June 2021 Minutes

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Minutes of Meeting on 3rd June 2021 via Zoom

1. Welcome, recording of those present and apologies

    

   Present: Colin Cameron, Fraser Allan, Claudia Duncan, Laura Gormley,

   Alison Lamont Chalmers, Alison Limbert, John Nicholson, Bill Noblett, Luci Rooney,
   Christine Wilson, Christine Glass (Minutes)

   In attendance: Councillor Rob Davies, Anita Crozier

   Apologies: Robert Young, Cllr Alistair Berrill, Cllr Jane Hutchison, Police Scotland

    

2. Recording of Declaration of Interest

   No Declaration noted.

    

3. Adoption of Minutes of Previous Meeting

   The Minutes of the previous meeting were proposed as an accurate record by John
   Nicholson and seconded by Luci Rooney subject to the following amendments:

   Item 10: War Memorial landscaping funds: Many of the plants had died and £550 of the
   surplus has been used to replace the plants.

   Item 13: Coach House: Claudia Duncan has been approached by a local resident and on their
   behalf raised the issue of the state of repair of the building and the safety of the gazebos
   outside the Coach House.

    

4. Matters Arising

   • Bank of Scotland: Colin and Luci have submitted a proposal to Stirling Council
     regarding the adoption of the building for use as a Community Learning Centre. A
     resident, Graham Leak has suggested a multi-purpose art community workshop.
     Colin will meet Graham to discuss possibilities. ACTION: CC

   • Vandalism at Donaldson Park: The Police have been informed and the High School
     has responded positively. Christine Wilson said the situation had improved but there
     was still a litter problem.

   • Millennium Benches: Audrey Bissett has asked for an update. Bill Noblett will
     contact Peter Craig and report back to the meeting. ACTION: BN

   • Bunker: Lee Rooney has offered the use of part of a Portakabin for storage at a
     reasonable rate. This was agreed and items will be moved once he has it prepared.

   • Re-cycling Centre: The plan to extend the timetable has been circulated, but it’s not
     clear whether it is yet operational. ACTION: CC

   • Co-op Community Fund: Bill has submitted the application to fund supplies for the
     on-going food project. A response is due at the end of July.

5. Covid-19 Response

   Balfron Covid-19 Support Group update: Christine W asked Cllr Davies for an update on the
   Stirling Covid-19 numbers. This would be useful in planning the period until the August
   meeting to ensure that support is in place if required. ACTION: Cllr. Davies

   The Food Exchange: Luci reported that the Food Exchange was operating well but, as
   restrictions were easing, donations of fruit and vegetables were dropping off. Luci will put a
   reminder on Facebook. ACTION: LR

    

6. Projects

   Space for Living: Work on Buchanan Street North is scheduled to begin late
   September/early October.

   Phone Box Refurbishment: The Crowdfunder appeal stands at £1,085 with 10 days to go. A
   further £1k has been received from the Paul Trust. The National Heritage Lottery has
   generously agreed to support the application with a grant of £6k. Many thanks to all
   concerned in these applications. It was agreed that a project team was necessary to drive
   this forward and Colin proposed that Robert Young should lead. Luci and Christine W will
   join the team. Colin will contact Stirling Observer to get a piece in next week’s edition.

   Facebook and the website will be updated, and Bill will post an update on donations.

   ACTION: RY; CC; CW; BN

   Small Playpark – Donaldson Park: Christine W said the new fencing is in place and gaps have
   been minimalised following adjustments to the soil level. The bark level is low in parts and
   small children are having difficulty reaching the equipment. Cllr. Davies offered to raise this
   with Stirling Council. Christine W will contact Donna to get a date for the completion of the
   sandpit. Vandalism appears to have settled and teachers from the High School are dropping
   by. The park is also being used by the Primary School for outdoor lessons. The rubbish bins
   are over-flowing in the park and in Cotton Street and this will be reported to Stirling Council.
   It was encouraging that older children were visiting the park after school and picking up
   litter. Christine W will forward a link to the portal. ACTION: CW; Cllr.Davies

    

7. Police Report:

   BCC noted a written report by Police Scotland. This will be available on the BCC website and
   noticeboards.

    

8. Elected Councillors report:

   There have been two council meetings since the last BCC meeting and Cllr Davies raised the
   issues of the poor state of the roads, and in particular bridges. He told the meeting that a

   £4.6m road improvement budget had been approved. Part of this has been allocated for the
   A875/A811 junction.

    

9. Treasurer’s Report:

   Bill reported the purchase of 3 bay trees for ‘Balfron in Bloom’.

    

10. Planning Report:

    Two new planning applications have been submitted since our last meeting. No concerns
    were raised about either.

11. Chair including Correspondence:

    Rural South West Area Forum: Colin attended the meeting on 17th May. A PowerPoint
    presentation from the Risk & Resilience team was shown and has been forwarded to Fraser
    for information.

    Roads: Colin had contacted Stirling Council regarding the poor state of the road lines around
    the village and also noted that the vehicle activated signs are incorrect and need to be
    changed from 30 to 20mph. The lines around a number of disabled bays also require
    attention.

    Health & Social Care Partnership: Following our submission to the consultation document
    the partnership has issued a draft strategy. Concerns were raised about how this was
    derived from the consultees. It appeared to be a paper exercise with decisions already
    made. Cllr Davies said he had not been involved with the proposed strategy but he would
    contact Cllr Berrill and they would see what could be done. ACTION: Cllr.DaviesEco-Opera: Graham Leak, an Australian musician resident in Balfron since 2017, had asked
    for a letter of support for funding from Creative Scotland for his joint Australian/Scottish
    project, Eco-Opera. BCC agreed to a letter of support for the project. ACTION: CCLitter: Colin has been contacted by a resident who was concerned about the amount of

    Styrofoam litter around the village. Alison Limbert said that single-use plastic containers are
    soon to be banned by the Scottish Government. An informal audit of local businesses
    suggests most are now using waxed paper wrappers, paper bags, etc. It was thought that the
    High School might still be using Styrofoam containers. Distribution of items such as knives,
    forks and napkins could be reconsidered as they are often unused and left as litter. Alison
    Limbert will contact the chip shop, Luci will contact the bakery and Colin will speak to the
    High School to see how the situation might be improved. ACTION: CC; AL; LR

    Potholes: Fraser Allan said he had been in contact with Councillor Davies who had been
    helpful. Some repairs had been done but the situation was still dangerous and Bill
    commented that Stirling Council needed to be pushed on this.

     

12. AOB

    Following this meeting Bill Noblett is standing down from the Community Council. He
    thanked everyone who has given him support over the years and commended the positive
    changes that had taken place in the village in that time. Colin thanked Bill for his
    commitment and enterprise: he has taken on many initiatives beyond his role as Treasurer,
    and the Community Council will miss his input both fiscally and more widely.

     

13. Next Meeting: 1930 Thursday 5th August 2020