Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021
This meeting took place online via Zoom at 7:30 p.m. on 6th October 2021.
Present: David Johnston (DJ), William Dalziel (WD), Ruth McLusky (RM), Andrew Poulter
(AP), Donald McLaren (DM).
Apologies: Angus Cameron (AC); Cllr Martin Earl (ME), Cllr Evelyn Tweed (ET); PC Heather
Campbell (HC), Police Scotland.
Also
Attending:
Cllr Jeremy McDonald (JM), Stirling Council; Shirley Leek (SL), Steve Murphy
(SM), Forestry & Land Scotland; Paul Hicks (PH), minute-taker.
Item Content Action
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Approval of previous minutes
It was proposed by DJ and seconded by AP, that the minutes of the
meeting on 25th August 2021 should be accepted and this was
approved unanimously. -
Declarations of Interest
None made.
-
Police Report (24 August to 5 October 2021)
During this period, three reports of anti-social behaviour were
received. On 29th August, an incident of vandalism in Strathyre was
reported to the police. The perpetrator was not known and remains
unidentified. On 18th September, a report of campers making too
much noise in an area beside the A85 near to Lochearnhead was
investigated by police but the noise was found not to be excessive.
Advice was given to the campers. On 20th September, reports were
received of high-value cars being driven dangerously through
Strathyre. Due to other, ongoing incidents, no police patrols were
available to attend.There were nine reports of road traffic incidents, ranging from
speeding and collisions to poor or erratic driving behaviour. They
included a fatal accident on 1st September that occurred on the A85
road between Lochearnhead and St Fillans. A collision between a
heavy goods vehicle and a motorcycle took place on 8th September on
the A84 road at Glen Ogle, as a result of which one driver was
reported to the Procurator Fiscal for careless driving. Also on 8th
September, a pedestrian was struck by a passing vehicle outside the
Clachan Hotel in Lochearnhead. The vehicle failed to stop but no
details of it were obtained.Taken by Paul Hicks on 6 Oct 2021 - C
Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021There were two reports of house-breaking: one in Balquhidder on
24th August where an attempt was made to break into a house and
one in Lochearnhead on 19th September. Enquiries are ongoing in
both cases. On 28th September, police assisted with a mountain
rescue in Balquhidder. One male was airlifted to hospital with non life-
threatening injuries. Officers continue to carry out proactive patrols of
the area. If anyone wishes to raise any concerns, please contact PC
Heather Campbell at Lochearnhead Police Office by telephone (dial
101) or email (TrossachsTeithCPT@scotland.pnn.police.uk). -
Forestry & Land Scotland
Shirley Leek, Planning Manager for Forestry & Land Scotland, gave a
short presentation concerning a forthcoming review of the Land
Management Plans for Strathyre and Kirkton. These are likely to start
in April 2022, but information gathering will start immediately and
assistance from the community council would be much appreciated.
SL mentioned that Strathard Community Council had set up a sub-
committee to work with SM. SM then described how the new plans
would comprise three blocks: Kirkton Glen, the West of Strathyre and
the Northern and Eastern side of Strathyre, where felling and re-
stocking is already taking place. The review will encompass
consultation with a wide range of stakeholders, including the local
communities. An initial scoping meeting is used to tease out the main
areas of concern. During the Covid restrictions, this had been done by
letter, but closer involvement by community councils is now
welcomed. DJ and DM responded positively to this, although DM
pointed out that previous offers of consultation with other agencies
over the extraction of timber have proved to be hollow and
disappointingly lacking in substance. DJ emphasised that transport of
felled timber was currently the main concern in the local communities.
AP asked if a copy of the existing plan was available and SL replied that
all plans were published online. She would investigate and forward an
appropriate link to the community council. AP also asked about the
protocol where a private plantation adjoined a Forestry & Landplantation. SL replied that cooperative arrangements were made
wherever possible, allowing immediate neighbours to use forestry
roads where available. -
Matters arising from previous meeting
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Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021Membership of Community Council. WD notified the meeting that,
due to the pressure of other commitments, he wished to stand down
from the community council. DJ expressed regret that this was
necessary, but thanked WD for his service on behalf of the community.
He then asked about the situation with JH, who had only attended one
meeting during the past eighteen months. RM reported that item 9 of
the "Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils" states thata) members of a community council who fail to attend a meeting during
a period of six months may have their membership terminated bymeans of a written notice to that effect. Meetings are only quorate
when at least four members are present and BLS Community Council
is currently six members short of its notional establishment so new
members are needed urgently. It was agreed that RM should write to
JH and ascertain where things stood. AP added that the absence of
representatives from the National Park Authority and the Police also
hindered the work of the community council.RM to write to JH regarding continuing membership.
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C33, Balquhidder - Road Closure
In order to mitigate the consequences of the use of the C33 road at
Balquhidder for the extraction of timber from the glen, a grant has
been made available to Stirling Council for work to improve the road.
(See also Item 15A.) This will involve the closure of the road from its
junction with the A84 to the Village Hall, from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.,
daily, between Monday 18th October 2021 and Friday 19th November
2021. The work will involve the construction of passing places, culvert
replacements and localised carriageway repairs. Access will be granted
to emergency vehicles, whilst cars and light goods vehicles will be
diverted via Stroneslaney Road. There will be no diversion available for
Heavy Goods Vehicles.DJ and AP had met twice with Elaine Nicol who oversees the road
works on behalf of Stirling Council. They identified points where the
work could potentially impact on the community broadband fibre
installation and appropriate measures will be put in place to avoid any
damage. The community council now has full details of the work to be
carried out. (This had been delayed earlier by lack of access to council
offices due to the Covid restrictions.) A WhatsApp notice had been
issued to all Balquhidder residents and some of the regular delivery
drivers and a public meeting, at which Ms Nicol will address residents
and deal with any queries, has been arranged for 4:30 p.m. on
Wednesday 13th October.Taken by Paul Hicks on 6 Oct 2021 - C
Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021DM asked if there was a map showing where the proposed new lay-
bys would be located. AP replied that there is no map but a survey had
been completed with members of the community council to agree
where these should be. DM also expressed reservations about the
area near the Kirk where serious alterations might be required to
create a passing place. DJ stated that he would provide further,
detailed information about the plans to all landowners in the near
future. There was some discussion over the exorbitant cost of moving
a telegraph pole but it was confirmed that Stirling Council would not
be contributing to this cost. -
Strathyre Update
WD commented that an earlier agreement had been reached with
Stirling Council to provide piles of grit at various locations in Strathyre,
in advance of winter. To date, no grit has appeared. This was
acknowledged and AP commented that grit was usually re-supplied in
November.WD also mentioned the earlier agreement by SusTrans to replace signs
on the National Cycle Route and commented that no new signs had
yet appeared. Also, the path behind the shops is not being
maintained. He asked if suitable reminders could be sent to SusTransand Stirling Council.Finally, WD mentioned that hedgerows at either side of Keip Road are
now overhanging the road and making the road narrower. The foliage
urgently needs to be trimmed. It was pointed out that the onus for
cutting back overhanging branches lay with landowners and DJ offered
to contact Forestry & Land Scotland to confirm which property is their
responsibility. -
Traffic speed in Strathyre
A complaint had been received on 24th August 2021 from two
residents of Strathyre whose home is located beside the main A84
road at the northern end of the village. They expressed concern about
the speed at which traffic passes by and the seeming lack of deterrent,
control measures. They reported that a warning sign, which should
flash automatically when approaching vehicles are exceeding the
speed limit, appeared to be broken. Both residents were concerned
that accidents and even fatalities are likely to occur within the village if
nothing is done to rectify the situation. They asked the community
council for suggestions of how they might contribute to better roadTaken by Paul Hicks on 6 Oct 2021 - C
RM to remind Stirling Council of the agreement.
RM to write to Stirling Council and the NPA Access Officer.
RM to request assistance from Stirling Council and DJ to contact FLS.
Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021safety within the village. They put forward a suggestion of their own
that average speed cameras at each end of the village might be more
effective at reducing the speed of vehicles using this road.RM replied that she had contacted Richard Perry of the Trunk Road
Casualty Reduction Team on 17th September to notify him that the
flashing speed limit signs at either end of Strathyre were not working
as claimed. To date there had been no reply. However, members noted
that the signs do now appear to be working, although they simply
function as a warning to drivers without any sanctions. -
Payphone Box Removal (Mhor 84)
Nothing further about this had been heard since the report at the
previous meeting on 25th August 2021 (Item 6). -
Remembrance Day, Lochearnhead
The Church of Scotland minister (Revd Dr Russel Moffat) had
responded with apologies that he was already heavily committed on
Remembrance Day and could not assist at Lochearnhead. The Scottish
Episcopal minister (Revd Gennie Evans) had offered support and
nominated a member of one of her congrega tions (Martin Robb) to
plan and officiate at an appropriate ceremony. No reply had been
received from the British Legion. On 31st August, Martin Robb
contacted the community council to confirm that he would take
responsibility for arranging a service this year. Malcolm White of
Lochearnhead was informed and had liaised with Martin Robb directly
to provide assistance. -
Consultation on Flood Risk Management
This online consultation is still open and will close on 31st October. All
local residents, businesses and other interested parties may take part.
The address is as follows: “https://consultation.sepa.org.uk/evidence-
and-flooding/flood-risk-management-plan-forth/”. There is money
available from LEADER (Scottish Rural Network) and the BLS Trust will
apply for a grant to support its flood planning in Strathyre. -
Place Planning - Update
A meeting entitled "Local Place Plans in the National Park" took place
on 1st September 2021. All of the data from the various sources has
been gathered and work on the plan for Balquhidder and Strathyre
has begun. A meeting has been scheduled for Friday 8th October toTaken by Paul Hicks on 6 Oct 2021 - C
Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021discuss arrangements with Gill Allan, who will produce a digital version
of the plan. -
Correspondence
Waste Collection Calendars. Stirling Council had written to advise
that, from Monday 20th September 2021, households will have grey
bins (general waste) and blue bins (plastic, cans and cartons) collected
every four weeks instead of fortnightly. This means that some-
residents may have different collection days after this date and they
are advised to check their calendar when it arrives. New calendars will
be available online in advance of the change date. Further informa tion
is available online at this address:"www.stirling.gov.uk/Recycle4Stirling".
"Rural Communities Ideas into Action" (RCIA) Fund. This is a £1.5
million investment from the Scottish Government to encourage and
support innovative approaches to community-led, local development
in rural communities across Scotland. Two strands of funding are
available: small grants for projects up to £3,000 (which are open to a
variety of non-profit groups) and large grants for projects between -
£3,000 and £50,000 (which are open to non-pro fit, incorporated
groups). Projects that receive funding will be those that contributepositively to local people and local priorities, helping rural
communities to thrive through community-led initiatives. "Rural
communities" are defined as settlements with populations under
3,000 people. Applications must be received by midday on Friday 8th
October 2021. Full details are available from "Rural Communi ties Ideas
into Action - Inspiring Scotland".Administration Grant. Notification had been received on 28th
-
September that authorisation had been given for this grant to be paid
in support of someone to take minutes for community councilmeetings.
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Gartnafuaran Long Term Forest Plan – Scoping. Information had been
received on 7th September 2021 from Josh Leckie, Assistant Forest
Manager at "Fountains Forestry UK Limited", regarding the area of
forest known as Gartnafuaran, near to Balqhuidder in Stirlingshire.
Grant aid has been secured via the Scottish government’s "Forestry
Grant" scheme for the production of a "Long Term Forest Plan" (LTFP).
This involves a process of engaging with external bodies, neighbours
and local interests in order to obtain feedback on any opportuni ties,Taken by Paul Hicks on 6 Oct 2021 - C
Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021constraints or sensitivities that may influence the LTFP and future
design of the forest. Feedback was requested no later than 4th
October 2021. Accordingly, a sub-committee (comprising of DJ, AP and
RM) had been appointed to prepare a detailed response that was
circulated to all members of the community council for comments and
then duly submitted. Receipt of the document had subsequently been
confirmed by Mr Leckie and the next stage is to await a response and
move to an initial draft of the plan. A copy will also be published on
the community council website.Forestry works planned or underway within the BLSCC area . SL had
written to inform the community council that the quarry works at
Kirkton Forest have now been completed. Surveys are being carried
out within the area, but these will cause no additional problems or -
disruptions to normal forest use. there are plans to do work in the
quarry at Strathyre; appropriate signs will be displayed. The Land
Management plan for the Strathyre area will be reviewed next
financial year. Forestry & Land Scotland would like to begin discussions
with the community and would appreciate an opportunity to discuss
any aspirations and opportunities that the community may have. -
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Fire Hydrants
DJ and AP had conducted a survey of hydrants in Balquhidder and
their results, along with responses for Scottish Water and Scottish Fire, had been collated into a spreadsheet which had been
circulated to members. There were serious discrepancies between the
different sources of information. Repair work which had been
promised over a year ago had not been done. Concerns were raised
that neither Scottish Water nor Scottish Fire & Rescue seem to have
appropriate systems in place to oversee and repair the hydrants. The
question was also asked: if it is not working in Balquhidder, is itDJ proposed writing a further letter to
Scottish Water and Scottish Fire & Rescue asking for an explanation of
the discrepancies. This was agreed. -
Timber Transport
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Grant application. The upgrade to the Balquhidder end of the
Stroneslaney Road has now been completed, as has an upgrade to
part of the Ballimore Road. Work on the C33 road will commence this
month and, on its completion, work will begin on a bid to the Strategic
Timber Transport Fund (STTF) for work on the C33 between the VillageTaken by Paul Hicks on 6 Oct 2021 - C
DJ to contact Scottish Waterand Scottishand request an explanation of these discrepancies.
Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021Hall and Inverlochlarig car park.
Current activity. Despite numerous requests for a meeting of the
working group, there was still no indication of when one would be
called. There was also no information on a paper which was
supposedly being prepared jointly by Stirling Council Roads
Department and its “industry consultant”, Claire Glaister. This paper
was aiming to outline rôles and responsibilities in the process of
preparing a Timber Transport Management Plan (TTMP). A request for
an update on its progress was lodged with Stirling Council on 14th July
2021 with a totally inadequate response eventually being received on
1st October 2021. DJ wished, therefore, to write to Stirling Council and
Claire Glaister, requesting a meeting as soon as possible. This was -
agreed unanimously. DM commented that it was clear that meetings
had been taking place without the involvement of the community
council. JM added that problems had been occurring in other areas
where damage had been caused by vehicles transpor ting timber and
agreed that the current situation was not good enough. He fully
supported the initiative from the community council. DM commented
that it appeared to be totally unacceptable for Claire Glaister to be a
consultant for Stirling Council as this would represent a significant
conflict of interest. He asked JM if he could investigate this further and
JM agreed to do so. AP asked SL if she had any further informa tion
about the situation, but SL was unable to cast any further light on the
arrangement.DJ to write to Claire Glaister and Stirling Council with urgent request for a TTMP meeting.
JM to query rôle of Claire Glaister in Stirling Council.
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Planning Matters
There was nothing of particular interest to the local community but
DM mentioned the building of a new road or track beside the Balvaig
River with access from Stroneslaney Road. Nothing more about the
development was known, but DJ offered to write to the National Park
Planning Department to make further enquiries about the project.WD asked if there was any further news about an application to build
three houses on the plot in Strathyre where the IT Information Centre
stood previously. Nothing was known but it was suggested that
adjoining residents would have been informed of any developments. -
Matters from ward councillors and National Park
a) Hybrid Meetings. JM reported that face-to-face meetings are likely to
be approved with immediate effect at a forthcoming council meeting,
but JM intends to ask for an addition to the Administrative Grant inTaken by Paul Hicks on 6 Oct 2021 - C
DJ to contact National Park Planning for further details.
Item Content Action
Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 6th October 2021order to support the annual purchase of a Zoom licence so that
community councils can hold hybrid meetings, with some attending in
person and some attending online if they prefer. He added that
council meetings are now being streamed online and are open, on
application, for anyone to view. -
Any other competent business
CivTech Challenge. As of Monday 4th October, this has moved to the
"Accelerator" stage with the one, chosen company Digiflec Limited.
The company has until February 2022 to demonstrate that it has built
a "Minimum Viable Product" which Stirling Council and Forest & Landwill purchase. The product should demonstrate that it can
identify the movement of traffic on public roads, distinguishing
between different types of vehicles, particularly timber vehicles and
other large vehicles. It should also demonstrate that, from the traffic
data, it can predict potential conflict events and provide a traffic
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information and management system that will mitigate the risk. The
product plans to use LIDAR (a three-dimensional measurement
system) to record, in real time, the conditions on the public road and,
on demand, on the forest roads. It should be capable of passing the
data on traffic and road conditions to Stirling Council and Forest &so that the information can be integrated into their
systems. It is also planning to use LIDAR equipment attached to the
Council’s waste management vehicles to scan the public roads in
Balquhidder on a weekly basis and pass the data in a usable form to
the Council.RM reported that SusTrans is promoting a scheme called “Bike Life” in
Glasgow, Perth and Stirling. It aims to encourage more people to use -
cycling as an attractive, everyday means of travel. An online survey is
currently being conducted and all local residents are encouraged to
take part. It can be found at: “www.sustrans.org.uk/bikelife”.
There was no further business and, at 9:20 p.m., DJ declared the
meeting to be closed. The next meeting is scheduled to take place on
Wednesday 10th November 2021 at Strathyre Primary School (if
permitted) or online.
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