Approved Minutes Carron Valley & District Community Council Wednesday 4 December 2024 meeting at 7.30pm, via ZOOM

 

               In attendance 

               Peter Hayward, Chair, PH                        Dorothy Breckenridge, Sec., DB                

               Margaret Porter, MP                                  Maureen Berry, MB 

               David Petch, DP                                         David McCaughie, Eurowind, DMC           

               Kevin Lawlor, Eurowind, KL                     Helen Bang, minute clerk, HB

 

1            Introductions and welcome

1.1        The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially the Eurowind representatives.

1.2         Apologies – police, Morag Holdsworth, Carol Brown. 

1.3         Declarations of interest for items on agenda - none. 

1.4  Items raised by members of the public for inclusion - Carol Brown - social media, see item 15.1

 

2.           Eurowind (DMC)

2.1         Power point presentation. The Eurowind representatives have already met some of the councillors at the recent exhibitions.

               Email: carronvalleywindfarm@eurowindenergy.com

              DMC is the project manager for the proposed windfarm. KL will be the assistant project. manager.

 The final positions of turbines have not yet been decided. Further information is available on the Carron Valley website.

 Project timetable - scoping/preplanning 2024-25, planning permission sought 2025-26, construction 2028-29, Operation up to 40 years.   Community Benefit Fund up to £150K per year. 

• Community investment offer of at least 20% equity in the scheme in return for  investment from a community body. 
• EWE will identify opportunities to involve local businesses where possible.

 

2.2         Questions:

• DP – Eurowind has selected a different contour line, different skyline, the turbines are nearer the valley floor with risk of noise, what is the difference with the footings compared to existing windfarms?

 Answer - placement of turbines. This is at a very early stage. We have to take into consideration the existing turbines, cumulative noise could be an issue if too close if moving north.

               Footings - DMC will find out from construction team.

 

• DP - from present experience, some people experience vibration. DMC this will be assessed in the environmental assessment. Shadow flicker can be modelled precisely. Mitigation can be put in place to prevent impacting properties.

 

• PH - the general feeling in the community is that these turbines are in the valley floor, not in the plateau, the issue is that they are going to have a huge visual impact effect.

The existing ones are more discreet in relation to the skyline.

               Earlsburn have been compelled to reduce their heights by Historic Scotland.

             

 DMC - the 200m turbine height is up to this height. Earlsburn extension is 18 months ahead of Eurowind. Existing positions are based on current reports but there will be consultation before a final design. We would need a different land parcel to go higher i.e. on the other side of Cairnoch Hill.

             

• DB - one constraint seems to be concerns about properties to the north - two at Easter Cringate, there are also some to the east. This seems to outweigh the visual impact on the valley.

 DMC - it's not as cut and dried as that, a myriad of environmental conditions determine the final layout. Cumulative noise is a concern when moving north as could potentially breach noise limits.

 

• DB - forest to south of reservoir is extensively used by walkers, riders and cyclists. From an amenity point of view it will have more of an impact.

 

 DMC - an environmental impact will be written in the coming months. Landscape, visual and amenity issues will all be considered.

 

• PH - photo montages don't take into account what it will look like from the B818

 

               DMC - there is a viewpoint from the B818 towards Fintry.

 

• DP - weather conditions prevailing from the west - impact from west and south of current developments. The view on the Carron dam and the John de Graham castle ancient monument and Kirk o'Muir will be dominated, the filming currently undertaken by Clan Ranald will be impossible as they will lose their views.

 

 DMC - noise - which areas might be most impacted, this will be looked at through acoustic specialists.

 

• MB - appreciated the opportunity to hear the information. Would like to reflect on it.

 

• MP - we are troubled that Eurowind is two years' in planning but this is the first the community  has heard of it. Carron Valley has few assets regarding income - the main one is the scenery. This tramples all over the scenic quality of the valley. There must be a better way of placing the turbines in a less in-your-face position.

             

 DMC - re timeline, it is customary procedure not to put information into the public domain until land issues are determined as this is commercially sensitive information.

               With regard to the position of turbines, the final position has not yet been decided.

 

• DP - smaller turbines but more of them might be better if they more in sympathy with the site. There are serious concerns about the contour line. It may be because of sightlines from Stirling Castle/ Historic Scotland concerns, and airport flight paths.

 

• PH - 313 – Eurowind quotes Stirling Council's description of the landscape capacity – but you seem to be going against this.

               DMC - this will form part of the assessments.

 

               PH thanked DMC and KL for attending. They left the meeting at this point.

 

3            Community Police report 

3.1         Attached as Appendix I. No police were able to attend this meeting. 

               RTA, fishing without permission, undetected theft, disruption of a badger sett. 

 

• Minutes of previous meeting held on 5 November 2024

                 Amendment - Chair's report 5.1 - 31 for and 14 against 5 don't knows. Not 50 50 split.

• Proposed PH, seconded DP. ACTION HB to send to DB for Stirling Council and put on CC area of VRG website.

• Matters arising from the November meeting:

2.1         Contact Stephen Bly for police rural director contact 

            Answer SB said he would pass on any emails for the police.             done  Police not attending meetings - Stephen Bly to ask why the police won't             attend via Zoom.       

1.4         20mph speed concerns Falkirk and lack of liaison between councils           JP

1.4.1      Gary Henderson to be preapproved on Carron Valley Connections             done

              Not permitted to post on Facebook

3.1         Minutes of previous meeting and draft November minutes                            done

• Cairnoch Hill – ask for residents’ views on Facebook                                    done            Agreed to post again.
• Auchenbowie Distillery piece for newsletter                                                 PH

9.1 Template for local place plan to go on website     done 11.2 Christmas tree day is 7 December – social media    done  To be reposted this week.

                                                                                                                                                             

6            Chair’s report  (PH)

6.1         PH visited the Eurowind exhibition and has stated the CC's case.

 Attended the Nadara windfarm event in Inverness. Met Victoria Erasmus who showed them around the distillery. We discovered other areas have similar boundary issues.

 

• Secretary’s report (DB)
  • DB attended a Teams for Stirling Council event  but  unfortunately the discussion was

difficult to hear. There is a new section on the website, historical records, census information, protected trees etc. data.org.stirling.gov.uk

 

 MB - was there any mention of when the census for our area was going to be completed?  DB - they are updating this as they receive information but are still waiting for some data.

 

               DB has booked the first Wednesdays of the month

             

• Treasurer’s report (MH)
  • MH was not able to attend this meeting. A report is to be forwarded asap.

             

             

• Stirling Councillor report
  • No elected representative was able to attend this meeting.

 

 

10          Local Place Plan (MB)

10.1 There are some very good ideas from other groups that might be worth adopting. It would be helpful to get the census information to inform where we go next.

 

 

11           Valley Renewables Group report (MP)

11.1       The Board met last night. There was no meeting in November as it was the AGM.

11.2       Election of new officers - Chair, MP, Vice Chair John Speake, Treasurer Rob Ferguson.

               Secretary - HB also providing registered address for VRg.

               New trustee is Alan Findlay.

11.3 Newsletter has been printed and circulated. Next edition is February. ACTION ALL provide articles for this.

11.4 Planning permission for the Community Hall. Joint meeting at Wester Howlands next Tuesday 10 December to discuss next steps.

Nadara forum in Inverness - good networking opportunity.

Annual report signed and submitted to Companies House, on website, waiting to hear back from OSCR.

 

11.5 Energy Efficiency and ebikes fully committed. It was decided to move some funds across so we can reopen the Children and Young Person's grant scheme.

 

11.6       Communications - Facebook issue has already been covered. MP has offered to get in touch with anyone who has issues about the no discussion of boundaries rule.

 

11.7 Energy efficiency - if all new windfarms come onstream moneys will hopefully be unrestricted and so we would have more flexibility.

              Up front money could support retrofitting scheme, ballpark figure is £4 million.

 We could try applying to other funds for grants but when they see we have money it tends to be an issue.

             

11.8       Christmas tree day this Saturday. A tree has been donated to Strathcarron Hospice.

             

11.9 Eight people have expressed an interest in being on the Community Hall management group. Outside funding might be available for someone to handle administration of the hall but ideas need to come from the community

             

11.10 We are waiting to hear from Nadara's call for projects - solar panels and battery for the hall. 

 

11.11 Energy efficiency - of 155 houses in community surveyed 62 properties with EPC+ Board decided to target properties with lower scores first in next phase. 32 selected of which 18 have responded initially. Visits by surveyor Shirley Paterson and architect Ronan McGirr began on 4 December.

               We have budgeted for 21 properties each year for next 3 years. 

             

11.12 Meeting place for VRG - moving Board meetingsfrom January 2025 to the King Robert Hotel which has a wheelchair accessible conference room.

 

11.13 National Lottery - community information this arrived late so will be discussed at the January Board meeting.

 

11.14 There was a discussion about the Eurowind development with similar concerns expressed to those voiced at this evening's meeting.

             

11.15 The next VRG Board is on Tuesday 7 January.

 

 MB asked about the retrofit advisory people - Morag Holdsworth had raised concerns about the advice provided.  MP said this will be raised with affected individuals.

 

 DP received an update, a letter was delivered by hand. DP used to do surveys on houses 40 years ago, he had basic minimum of equipment to see where people were losing heat from. Shirley Paterson did not have any equipment.

 If she couldn't see for instance insulation behind a wall there was no way of knowing it was there.

               MP - Shirley is operating on instructions of people who create the EPC+ survey.

 

              DP - of two neighbouring properties - his and his son's were built at same time to same standards but received very different ratings.

DB - this is more in depth to find out what the property owner wants to achieve - some might want to do as much as possible, others want to focus on the room they use the most. Some older residents want the information in a simpler format, not too many statistics etc.

 

            DP - is it necessary to have both Shirley Paterson and Ronan McGirr attending?   DB - Shirley has necessary information about available grants etc.

 

              MP - we have not had any feedback about people not being satisfied, so it is difficult to act without this.

 

12          Woodland Group report (DB)

12.1      Christmas tree day Saturday 7 December. Wear appropriate clothing as wet weather is forecast. ACTION HB to put post on website and Facebook.

               Strathcarron Hospice collected a 16ft tree.

 Wood fuel day in November - 38 loads. 22 volunteers. PH lost a house and car key - a reward is being offered.

 

               Saturday 15 February 2025 is a maintenance day.

 

• Roads report (PH)

13.1       Nothing new to report.

 

14          Planning report (MB)

14.1 Two new planning applications at Foot o'Green - planning for two bungalows next to Hawthorn Cottage.

 

15          AOB

15.1       Social media issues.

 HB advised about posts about the boundary issue on Carron Valley Connections Facebook group. One person has been removed from the group for persistent complaints despite having received information about the legal position on multiple occasions.

 A new rule has been introduced for the group saying that discussions of the boundary issue will be deleted as Facebook is not the right forum for this.

 

 DP - there are two households in North Lanarkshire, Could Foundation Scotland be asked about an ex gratia payment from the windfarms?

 Other properties are represented by Denny Community Council and affected residents have not benefitted from the windfarm funding they receive.

               There are additional issues as they are in Falkirk, not Stirling.

 

 MP - there isn't a community council area in Scotland that has a windfarm and is receiving community benefit that isn't experiencing the same boundary issues.

 VRG trustees and CVDCC councillors are volunteers and don't have the time to be representing people in other areas. We have made efforts to help them access the Denny CC money.

 

 MB - this is primarily an issue about poor conduct on Facebook and it is right to remove someone who is abusing the group. The conduct is not in keeping with the ethos of Carron Valley.

 

            Decision - it was agreed to delete any future comments about the boundary issue and  that repeat offenders will be warned and removed from the group if necessary.

 

15 Date of next CC meeting No meeting in January. The next meeting will be on Wednesday 5 February 2025 at 7.30pm via Zoom.

             

               The meeting closed at 9:30pm

 

16          ACTIONS

4.1         Approved November minutes and draft December minutes                                      HB

11.3       Articles for February newsletter                                                                                      ALL

12.1       Post about Christmas tree day                                                                                        HB

 

             

Appendix I  Police Report

 

          

 

 

Other Incidents of On behalf of the Stirling Community Policing Team, PC Capes note/relevant and I would like to wish everyone within the Carron

             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appendix II Treasurer

 

Carron Valley & District Community Council

Accounts for Period to 4th December  2024

1st May 2024 to 30th April 2025