Strachur Community Council
Minutes of Ordinary Meeting
Held 20:00 on Wednesday 18th August 2021
Strathlachlan Community Centre
Members present: Archie Reid (Convener), Drew Stewart (Vice-Convener), Isabel McGladdery (Treasurer), Iain Wilkie (Secretary), Ceci Alderton, Kirstie Reid.
Also in attendance: Cllr Alan Reid.
1. Convener’s opening remarks:
Archie welcomed everyone to the ordinary meeting.
2. Apologies and declarations of interest:
PS Donald MacIver, Jeff Wilson and Bob Darracott apologised for non-attendance. There were no declarations of interest.
3. Minutes.
Minutes for the Ordinary Meeting held on 11th March 2020 and the Interim Reports for 11.3.20- 29.10.20 and 30.10.20-9.4.21 were agreed as accurate.
4. Matters arising.
a. Matters arising from the meeting of 11.3.20 are covered in the Interim Report for 11.3.20- 29.10.20. The following refers to matters arising from the Interim Report for 30.10.20-9.4.21.
b. Creag Dhubh Wind Farm
Creag Dhubh Renewables Ltd. produced a report supplying supplementary information on the visual effects of the proposal. On 27.4.21 Iain submitted a response to this on behalf of the Community Council.
On 9.7.21 NatureScot (formerly Scottish Natural Heritage) sent a letter to Argyll & Bute Council objecting to the proposed wind farm because it would "have significant adverse effects on the Special Landscape Qualities… of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park".
c. Strathlachlan payphone.
BT had undertaken to repaint the kiosk and repair the phone. The phone has been repaired but the kiosk has still to be painted (as of 8.8.21). Iain contacted BT on 11.8.21 and was reassured that repainting was due by the end of the month.
d. Argyll Rally 2021.
The rally went ahead on 25th and 26th June. After the rally Iain and Archie forwarded residents' comments to Councillor Reid in advance of a De-brief Meeting organised by Argyll & Bute Council on 13.7.21. On 14.7.21 Councillor Reid provided the following feedback on that meeting:
"At the debrief, the rally organisers accepted that they must carry out much more and much earlier communication and consultation if the rally is to be repeated next year.
Better communication would have avoided many of the problems that arose.
The organisers say the rally cars are fitted with speed and noise monitors, so if they exceed the speed limit outside the closed sections, this would be known to the organisers. They say no instances of rally cars speeding were recorded. The speeding seems to be by cars that aren’t part of the rally.
The activities on the Friday evening in the car park at the Memorial Hall was an end-of-stage event. The organisers say people from Strachur asked for Strachur to be part of the rally. They said the Hall Committee had been involved in the organisation and that a lot of villagers attended as spectators and said they enjoyed the spectacle.
This event didn’t require a road closure and I could see no mention of it in any of the rally publicity. This is just one example of lack of communication and consultation.
I said that Clachan Brae was unsuited to rally cars and asked that, if the event is repeated, the cars should be directed straight back onto the main road instead of up Clachan Brae.
Your report has been passed to the Roads Department and rally organisers, so hopefully, if the rally is repeated, this year’s problems can be avoided."
5. Police Report (received from PS MacIver by e-mail).
In the past month there have been four calls to the police, two regarding road collisions and two advice calls. One crime report (for speeding) was raised.
There is currently a joint initiative with Police Scotland working alongside Argyll and Bute Council. The initiative involves council Rangers and an officer from Police Scotland Patrolling areas in Cowal and Bute that attract visitors such as camp sites, known accommodation sites etc. The patrols are taking place every Saturday and Sunday during the summer months to identify any disorder and educate visitors in being respectful to the area. Strachur is an area that should benefit from the initiative.
6. Health Report.
Kirstie informed us that since our last meeting in March 2020 she had dealt with various concerns from patients who felt they were not getting enough support from the GP surgery. The following response from Strachur Medical Practice was received via a member of the HSCP team:
"We have been seeing patients face to face all through lock down. Patients are given an initial telephone call and if required, given a time to see the doctor face to face. We have been seeing patients on the same day. ie: call am, seen later am or pm.
We are seeing patients right through the day (even over lunchtime) as we need to clean down everything between patients and the doctors have to doff and don PPE for each appointment. It is very time consuming, hence the addition lunchtime slots.
To my knowledge we have only had one patient who attended A&E for treatment. She attended on a Thursday PM, (our half day) and hadn't called the on-call GP first.
We are in the process of starting to use Near Me but as yet have not started. The doctors prefer to see the patients in person where possible.
I have not been asked by any Community Council if we are seeing patients. As the answer would be: yes."
Kirstie had also heard concerns about some of the content that was placed on social media by a local GP. These concerns were raised by both locals and others from further afield.
Joanna McDonald, CEO for Argyll & Bute HSPC, has left her post to take up a position with the Scottish Government. Kirstie was invited to take part in the interviews for her replacement. The five shortlisted candidates were interviewed and, although an outstanding candidate was identified, they were not offered the job. Someone else was appointed to take temporary charge for a year. Interviews will take place again next year.
Support Booklet.
PC Laura Evans managed to get some funding to make up a booklet detailing support services available in Bute and Cowal. These are supposed to be available for patients to pick up in GP surgeries. Kirstie explained the reason why this booklet was produced. It is a response to a lot of Mental Health and other service support being withdrawn during the pandemic and the patients being left to cope on their own.
Friendship Bench.
PC Evans was also instrumental in looking for funding for Friendship Benches, although, as there will be a shortfall for each bench, she has asked if the Community Councils will make up for a bench to be placed locally. These benches will be bright and colourful and will have plaques with various self-help group phone numbers. Further information on this initiative can be obtained from Kirstie, if anybody wishes to purchase a second one for the area.
It was agreed that the Community Council should contribute £140 towards the cost of a Friendship Bench and that the best location for it would be outside the Medical Practice.
[Kirstie subsequently reported that PC Evans had secured more funding, which would cover the full cost of the bench. Kirstie would liaise with Strachur Medical Practice about the installation of the bench.]
ACTION: Kirstie
Suicide Bereavement Support.
This new service will operate seven days a week and will contact the bereaved families within 24 hours of referral. Specially trained bereavement support workers will provide customised support relevant to each family's circumstances. The contact details are as follows: phone 0800 471 4768; e-mail suiicidebereavemntsupport@nhs.scot or ArgyllDunbartonshireCommunityEngagementTeam@pnn.police.uk
7. Secretary’s Report.
Articles for Newsletter and Facebook.
Since the second Interim Report ten articles had been submitted. These were on: Register of Electors; Consultation on Fireworks; Consultation on Scottish Fire & Rescue Service; Green Recovery Fund; Your Police Survey; Strachur Community Council; Argyll Rally 2021; SSEN Resilient Communities Fund; Sheep worrying; Police Scotland Consultation on body-worn video cameras; Consultation on Flood Risk Plans.
Correspondence.
The main correspondence (in addition to any mentioned elsewhere) had been with:
a. Scottish Fire & Rescue Service, regarding the temporary closure of Strachur Fire Station.
b. Argyll & Bute Council regarding:
i/ unsightly debris left around Variable Message Sign at the A815/A886 junction, in response to a complaint received from a resident;
ii/ Community Council meetings in the context of COVID-19 restrictions.
c. BT regarding Strathlachlan payphone (repair of phone and repainting of kiosk).
d. Residents regarding:
i/ Japanese knotweed near a building plot;
ii/ dog-fouling and fly-tipping at Leanach;
iii/ illegible 'No overnight parking' sign near the post-office;
iv/ anti-social behaviour at St. Catherines.
Surveys and consultations.
Responses were submitted to the following surveys and consultations:
Car Duibh Wind Farm. Proposal.
Creag Dhubh Wind Farm. Supplementary Information.
Ladyfield Wind Farm. Scoping Opinion.
Argyll & Bute Council. Off-street Parking Places and Charges.
Argyll & Bute Council. On-street Disabled Person's Parking Bays.
Argyll & Bute Council. Traffic Management, Dunoon.
Scottish Government. Fireworks and Pyrotechnics.
Police Scotland. Body-worn Video Cameras.
Other activities.
a. Attended 'Zoom' meetings of Argyll Rally 2021 Community Council Working Group, 12.4.21, 11.5.21, 7.6.21 and 21.6.21. E-mailed a report to Community Councillors after each meeting.
b. Delivered preliminary Argyll Rally 2021 letters to properties beside 'closed' section of B8000, 10.5.21.
c. Delivered Argyll Rally 2021 Information Packs to properties beside 'closed' section of B8000, 17.6.21.
d. Attended meetings of Community Fund Committee, 8.5.21 and 19.5.21.
e. Attended 'Microsoft Teams' meeting on A83 route options, 27.5.21.
f. Purchased and installed replacement 'No overnight parking' sign near the post-office, in response to a resident's request.
8. Treasurer’s report.
The bank balance stood at £2,267.15.
9. Transport update.
Archie reported that there would be a meeting of the Cowal Transport Forum on 20.8.21.
10. National Park Update (received from Bob Darracott by e-mail).
The National Park has released a review paper about visitor pressures.
There have been few planning related issues to concern your community though you should note that the Park has been formally consulted by Argyll and Bute Council about the Creag Dhubh wind farm proposal (19/02544/PP). This matter will be considered by our Planning Committee on Monday 30th August, hence no formal position has been taken. However, the officer’s recommendation is to object to the proposal, on the grounds of adverse impact on the landscape and visual amenity impacting views from the Arrochar Alps, Ben Donich and Ben Bheula.
The proposed fish farm on Loch Long, close to Ardgarten, is also now progressing. No formal application has been submitted, but initial Environmental Impact Assessment work is underway, which will inform any subsequent submission.
11. AOB
a. The Community Council congratulated Jean MacKechnie on her being named Calor UK Rural Hero of the Year. This was a well-deserved award. The meeting also expressed gratitude to the volunteers who had helped Jean during the pandemic and all those who contributed in other ways.
b. Complaints had been received from two residents concerning a vehicle permanently occupying the Disabled Parking Bay at the Medical Practice.
ACTION: Iain
c. Complaints had been received about the parking area opposite 'Rockbank' and 'Ashbank' near 'The Creggans'.
i/ This was often occupied by visitors' vehicles, making it difficult for residents to access or leave their properties by car.
The meeting discussed this. It was suggested that, if the land was owned by Argyll & Bute Council, probably little could be done to stop non-residents using it. Cllr Reid offered to find out who owned the parking area. A possible option would be for residents to apply for a Residents' Parking Scheme, though there would be an annual charge for a permit.
ACTION: Cllr Reid
ii/ Due to blocked drains, the parking area was flooded in wet weather. It was agreed this should be reported to Argyll & Bute Council.
ACTION: Cllr Reid
iii/ Weeds were spreading over the pavement adjacent to the parking area. Cllr Reid would ask for the grass to be cut, if it was Argyll & Bute Council's responsibility.
ACTION: Cllr Reid
d. There was a hole in the road at the water hydrant cover on the loch side of the A815 opposite the parking area mentioned above. This should be reported before it gets any worse.
ACTION: Cllr Reid
e. A mattress had been left at the Recycling Site. It had been suggested that CCTV might deter further fly-tipping. Iain agreed to pursue this.
ACTION: Iain
f. The road was still flooding in Forest View, because the drain was higher than the road surface.
ACTION: Iain
12. Date and location of next meeting.
The next meeting would be at 19:30, Wednesday 13th October 2021 in Strachur Memorial Hall.
Iain Wilkie
Secretary, Strachur Community Council