October 2022 Minutes | Stirling Council

This meeting took place in Balquhidder Village Hall at 7:30 p.m. on 19 ^th October 2022.

Present: David Johnston (DCJ), Andrew Poulter (AP), Ruth McLusky (RM), Daniel Jarrett (DJT).

Apologies: Carolyn Brooks (CB), Donald MacLaren (DM), Angus Cameron (AC); David Fettes (DF), Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park (LLTNP); PC Heather Campbell (HC), Police Scotland.

Also Attending: Cllr Martin Earl (ME), Stirling Council; Paul Hicks (PH), minute-taker.

1. Approval of previous minutes

It was proposed by RM and seconded by DCJ, that the minutes of the meeting on 7th September 2022 should be accepted and this was approved unanimously.

2. Declarations of Interest

AP declared an interest under items 12A and 15A (Gartnafuaran Forest).

3. Police Report (6 Sep to 18 Oct 2022)

During this period, in terms of anti-social conduct, there was just one incident. On 24th September 2022, a male contacted police regarding a camper near to Ben Vorlich who had threatened him with a weapon. Police attended and spoke with a third party who conﬁrmed that an altercation had taken place, but the others involved had left on being told that the police were being contacted. The caller declined to make a formal complaint to police. During the same period, six reports were received concerning various incidents on local roads. In two cases, drivers had ﬁnished up in roadside ditches after swerving to avoid collisions: in one case with a deer and in the other with oncoming cyclists. Both parties managed to recover without police assistance. Two incidents involved drivers striking (respectively) a fence and some "street furniture" whilst two further reports concerned fallen tree branches that were subsequently removed by BEAR, Scotland. On one occasion, a motorist reported having seen a vehicle towing a trailer without displaying lights. However, it had occurred during the hours of daylight and the caller was advised that no oﬀence had been committed. There was one report of a collision between two vehicles on the A85 at Glen Ogle. Police oﬃcers attended and provided assistance, but it proved to be a non-reportable accident so no further action was required. On 18th October 2022, a joint traﬃc operation

was carried out with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency. Sixteen vehicles were stopped and four traﬃc tickets issued. There had also been ongoing engagement with Strathyre Primary School to continue with the Junior Road Safety Oﬃcers scheme and general safety education. Over this period, the theft of an electricity meter from a holiday home in Lochearnhead was reported. The theft took place some time between March and July this year and enquiries to trace the person responsible are ongoing. Two incidents involved combined operations with mountain rescue teams to recover people from the hills in circumstances where medical help was required. One concerned a cyclist who had sustained a fall and the other was believed to have had a mini-stroke. Both parties were subsequently treated successfully in hospital.

4. Matters arising from previous meeting

Use of initials in minutes. Following circulation of the minutes of the previous meeting, RM had high-lighted the fact that four regular

attendees had the initial “D” for their ﬁrst name and was concerned that this might lead to some confusion. DJ agreed to include “C” in his

Rapha Cycling Club event. Concerns over the organisation of this

event had been raised at item 10E in the minutes of the meeting on 7^th

September 2022. On the day, all went well.

Pop-up police oﬃcers. The use of cardboard cutouts to deter speeding motorists had been discussed at item 3 in the minutes of the meeting on 7^th September 2022. PC Campbell had subsequently provided information that two cutouts could be purchased for £528 but this

was considered to be somewhat expensive. Furthermore, Inspector Andy Bushell had warned that there could be legal considera tions

regarding the use of such devices and concerns over providing security for them. He thought that these matters were not insurmountable, but would need further time to resolve them fully. Members agreed that it would still be worth pursuing a local, independent solu tion.

5. Lochearnhead toilets

On 9th September, a warm letter of thanks was received from the member of the public who had originally raised concern over the state of the public toilets in Lochearnhead. The person was grateful both for the feedback received and the positive action taken.

6. Speeding in Strathyre

Further to item 6 of the minutes of the meeting on 7th September, a meeting for all concerned parties had been scheduled to take place at 11:30 a.m. on Monday 21st November in the car park beside the shop at Strathyre.

7. Speeding on the C33 (Balquhidder Glen road)

DCJ reported having had an initial meeting with Gary Neil (Stirling Council Roads Department) and council oﬃcers will make a site visit to assess the extent of the problem.

8. Lochearnhead Footpath

On 21st September, BEAR Scotland notiﬁed details of the work that would be taking place and the accompanying restrictions to protect those working at the site. This was to include a new footway with the installation of dropped kerbs and tactile paving at the pedestrian crossing point. The operation was scheduled to begin on Monday 10th October and continue for approximately eight weeks. It would require a lane closure with traﬃc light control and staﬀ would be on site between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily from Monday to Friday.

9. Parking signs in passing places

DCJ reported that no progress has been made with this to date. It was agreed that an enquiry should be made as to whether this work had been included in a forthcoming programme of works.

10. Alcohol bye-law signs

The same situation as detailed at item 9 pertained to this item and both items were discussed together. In conclusion, a similar enquiry was to be made as to the progress of work to replace these signs.

11. MacGregor's Landing

In response to the concerns expressed by the community council, Stuart Mearns had responded on behalf of the Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park (LLTNP). He acknowledged that the Park Authority was aware of similar sales of land taking place in Gartocharn and liaison with Highland Council had taken place. Regarding the local sales, Park oﬃcials had liaised with Stirling and West Dunbartonshire councils regarding questions relating to trading standards, but no grounds existed for legal objections. Similarly, Police Scotland had been consulted but could see no evidence of criminal laws having

RM to write to Stirling Council.

been broken. LLTNP had issued statements on both broadcast and social media (with national coverage) and the earthworks at the Western side of the site in Balquhidder is still subject to an enforcement notice. Plots of land continue to be made available at auction and LLTNP is contacting buyers - wherever possible - to advise them of planning restrictions that apply in this area and to oﬀer advice about use of this land. Any allegations of unlawful development or other activity will be treated seriously and investigated fully.

Members were not altogether satisﬁed with this response and it was agreed that DCJ would contact Mr Mearns again to enquire whether the matter could be referred to the Scottish Government for consideration, since existing legislation appeared to be insuﬃcient to deal with dubious practices of this nature.

12. Forestry Work and Timber Transport

Gartnafuaran Forest, Balquhidder. A planning application had been submitted to the LLTNP for the construction and upgrade of forest roads at this location. A consultation letter had been received earlier by the community council regarding arrangements for the long-term Forest Plan, in which the new forest road in question had been proposed. A response had been sent, poin ting out that alternative routes existed which appeared preferable and asking for a cost-bene ﬁt analysis to be undertaken. No reply to this had ever been received. DCJ now expressed concern over the proximity to the Calair Bridge of the proposed new forest road. It was agreed that DCJ would submit appropriate comments to LLTNP in connection with the planning application and also contact Stirling Council Roads Department to ensure that they were aware of alternative routes being available.
Phytophthera ramorum in larch plantations. Forestry & Land, Scotland (FLS) had issued a notice concerning the dangers of this disease in August It was ﬁrst identiﬁed in Cowal in 2016 and had since spread northwards and eastwards. It has now been discovered throughout the central region, including the Trossachs. It is a fungus- like disease that aﬀects species such as larch and rhododendron, causing death to a larch tree within the space of a single year. There is no known method of eradicating the fungus, so the only treatment is to fell infected trees and those surrounding them to prevent the spread of spores and further infection. FLS has developed a system of zones to identify diseased areas and to deal with the problem in a prioritised way. Felled areas will be replanted with diﬀerent species

DCJ to reply to Stuart Mearns (LLTNP).

DCJ to respond to LLTNP

regarding planning application and to write to Stirling Council Roads Department.

and, where possible, regeneration of larch trees will be managed over a period of three years. This action will, however, require additional forestry roads and harvesting facilities, together with the upgrading of existing facilities. It may also involve the closure of some car parks and trails in aﬀected areas. Further information is available from the FLS website (www.forestryandland.gov.scot).

13. Schedule of Meetings, 2023

A proposed schedule of meetings had been circulated to all members prior to the meeting. Following discussion, it was agreed without any changes.

14. Correspondence

Advanced publication of agendas. In September 2022, PH had received an enquiry from the Secretary of Callander Community Council about the publication of documents on the BLS community council website. He had advised that minutes of meetings are published, but only after they have received formal approval at a subsequent meeting. Normally, no other ancillary documents (that may be circulated to members prior to a meeting) are published openly on the website. Following some discussion, it was apparent that the revised Scheme of Establishment for community councils, published by Stirling Council, indicates that agendas should normally be published in advance of meetings. Accordingly, PH was seeking advice from the community council on whether or not to follow this practice in future. He suggested that a simple list of agenda items would be suﬃcient (not including any additional material that may be circulated to members for information). It was agreed that a simple agenda should be published up to two days prior to a meeting.
Consultation on Regional Transport Strategy. Stirling Council had written to update the community council on the development of a regional transport strategy for the years 2023-2033 by the Tayside & Central Scotland Transport Partnership (TACTRAN). Views from stakeholders had been sought throughout the summer of 2021 and, on that basis, draft objectives and outcomes had been developed on which further comment was now being sought. The detailed information is available from the TACTRAN website (tactran.gov.uk/projects/regional-transport-strategy/) or in printed format, on application by email or telephone. TACTRAN is also oﬀering to run short, workshop sessions for interested groups.

Energy costs discount scam. ME had contacted the community council to pass on a warning about an increasing number of scams relating to the discount on domestic energy bills being provided by the government. This money is being paid directly to energy suppliers and individuals do not need to take any action, but messages are circulating on email and social media, oﬀering to provide intermediary services. These messages are scams and should be disregarded.

15. Planning Matters

Ref: 2022/0259/NOT. This concerns a proposal to construct and upgrade forest roads in the Gartnafuaran Forest at Balquhidder, Stirling. See previous item 12A for full discussion.

16. Matters from Ward Councillors and National Park

Short-term lets. At a full council meeting on 6^th October, the “Short- term Lets” registration scheme was approved. This is an initiative from the Scottish government that councils are obliged to implement, but ME expressed concerns that it is likely to be an overly bureaucratic exercise, involving a signiﬁcant cost for registration that will discourage existing property owners from continuing, thereby reducing the overall number of short-tem lets available and creating a shortage of properties for rent.
White Ribbon. ME had recently been appointed the “ White Ribbon Champion” for Stirling. White Ribbon is an organisation that raises awareness of the problems of male violence towards (Further details available on website (www.whiteribbon.org.uk/)

17. Oﬀer of full membership

RM advised members that it was now possible to oﬀer full membership of the community council to DJT, who indicated that he was indeed willing to take on this rôle. The proposal was supported by the Chair and agreed unanimously. DJT was then welcomed as a full member.

18. Any other competent business

Disciplinary matters. AP had received an enquiry from Stirling Council about any policies that had been developed by community councils regarding the behaviour and deportment of its members. BLS Community Council had not encountered the need for such policies and it was agreed that AP would respond to the enquiry accordingly.

AP to reply to Stirling Council.

Litter. DJT stated that he was still unclear about the situation regarding problems with litter and who is responsible for what. ME conﬁrmed that roadside litter is dealt with by Stirling Council whilst

litter on other land is generally the responsibility of the

relevant landowner. Where ownership of land is not known or is unclear, a useful point of reference is the LLTNP.

Parking in Callander. AP asked if there had been any progress on this matter. ME responded that the relevant council department was still understaﬀed and no progress had been made to date. He added that the recently issued Place Plan for Callander made no mention of the

question of parking or support for the outlying residents who visit Callander regularly to use its facilities. BLS Community Council had been invited to comment on the Callander Place Plan, however, and this oﬀered an appropriate vehicle for commenting on the It was agreed that RM would respond accordingly.

RM to comment on issue of parking in response regarding Callander Place Plan.

There was no further business and, at 9 p.m., DCJ declared the meeting to be closed. The next meeting is scheduled to take place on Wednesday 30th November 2022 at Lochearnhead Village Hall.