents may have to wait for their call to be answered or to call back at a different time. But do keep on trying until you get that reference number!
USE OF THE LINKS FOR COMMUNITY EVENTS
As we think positively about being able to organise more community events, we thought it a good idea to remind folk that the C&DCC runs a booking system.
To avoid planning issues, on behalf of the landowner Cromarty Estate, we are allowed to open the Links for a limited number of occasions each year, to facilitate community events.
The booking calendar is managed by Claire Fraser, the new C&DCC Secretary, who can be contacted either directly or on the C&DCC email cromartydistrictcc@gmail.com, with any proposal to hold such an event.
VEHICLE DAMAGE DUE TO POTHOLES
There is an online form on the Highland Council website. You will need the following
* date, time * location * photo * receipts for any work to your car, tyre etc
https://www.highland.gov.uk/info/20005/roads_and_pavements/96/road_faults
Or phone 01349 886601 for an insurance claim form for damage to your car
Latest C&DCC Agenda here.
2023 C&DCC Inaugural Meeting Agenda here.
2023 C&DCC Inaugural Meeting Approved Minutes here.
2023 C&DCC AGM Agenda here.
2023 C&DCC Chairwoman's Annual Report here.
2022 C&DCC Chairwoman's Annual Report here.
2022 C&DCC AGM Approved Minutes here.
2023 C&DCC AGM Approved Audited 2022/23 Financial Statements here.
2022 C&DCC AGM Approved Audited 2021/22 Financial Statements here.
2021 C&DCC AGM Approved Audited 2020/21 Financial Statements here.
Latest C&DCC Ordinary Meeting Approved Minutes here.
Current C&DCC Members' Portfolios List here.
Latest Youth Café Monthly Report here
Youth Café 2021 Summer Programme Report here
Youth Café 2022 Summer Programme Report here
Youth Café 2023 Summer Programme Report here
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