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Scottish
Rural Development Programme 2007 - 13
This
is a £1.6 billion programme of economic, environmental
and social measures established in 2007 and designed to allow
individuals and groups to help deliver the Government's strategic
objectives in rural Scotland.
Measures
will be delivered through:
* Crofting
Counties Agricultural Grant Scheme
* Food Processing, Marketing and Co-operation Grant Scheme
* Forestry Commission Challenge Funds
* The LEADER initiative
* Less Favoured Area Support Scheme
* Rural Development Contracts
* Skills Development Scheme
The Scotland
Rural Development Programme 2007-13 is very different from
its predecessor. It includes measures to address economic
and social goals as well as environmental measures. It is
outcome-focused and primarily aims to deliver a Greener Scotland
and to promote a Wealthier and Fairer rural Scotland. It will
contribute to the Government's Healthier and Smarter objectives
and will help to strengthen rural communities.
It brings
together a wide range of formerly separate support schemes
including those covering the farming, forestry and primary
processing sectors, rural enterprise and business development,
diversification and rural tourism. It includes measures to
support and encourage rural communities and delivers the LEADER
initiative for local innovation in rural areas.
How
can this help my community?
The measures
that are most relevant to community groups are
•The
LEADER Initiative - information on this local programme
can be found on our Toolbox by clicking here.
It is this programme that will probably be a community's first
stop when seeking to access SRDP funding.
•Rural
Development Contracts - Rural Priorities (RDC - RP)
- an integrated funding mechanism which will deliver targeted
environmental, social and economic benefits. A key feature
of the Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities is a
commitment to deliver national objectives through local solutions.
Regional Priorities are a crucial tool in achieving this and
these vary from region to region.
A group
made up of individuals representing the Rural sector (called
the RPAC) has been established for each region and is responsible
for devising and updating the Regional Priorities in their
area.
The most
relevant community priorities which have been selected in
Grampian are:
Improving
Rural Community Services eg Community Facilities.
More information can be found on this by clicking here.
Access,
Recreation and Community Development. More information
can be found by clicking here
There
are however other strands which will be of interest to landowners
and others.
Where
can I find out more?
The programme
is quite complex but good guides are available to help you
through the process. The best way to get detailed information
on the Programme is by going to the SRDP section on the Scottish
Government website.
If you want to find out more about the particular priorities
of the Aberdeenshire RPAC then you can click here.
The Rural
Policy Centre has also published an "At -a-Glance"
guide to the SRDP programme which is available here.
What
help is available?
As well
as all the information provided on the websites mentioned
above the Government has funded SCVO to establish Rural
Direct to help community groups access funding under
this programme. Staff can provide support in person, by phone
and by email for groups who request help in identifying appropriate
funding, developing applications and building local development
strategies. For applicants to the SRDP Rural Priorities scheme,
they can assist with the early stages of getting a Business
Reference Number, and also with the online application process.
For assistance
in the Aberdeenshire area contact
Barbara
Love, 01463 251725
0796 6411476
barbara.love@scvo.org.uk
If you're
unsure use the Rural Direct local rate number 0845 8388598,
info@ruraldirect.org.uk
Key words: rural priorities, community facilities,
recreation, community development, , community
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