Given that most people see some link between Brexit and expansion of production at the Smelter, it’s not surprising that in recent weeks we have had several enquiries about the likelihood of a land deal happening.
It also has to be acknowledged that some queries have arisen following various press reports of scrutiny of the GFG Alliance. While we make no comment on these we can reflect that that the original reason for setting up the Trust almost exactly four years ago was because of uncertainty – we believed that while the Smelter operations could continue owing to the water rights over the entire catchment being vested in the company that owns the major power stations, the land could be owned by another party, namely the community, in order to give us confidence for the future. We still believe this, so the need to secure a significant land transaction remains relevant and is our prime aim.
The Scottish Government still supports us in this aspiration.
Progress has been extremely slow, perhaps because of Brexit but if a significant deal is not forthcoming we will need to consider other options.
A recent plan to meet with Jahama Highland Estates has been put on hold owing to the Covid-19 restrictions.