September 2022 Minutes

Causewayhead Community Council Minutes of the business meeting held on Monday, 5 September, 2022

Present:

Val Sinclair, Chair;

Joyce Carberry, Member; Fiona Macleod, Vice-Chair;

In attendance:

Thelma Barron (Resident and Minutes Secretary); Councillor Danny Gibson, Ward 4, Stirling North; Councillor Jim Thomson, attending as a local resident. Three local residents

Apologies:

Sonja Cameron, Treasurer; Darren Draper, Co-opted Member; Paul Mcdonald, Secretary; Sue White, Associate Member;

PC Greig Lowery and PC Stuart Gray, Community Police Officers.

1. Welcome

The Chair welcomed all attendees to the meeting, noting that the meeting was inquorate, but that valuable discussion could still proceed, on the basis that no business decisions were required.

2. Adoption of Minutes of Previous Meeting

2.1 The Unconfirmed Minutes of the meeting held on 4 July, 2022 were approved, having been proposed by Ms Macleod, seconded by Ms Sinclair.

2.2 Matters Arising

Follow up to address by Steve Johnson, Dog Warden in relation to local concerns about American Bullies in Cornton (M2 refers)

2.2.1 A report had been made to the Dog Warden, following a sighting of one single individual walking four of the American Bullies, but the Dog Warden had advised that no action could be taken. Subsequently the same individual was seen by numerous people with five dogs, four on the lead and one loose. Amongst other places, the dogs were being walked in Graham’s field, Allanvale Road, Bridge of Allan, and Fisher’s Walk. The Dog Warden was of the view that the individual kept good control over the dogs, and therefore there was no issue to address. It remains the case that American Bullies are not a banned breed here in the UK.

Sustrans, Walk, Cycle, Live: WCLS Uni Route (M3.2.1 – 3.2.2 refers)

2.2.2 Work had started on the cycle lane in Causewayhead Road. The estimated duration of the work was 10 weeks. Residents most

adversely affected were able to raise issues directly with the work force.

2.2.3 Community Councillors observed that once the work was completed, the road would not be very wide for cars.

Airthrey Park (M3.2.3 refers)

2.2.4 No decision had yet been forthcoming from the Minister regarding the Grahams’ appeal to the Court of Session. The Reporter’s report and recommendations were submitted to the Minister in early April this year. However, following our last meeting, Councillor Nunn had written to Alexander Stewart, MSP, to enquire about the delay in a decision.

Speeding Issues at Craigmill (M3.2.6 – 3.2.7 refers)

2.2.5 There was nothing further to report at the present time, although Community Council members noted that the speed limit remained at 40mph and had not yet been reduced to 30mph. A battery operated speed activated sign which had been installed prior to the pandemic had subsequently been removed.

Traffic calming, Causewayhead Road and Easter Cornton Road (M 3.2.4 – 3.2.5, M4.19 – 4.20 refers)

2.2.6 Residents’ complaints about the impact of vibration from the speed bumps on their walls are addressed at M7 below, which records a presentation on behalf of the residents, and the discussion which followed. Since the last meeting, the residents concerned had hand delivered a document to Carolyn Fraser of the Roads Department, which contained data and photographic evidence in support of their claims.

Speeding Issues at Craigmill (M3.2.6 – 3.2.7 refers)

2.2.7 . There was nothing further to report.

Network Rail: Cornton Level Crossing (M3.2.11 refers)

2.2.8 The was still no timeline for completion of the work.

Wallace Monument

2.2.9 there was nothing further to report.

Wallace Park

2.2.10 Scottish Water had agreed to adopt the sewerage at Wallace Park housing estate, and Stewart Milne had finally undertaken to bring the roads up to the required standard. Normally, the roads would be adopted by Stirling Council at the end of this process, a period of around a year, but Stirling Council was being asked to adopt the roads immediately in order that residents could have access to fast fibre broadband, from which they were hitherto excluded.

Recyke-a-bike (M3.2.18 refers)

2.2.11 The Outreach Team at Recyke-a-bike continued to provide a variety of fun day events. The Community Council would continue its efforts to engage more actively with this initiative in the future.

Coaches parked at the Birds and Bees (M3.2.22 refers)

2.2.12 Double yellow lines were to be installed on Easter Cornton Road, on either side of the exit from Beech Lane, and round the corner into Lindsay Drive.

3. Police Report

The Chair presented the Police Report, which had been circulated to her by e-mail in advance of the meeting

3.1 The Police Report covered a total of ten crime reports from 2 ^nd July – 5^th September 2022. Five detected cases included various offences against the person; driving without a licence and careless driving; stalking; a communication offence; and an assault. Five undetected cases comprised two cases of theft; one case of driving over the limit and attempting to pervert the course of justice; once case of failing to stop after an accident; and one domestic incident. Over the time period, 67 calls were made to police for the Causewayhead area.

4. Treasurer’s Report

There was no Treasurer’s Report for this meeting.

5. Chair’s Report

Planning Applications

5.1 (i) There had been one planning application since the last meeting: 22 Causewayhead Road – an application for a two storey extension.

Approvals

(ii) The application for a rear extension at 49 Chisolm Avenue was approved.

Public Procession

5.2 A public procession, the ‘March for Independence’, organised by All Under One Banner, including the Stirling Bridge Commemoration Group, would take place on Saturday 11 September, at 12.30pm. The procession would go from Old Stirling Bridge to the Bannockburn Field. However, marchers from this vicinity would assemble in Causewayhead Park and make their way along Causewayhead Road to the Old Stirling Bridge.

Maggie’s Forth Valley Culture Crawl Stirling 2022

5.3 Maggie’s, Forth Valley, was holding a 10K circular walk on 9 September, in aid of cancer support, to explore Stirling at night, taking in the City’s top historical sites and cultural venues, and finishing at the Wallace Monument.

5.4 Stirling Council - Officer Support for Community Resilience

Stirling Council had made a new officer appointment to help Community Councils to develop community resilience. Currently, a survey was being conducted on the impact of Covid on meetings.

Opening of New Shop in Former Co-op Store, Alloa Road

5.5 The new shop in the store formerly occupied by the Co-op had opened as an outlet for furniture, soft furnishings, and home accessories. On behalf of the Community Council, the Chair wished the proprietor every success.

Hedge at Buchanan Drive

5.6 The overgrown hedge at Buchanan Drive had been cut by Stirling Council.

Resolving Problem Parking at the Birds and Bees

5.7 Problem roadside parking at the Birds and Bees, which was obscuring the view of drivers entering and exiting Beech Lane, and entering and exiting Lindsey Drive, should be eliminated in the near future by the installation of yellow lines.

Stirling Street Life Festival

5.8 Stirling Open Streets Festival was due to take place on Saturday 10 ^th September, with fun activities and entertainment in the traffic free Stirling city centre. [Secretary’s Note: this event was postponed to 22^nd October.]

War Memorial, Causewayhead Park

5.9 The Chair had received a complaint from a resident about the state of the War Memorial at Causewayhead Park, in particular weeds in the mono-block and withered wreaths. The weeds and wreaths had now been cleared.

Community Council Administration Grant

5.10 The Treasurer had received an Administration Grant in the sum of £160 from Stirling Council. The grant was reduced from the previous level, as we had not been spending the money over recent years, not least during the pandemic.

Stirling Council Cycle of Meetings Now Starting

5.11 Stirling Council’s summer recess was now over; the first committee meeting had taken place in the previous week.

Refuse Collection: issues resolved

5.12 The strike by local Unison members employed in Stirling Council’s waste and recycling service was suspended on 6 September, while members voted on the most recent national pay offer. The new offer was accepted and waste and recycling services had resumed. However, there was now a possibility of strike action by teachers.

6. Any Other Business

Presentation by Local Resident on Speed Table Issues, Easter Cornton Road

6.1 The Chair welcomed Mr Robert Polland, who had come to provide an oral presentation on longstanding issues relating to the speed plates on Easter Cornton Road, and the perceived impacts on adjacent properties. Mr Polland represented residents in four properties at the top end of Easter Cornton Road, close to the intersection with Dunster Road, who had been experiencing, over a number of years, repeated significant loss of roughcasting from house and garden walls,

which they attributed to vibration from traffic passing over the speed plates, particularly HGV vehicles travelling at speed.

6.2 The residents had had a meeting in recent weeks with Councillor Nunn, the Chair, and a member of Roads Department staff, and had delivered a document to Carolyn Fraser of the Roads Department, which contained data and photographic evidence in support of their claims. A petition had so far gained 26 signatures of local residents. Whilst they had to date received no response from the Roads Department, the residents understood that the Roads Department had no budget to address the issue. In addition, notwithstanding two new senior appointments to the Stirling Council Roads Department, Stirling Council did not have any road engineers on the staff, although they were now employing the services of a retired road engineer. Following their meeting, Councillor Nunn had escalated the matter to one of the new Heads of Service at the Roads Department, who had suggested that the residents pay for a vibration test, to prove that there is a problem with vibration, and that if the test confirmed this, Stirling Council would reimburse the cost. In discussion, whether a vibration survey would deliver meaningful data was a moot point. In the meantime, the residents felt it would be helpful to make a presentation to the Community Council, to fully update Council members on the nature of the issues and the current state of play.

6.3 The residents of the four properties perceived that the vibration, particularly from HGVs passing over the speed plates at speed, was loosening roughcasting, breaking the seal, so that rain entered, and over time caused the roughcasting to fall off. Repairs over the last decade were estimated to have cost thousands of pounds: one resident had replaced the roughcasting on his wall three times in the last eight years; another had done so twice, and another, once. At times the residents could feel their entire house shaking, giving rise to concerns of even more substantial structural damage to come.

6.4 In discussion, it was agreed that vibration was more likely to be the source of the problem than speed per se. Heavier vehicles would not need to be exceeding 20mph to cause vibration when they hit the speed plates. It was acknowledged that the number of larger, heavier delivery vehicles passing down Easter Cornton Road had increased over the years. Whilst the residents understood very well that Stirling Council had budget constraints, they also noted that the Sustrans Walk, Cycle, Live project would bring about changes in road priority on Dunster Road, and suggested that a consistent approach be taken in respect of Easter Cornton Road also, with possible restrictions placed on HGVs.

6.5 Possible solutions proposed by Councillor Thomson to the Roads Department included replacing the speed plates with a mini roundabout, although it was understood this would require taking space from residents’ gardens, and there was no budget to cover the installation of a mini-roundabout currently. It was also suggested that traffic islands placed further down Easter Cornton Road would also help reduce speed.

6.6 There was some discussion regarding the acceptable limits for road traffic vibration. The A9 Duelling Report offered some insight to tolerable values as vehicles were passing residences.