Strachur & District Community Council
Minutes of Ordinary Meeting
Held 19:30 on Wednesday 13th March 2024
Strathlachlan Community Centre
Members present: Archie Reid (Convener), Lizzie MacDonald, Isabel McGladdery, William McGladdery, Steve Mclaughlin, Kirstie Reid and Iain Wilkie (Secretary).
Also in attendance: Cammy MacDonald (Strachur & District Community Development Company), and three members of the public.
1. Convener’s opening remarks.
Archie welcomed everyone to the meeting.
2. Apologies and declarations of interest.
There were no apologies or declarations of interest.
3. Minutes.
Minutes for the Ordinary Meeting held on 17th January 2024 were agreed as accurate.
4. Matters arising.
a. CC representative on Hall Committee.
Iain had informed the Hall Executive Committee by e-mail on 18.2.24 and 24.2.24 that Wiliam McGladdery had volunteered to take on this role.
b. Light pollution.
Iain had e-mailed a letter to Planning & Building Standards, Argyll & Bute Council, asking them to alert developers to the Council guidance on light pollution. The following response had been received from Kirsty Sweeney, Development & Economic Growth, on 13.3.24:
I have read over the issue you raise regarding light pollution and appreciate the importance of dark skies in a location like Strachur. We will endeavour to ensure this issue is dealt with at planning application stage and use conditions where appropriate in relation to installing external lighting. As your will appreciate if we don’t control and remove permitted development rights in relation to lighting then lighting does not require planning permission. If you want any conditions checked on the various houses in question within Strachur then please let me know the references and I can check this for you. Also if you are consulted on any new homes where you are concerned about potential light pollution then please make your views known.
c. Bus shelter: deterrence of antisocial behaviour.
Iain had purchased an appropriate sign for installation in the bus shelter.
d. Replacement neighbourhood watch signs for St. Catherines.
Iain had purchased two signs and Archie had passed them on to a St. Catherines resident.
5. Police Report (received from PC James Convery by e-mail on 7.3.24).
Between the dates of 09/01/2024 – 07/03/2024 the number of Incidents and Crime Reports respectively are 9 and 1. There has been 1 crime report recorded regarding livestock worrying which is currently an ongoing enquiry. [No information on the 9 “incidents”.]
All Community Councillors were again unanimous in their preference for the previous format, which itemised and enumerated different types of incident and crime reports, and was much more informative. Iain agreed to forward this view again to relevant parties.
ACTION: Iain
6. Health Report (from Kirstie Reid).
a. Argyll & Bute HSCP Chief Officer.
Fiona Davis, the Chief Officer of Argyll & Bute HSCP, is leaving at the end of the month to take over the role of Chair of NHS Highland. An Interim Chief Officer will be put in place until a new one is appointed.
b. Budget Simulator.
Argyll & Bute HSCP has to produce a balanced budget and are looking at savings of £11.4 million this financial year. A Budget Simulator was published online which asked the public where they thought savings could be made. In reality this was quite difficult to do without information on what Health Board/Councils are obliged to do by Law, what they actually do, and what the public would like them to do.
c. GP relocation.
The GP relocation to Dunoon Hospital will now not go ahead due to budget constraints, as the Scottish Government has asked all Health Boards to cancel all capital projects not yet started.
Articles for Newsletter and/or Facebook.
Since the last meeting six articles had been submitted. These were on: Argyll Rally 2024, Argyll & Bute Budget Simulator, Supporting Communities Fund, Consultation on Clyde & Hebrides Ferry Services, Dog Fouling in Graveyard, and CC By-elections.
The main correspondence (in addition to any mentioned elsewhere) had been with:
a. NatureScot re: meeting of Cowal Deer Management Group in Strachur Memorial Hall.
b. Hall Executive Committee re: portrait of King Charles III.
c. Loch Goil CC re: draft Local Place Plan.
d. Argyll & Bute Council re: i/ Strachur speed limits.
ii/ Flooding on A815 due to blocked drains.
iii/ Request for feedback on Area Plans.
e. Residents re: i/ A886 speed limit.
ii/ Reinstatement of footpaths in National Park.
iii/ Strachur Fibre Community Partnership.
f. Mull Car Club re: feedback from Otter Ferry residents.
g. Cllr Sinclair re: reinstatement of footpaths in National Park.
Surveys and consultations.
No responses had been submitted.
Other activities.
a. Attended Argyll Rally Community Council Liaison ‘Zoom’ meeting on 12.2.24.
b. Delivered Argyll Rally 2024 letters to properties beside B8000 (Barnacarry to Corra, Otter Ferry) on 6.3.24.
c. Provided letter of support for Heron Park funding application.
8. Treasurer’s report.
The bank balance stood at £2,545.79.
Isabel informed the meeting that the Hall Executive Committee had been having problems with the handling of cheques. After discussion, it was agreed that there was no valid reason for switching to internet banking for Hall payments.
9. Transport update.
Kirstie reported that the next Cowal Transport Forum would be held on Monday 18th March. She would attend and raise the following issues:
a. Verges and flooding on Loch Eck side.
b. Landslip damage and standing water in the Glenbranter area.
c. Repair to the bus shelter at the top of the Clachan, which had been reported to the Council on January 24th.
d. Lack of Saturday bus.
10. National Park Update.
None received.
11. AOB.
a. Graveyard issues.
i/ Tree.
A member of the public asked the CC to inform Argyll & Bute Council that a tree was causing damage in the graveyard and needed to be removed. Iain would pursue this.
ACTION: Iain
ii/ Dog fouling.
There was further discussion on how this can be stopped. It was suggested that repair of the wall and fence on the east side of the graveyard would prevent it being used as a route into and out of Strachur Estate. ‘No Dogs’ signs might also help. Iain agreed to explore both possible solutions.
ACTION: Iain
b. Flooding at bottom of Clachan Brae.
Steve reported that Argyll & Bute Council had been working on this and that the problem appeared to have been sorted.
c. Need for a dropped kerb between the Heron Park car-park and the Hall.
Iain agreed to contact Argyll & Bute Council about this.
ACTION: Iain
d. Drain subsidence at 4 Forest View.
Kirstie had reported this to the Council and, although she had been given a completion date of 24.2.24, no work had been done. She would contact the Council again.
ACTION: Kirstie
e. Manse Gardens update.
Iain had received the following update from Ian Davie, Trust Housing Association, on 6.3.24:
“We are continuing to progress site surveys, including a further required ecology survey, which you will appreciate are time-restricted, and cannot start until 1st May.
We continue to have positive dialogue with the Council’s Housing Strategy team re: the project and are now working with a preferred contractor (Argyll & Bute based) to help finalise the technical designs, alongside our architects, engineers and cost consultants.”
f. School lights update.
Councillor Sinclair had forwarded the following response from Roads & Infrastructure Services on 6.3.24:
“SWARCO have given us a date of 11th March to attend, however this depends on confirmation of traffic management. We will update when works are complete.”
It was noted that the works were not yet completed.
14. Date and location of next meeting.
The Annual General Meeting will commence 19:30, Wednesday 17th April 2024 in Strachur Memorial Hall and will be followed by an Ordinary Meeting.
Iain Wilkie,
Secretary, Strachur & District Community Council