Tennentslager

Thanks @Temp I knew about empty relief below £1700. There are many complexities here. 1. The estate is in a conservation area and planning can only be given for sites that once had a hut. We have old maps showing around 200 huts at one time, currently there are 150 so we reckon around 40 or more we can still let. 2. None of these vacant sites has planning permission. Carbeth is an old place and huts have been here since 1905, before modern planning legislation. New huts built in the last decade or so all have planning permission. 3. The practice note clearly states RV for sites but when is a site a 'site' and when is it just some rough land? Presumably the Assessors have some historical records of a huts being on some sites (their plan data does confer with the maps we hold in most cases) and therefore previously had a entry in the valuation roll. Some of these sites have had nothing on them since the 1950's. 4. My reading of rates legislation all seems to imply RV on the rental value of buildings but I cannot find anything clear about the rental value of land. Remember the thread about land value tax? I guess the implication is that land is not rateable. I think we will need professional advice but if the appeals we have made ( did 27 of them this morning) reduce the RV to below £1700 and we must have a good chance of achieving this, the whole issue will go away.

1. EPDM is just like the stuff an inner tube from a tyre is made of, basically a big sheet if rubber, so it's soft and easy to fold, tack and stick. I sheeted my roof in 22mm OSB and then screwed through the OSB to attach lengths of 4*2 underneath, on the edge. I then lapped the EPDM around and under the 4*2 so there was a drip bead. you can also add a trim on top of the edge for a nice finish. Its very easy to work with and if you use contact adhesive on the edges like Evostick it will be there forever. For the main part of the roof (i.e. not the last 200mm at the edge) you use latex adhesive which is cheaper, more watery but not as much bond strength. This can go on with a cheap roller or brush. Use a cheap roller or brush because you will be throwing it away afterwards! 2. I use any stuff you can get from Gumtree or cheapest...the rainscreen is keeping 99% of water off so the membrane is not doing much. Cross battens will leave a good gap and plenty of room for air flow.

Thanks everyone...first step is to submit the appeals and see what response we get. I'll update as we go.

Oh the rates go to the Local Authority, the SAA is independent of the LA and its the Scottish Government that introduced the small business rates relief scheme. Not them this time that are guilty of grabbing our money:-)

Very true but does involve the community company 'giving' assets away. I think it could be possible but might be seen as illegal avoidance of rates/tax. We could advertise half of the sites for immediate sale...got a big waiting list but it hasn't been our past policy which has been for slow release and steady development of 4 to 6 sites per year.

Any pointers from the collective wisdom? Our huts have recently been revalued and the RV has climbed from c£600 per hut to c£2k. Its not really a problem as you get 100% rates relief if all your RV properties are below the small business rates threshold of £15k, so each hutter can claim 100% relief. However, this year for the first time the SAA (Scottish Assessors Association) has put a value on VACANT sites. The community company has 26 odd empty sites with nothing built on them. We always thought that vacant land did not have a value for rating. The SAA are relying on a new Practice Note (link below) which says huts are valued on a combination of site location quality and hut size and condition. https://www.saa.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Holiday-Huts-Sheds-Bothies-etc_R2017_MPC25.pdf Any legal eagles know if SAA can impose a valuation on a vacant site? We can/may/will appeal the valuations as collectively they put the community company over the rebate threshold and we have a whacking great rates bill to pay which we can ill afford.

Very nice looking that is. Top job youngster??

Watch a Peter Kaye video Drink quality red wine...with tasty snack Make a curry Rewind the years and enjoy some horny sex Start again Smile

6 weeks...job centre plus...get a man in. Better still, local pub networking might bag you an out of hours labourer come security if they are local. Always support the local community??

Aww he was still in the oven when this all started? Looks great will you get any lets this season

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40453054 BBC report that the cladding was changed from zinc to aluminium to save money. This is not news to the readers of this thread. Makes me wonder about the comments about the GE and how and where we get our news. Mainstream media is increasingly behind the curve it seems. Granted that you need to have a brain to analyse and probe online content but there are some great new voices out there. I found UlsterFry via this forum and enjoyed their satire...

Get Feckin Aff Maland Foxtrot Off Away Dear Go Shag A Soldier....? Ferdie is this how you speak to old ladies?

Yep, top job there, well done Good wishes to Scarface too...probs makes him look more rugged and handsome

Just this today 60 squids of fun Cheers @Onoff

Very good wine selection in Lidl...Aldi not so good. Seemingly its another family fued story the same as Adidas and Puma. You know, when the two German brothers who inherited the company had a big fall out and went their separate ways. In this case grocery business instead of sports wear.

All things to think through...probably try one out to see how the community use it. Yes to the farm gate, galvanised metal around £90 for 12' one. Im wondering if a nylon wheel system on a concave strip of concrete might work...

Thanks Thats helpful?

There have been a few posts on this subject but looking for forum wisdom before i talk to the blacksmith. On the estate we have four distinct areas each with a farm gate for vehicular access. Presently we have an Abloy top range padlock and chain for each gate. All the padlocks ( they cost 160 quid!) are keyed alike and with 150 cabins there are lots of keys. Now, in my wee plot everyone is great at, stopping...open gate...drive through...close gate...no problems with boy racers or chancers cruising around and shooting deer. Not the case on the biggest plot where the gate is permanently open. My plan is for an automatic gate with a digital keypad and pin to open and an autoclose mechanism. Cheapeast i suspect is a vertical barrier type but they dont look very secure. To keep the country farm gate look it will have to be sliding. No mains power so a solar panel atop a post, brick battery box with steel door (someone will steal the battery) will be needed to provide the electrons. Any pointers? The community committee that will pay for this is famously tight fisted so we are talking hundreds of pounds☺☺

without fannying around. Bingo bango WFABB Can you add that one to the acronym list please? I think #ferdinand might like it too...

Otoh Erm...what? Iirc Ditto

On the face of it the Scottish building regulations are stronger re combustion of cladding systems for high rise blocks yet on the local news last night a surveyor was saying there are hundereds of similar systems in both residential and commercial refurbs in Scotland. The same news programme also reported on the ongoing fatal accident inquiry into a school wall collapsing which led to the death of a young student. As @JSHarris says, regs are one thing, enforcement another...

My two bobs worth is simply this...it takes more brain power to construct a cutting post with clever barbs or a subtle poke than it does to just ask a polite inquiring question to bring more attention to a topic. Lists and multi reply stuff doesnt help... Take it easy folks and keep it clean.

England will vote one way...Scotland will vote the other but hey ho we'll have to endure what the neighbour says. Independent in 5 years guaranteed.

@Nickfromwales Check out your likes total Lucifer??

Lidl have a laser level for 20 squids https://www.lidl.co.uk/en/Non-Food-Offers.htm?articleId=3361