CDT statement re. Kyokushin Karate Club’s rental of Hut 64

TL_DR: CDT’s ‘repair-and-lease’ tenancies have a 5-year term; CDT upholds the terms of the lease agreement, and of its charitable Purposes, which stipulate that its activities benefit Comrie. The Comrie Development Trust exists to benefit the residents of Comrie, by provision of facilities and services. Cultybraggan Camp is run by CDT as a multi-faceted facility hosting, amongst others, a community allotment society, rentable commercial properties, arts and crafts workshops, a community orchard, and an early-years outdoor playgroup; in addition, the Camp annually hosts several markets, the Strathearn Marathon, and various motor rallies. Alongside supporting these, CDT also promotes exploration and understanding of the Camp’s military history, via the permanent museum, guided tours, and re-enactment events. To date, CDT has been able to offer rent-free accommodation for charitable groups operating in Comrie and benefiting Comrie residents. There is an established principle of offering other charitable or community groups that operate outwith Comrie a 20% reduction on the standard rental rate. This is in keeping with the Trust’s Purposes as defined in its Articles of Association — these form a legally-binding constraint on the Trust’s activities — whereby the rental income may be fed back into benefiting Comrie-focussed service delivery. ‘Repair-and-Lease’ rental In buying Cultybraggan Camp from the MoD, CDT took responsibility over a significant building refurbishment and maintenance project, seeking to extend the working life of these temporary buildings long beyond their design expectations, with a limited budget. In an attempt to bring as many huts as possible to a satisfactory state of repair, and to delegate their maintenance, so-called ‘repair-and-lease’ rental terms were deployed for some of the estate, whereby tenants with sufficient skills and labour capacity could undertake to perform building restoration in lieu of rental payments — these