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APPROVED minutes Carron Valley & District Community Council held 7 December 2022 at 7.30pm, via ZOOM

 

In attendance

Peter Hayward, chair, PH                                Margaret Porter, MP

Dorothy Breckenridge, Secretary, DB            Nicolas Sinclair, Treasurer, NS David Petch, DP                                                                    Helen Bang, minute clerk, HB

 

1                    1.1 Introductions and welcome

• Apologies – Iain Macfarlane, Morag Holdsworth, PC Pam King
• Declarations of interest for items on agenda -
• items raised by members of the public for inclusion in agenda - none

 

2                    Community Police report

2.1       Attached as Appendix I

 

3                    Minutes of previous meeting held on November

3.1   The minutes were approved with the following amendments

Item 6.1 defibrillators, should say access to filter station at Buckieburn. Item 9.1 Extra Board meeting held in November.

Item 9.4 Approving strategy - a previous strategy was raised after an AGM during the discussion after the formal meeting. Requested removal of paragraph. relevant subgroups  delete next three lines.

3.3  They were proposed PH by and seconded by MP. ACTION HB to post approved minutes on VRG website and send to DB for Stirling Council.

 

4                    Matters arising

• Actions from October minutes

3.3       Approved October minutes – VRG website and to DB for SC - done

• Item 5.4 Roads issues – email chain PH/JP Has to be done.
• DB - received an email from Jen Preston saying not her turn to be here tonight but she has comments
  1. Cauldbarns - Roads have agreed to white lines, will get them
  2. Reciprocal arrangement with Falkirk Council re gritting A new roads manager joined from Falkirk in the summer and has agreed that it would be a sensible approach.
  3. Damaged bins will be collected and

 

• Item 4 continued. Minutes of March 2019 meeting with Kenny Sneddon to be circulated - done
• Item 2 Roads information for Facebook - done
• Item 9.6 Appendix I Council help available cost of living crisis – info for social media - not received. ACTION HB to email Jen Preston re hardship fund item 9.6

 

5                    Chair’s report (PH)

• PH had an email from Stephen Bly regarding works - regrading on verge were completed by developer in November, inspected by Roads on 22 November and were satisfied that the work had been done so the CC enquiry could be closed.

At this point we still don't have white lines but according to email from Jen Preston this will happen soon. (See item 4.3 above.)

 

• Discussion

The verge has been levelled. It is a dog leg at that junction so drivers are going straight across through the mud - without marks this is an issue.

NS - if coming from Cauldbarns to turn right for Stirling you have to pull out into the road in order to see if anything is coming. White lines will help.

ACTION PH to email Stephen Bly to point out current issues.

 

• There was a further discussion regarding the unacceptability of Stirling Council closing items before work has been declared to be satisfactory by the CC who raised the

 

6                    Secretary’s report (DB)

6.1  Dates for next year – agreed as the first Wednesday of each month. Do we wish to miss January, July and August? Decision – it was agreed to do this. The next meeting will be Wednesday 1 February 2023 at 7:30pm via Zoom.

 

7                    Treasurer’s report (NS)

• We have a balance of £1096.0.
• Queried if the cheque for litterpickers has been ACTION PH to check.
• Fee for clerk – the clerk had requested an increase of £50. It was agreed to do this to the end of the financial year and then reviewed. As the grant from SC is only for £40 per meting it was agreed to add an honorarium of £10. Agreed unanimously.

 

8                    Stirling Councillor report

8.1  Nothing was received apart from the Roads update, see item 4.3 above. DB was not sure who was supposed to attend this evening.

 

 

9                    Valley Renewables Group report (NS)

• A Board meeting was held on 6 December. A new director, John Speake ,was welcomed onto the Board.

 

• We picked up on the strategy regarding the provisional action plan.They have been allocated to We reviewed the membership of 10 subgroups. We closed the Covid response and Strategy subgroups. We have instituted a new subgroup for Energy efficiency. John Speake has volunteered to chair this. NS has proposed that DB would be welcome to join this group as the representative CC member. In the newsletter residents have been invited to join this subgroup.

Community projects subgroup - this is the second focus, trying to get more localised activities.

 

• Grants: looking at energy efficiency. Carol Brown is working on this. We are going to make funding available upfront if necessary. This is a pilot initially.

 

• The Ebike grant is going to be

 

• The New Steps fgrant unded by Falck ends at the end of We are looking to see if we can keep it going in some form. We are going to get an external person to review this scheme.

 

• One of the submissions to the latest Falck competition was We are getting

£8K for the woodland wood processor.

 

• The second application was not successful – “warm the person not the house” - we said that the grants subgroup will look at this and see if VRG can fund it themselves.

 

• Open Day it was agreed this will be at the Community Woodland. Some preparation work is required. Iain Macfarlane has stepped down as the lead. We are looking for someone to join this subgroup.

 

• Investment fund has regained some of the
• Current VRG Subgroups: Grants, Investment, Woodland, Governance & Compliance, Communications, Meeting Room, Open Day, Community Projects, Windfarms, Energy

 

• Jenny Holdsworth is the new Barbara Wilson resigned at the AGM.

 

• Minutes for October and November meetings have not yet been approved. They will be approved in January and then circulated to the CC.

 

10                Woodland Group report (DB)

• Report attached as Appendix

 

• Additional wood fuel day Saturday 10 December. We have been awarded £8K towards this. We are going to purchase the processor. It is an asset of the community, should we add to the list provided to Stirling Council?

 

• MP had asked Stephen Bly if the Woodland itself should be added to the list. He was away so she spoke to the insurers. Hazel said she didn't think it would be covered under that scheme but could organize a quote for separate insurance. ACTION MP.

 

• Footpath contractors have completed the job. We are sending the claim form to Stirling Environment Trust to claim the grant for this.

 

• Replanting went well but we ran out of stakes so this will be completed in the

 

11                Roads report (PH)

11.1     Covered earlier, see item 4.3 action 5.4 from November minutes.

 

12                Planning report (PH)

12.1     Barr Wood – a planning application has been received for 2 ecocabins and 2 ecohuts. PH shared an image of the huts and floor plans of the cabin.

 

PH asked for a response from the CC. 22/00756FUL is the planning application reference.

 

MP was concerned about buildings being 2 storeys high. There will be lights at night.

 

An ongoing issue is access, emergency access. DP queried fire risk - method of heating, methods of construction.

 

How would they monitor behaviour of any guests if the owners are living in Stirling.

 

There is parking for four cars in a designated area. One cabin was for the couple, one or their children, the huts were for paying guests. There are ponds should there be a fire.

 

NS gets more run off since earlier work by previous owner and has concern regarding drainage.

 

He thinks they have designed the cabins and huts in a certain way to comply with certain planning permissions.

 

MP regarding objections we should concentrate on ensuring access is safe and if the buildings are higher than the trees.

 

DB - has concerns regarding water and sewage management - the application mentions reed beds but how will they handle it if this doesn't work. The reed bed at Old Sauchie did not work, they now have a sewage tank.

 

New houses in the countryside - it is not adding to existing development or redevelopment of an old building.

 

NS - the current owner of another part of this land still has outstanding conditions. MP thought commercial premises had to have two access points?

 

ACTION PH to circulate a response to planning for comments.

 

13                AOB

13.1     There was no other business.

 

• Date of next CC meeting – Wednesday February 1 2023 via Zoom

 

• The Chair wished DP well with his imminent return The meeting closed at 20:45

 

Appendix I Police Report

 

 

Appendix II Woodland

 

Valley Renewables Group - December 2022 Board Meeting

 

WOODLAND SUBGROUP REPORT 1. Progress

 

• Restocking of the clear felled area between the forest road and the river by the volunteers is almost complete - one final push to finish. Well done to all who have helped with the work.

 

• Wind blow from the last storm has been cleared and taken to road side ready for use in the next wood fuel days.

 

• Wood fuel days have been increased from two to six a The next five dates are: 10/12, 14/01, 11/02, 11/03 and 08/04. Booking for uplift slots as previously. Volunteers required please to assist with wood processing and traffic management.

 

2.  Footpath Upgrade

• After some delays by the Contractor, work commenced on 22nd November and is due for completion by 30th November.
• The work will be inspected and signed off by our woodland On completion the grant payment will be claimed from the CSET.

 

• The top dressing of a short section of existing path with whin dust will be completed in the spring by our volunteers, together with infilling the pot holes

 

on the forest road between our path ends. This will complete the circuit for accessible use.

 

3.  Falck ‘Call for Projects’

• The Community Wood Fuel project has been successful in Falck’s ‘Call for Projects’. The grant awarded is £8,000 to be spent before 31/12/23.
• We are proceeding with purchase of our own the firewood processor, more bulk loads of firewood grade timber, and tarpaulins for sheeting the wood stacks. Supervision of the wood fuel days will be by the woodland manager assisted by the contractor for loading the timber onto the processor.

 

• The costs are divided between the Falck grant and existing community woodland funds.

 

4.  Reappointment of the Woodland Manager

 

• Fountains Forestry, the woodland manager has worked with us from the outset of the community woodland project. They run on a two year contract and this is now due for renewal. They are proposing a 10% increase in their charges taking the budget cost from £15,500/year to £17,050/year. They are paid on the basis of time sheets, allowing us to control costs within the Board approval is sought to reappoint.

 

5.  Community Open Day

• Saturday 26th August is the provisional date with the events space at the community woodland as the location.
• We are currently putting together costs for a minor upgrade to our access road, some drainage and levelling at the events space, and regular grass cutting to establish a usable sward.

 

• Catering by Drum Farm - as for the Apple

 

• Board approval to the final arrangements and cost will be sought in

6.  Liaison meeting with Forest & Land Scotland (FLS)

 

• We (DB, MP and RF with Peter Mitchell our woodland manager) met Andrew Clark (Regional Manager) and Katy McGregor (Manager), the visitor services team for our area at FLS. This was the first liaison meeting in four years. It was both wide ranging and positive.

 

The main points:

 

• An arrangement for our use of half the FLS car park (50 spaces) for the Open Day was agreed. An application is required and an admin fee of £90 is applicable. VRG to apply after Board agreement to go ahead with the event at the woodland site.

 

• Alternative parking for the Tom Robb Memorial Run is available in the FLS/ Duncarron hardstanding area. FLS will arrange.

 

• A Scottish Water/FLS ranger is now in post. We will invite him to the woodland and encourage him to lead the Friends of North Third

 

• 6 monthly liaison meetings to include Duncarron will be led by FLS

 

• An events diary/calendar will be set up and managed by FLS

 

• FLS are considering a joint project with SW and other partners to improve the visitor facilities (toilets, catering, teaching space) at Carron Valley. This project is probably 5 years away from There could be an opportunity in due course for VRG to be a stakeholder.

 

• Tom Robb Run is being charged for admin. plus a ‘per participant’ This should come from the participant entry fee rather than the VRG grant. VRG to liaise with Moira Paterson to resolve.

 

7.  Expenditure and Budget

 

• the Community Woodland budget for the 2022/23 FY is £29,144. Plus an underspend of £18,058 from the last two FY’s and £2,500 income from Outlander parking. We now have a further £8,000 from the Falck ‘Call for

Projects’, which is restricted to the Community Woodfuel Project. This is all separate from the £34,000 from the timber sale, now in the investment fund.

 

• Expenditure this FY to date is £10,154. Community Woodland Insurance

 

• the Community Woodland insurance with Zurich is due for renewal on 12th January 2023. We are investigating whether the woodland can be insured through Stirling Council’s community assets insurance policy as are our

 

9.  Reporting to the VRG Board

 

• With Barbara’s retirement from the VRG Board we have lost our Reporter on the Barbara will continue her membership of the Woodland Sub Group. Christine has kindly agreed to take on the reporting role.

 

RF for VRG 29/11/22