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Drymen Community Council
Minutes Of The Ordinary Meeting Held On Tuesday 01st March 2022 Within Drymen Village Hall
At 7.30pm Fraser Robb opened the meeting, welcomed all of the attendees and thanked them all for participating.
Present
Fraser Robb (FR), Marie Elder (ME), Andrew Richardson (AR), Adrianna Dent (AD), Walter Hemfrey (WH) and Carole Kerr (CK) (Minutes)
Also Present
Councillor Rob Davies (CRD) representing Stirling Council, and two members of the community.
Apologies
Jemma Allan (JA), Carol Hemfrey (CH), Willie Nisbet (WN) representing Loch Lomond And The Trossachs National Park Authority, and Police Scotland.
Declarations Of Interest In Any Agenda Item
None
Approval Of The Minutes Of The Last Meeting
The minutes of the previous meeting were proposed by ME, and seconded by AR.
Matters Arising From The Previous Minutes
None
Police Report
AR read out the police report:
· Antisocial Behaviour
o There were no reports of antisocial behaviour.
· Road Safety
o There was no reportable road traffic collisions.
· Theft
o A quad bike was stolen from a farm on the back road between Croftamie and Balloch.
WH said that a person has been seen riding a quad bike through Gallowhill Woods, causing damage to the paths therein. He has contacted Stirling Council and asked them to reinstate the posts which were in situ previously, and which prevented vehicles entering the wood.
It is believed that a person living on Stuart Drive, is the quad bike owner and rider in question.
Correspondence
AR informed the meeting of the following correspondence:
· 01st March – We received and email from Stirling Council, giving us notice that on the 23rd April between 9am and 6pm the Highland Fling Race will take place along the West Highland Way from Milngavie to Tyndrum. Should we wish to object or comment, we should contact Stirling Council before 29th March.
· 25th February – We received an email from Kay Robertson of Stirling Council, informing us that Buchanan Primary School will close on the 24th June 2022, with pupils within the catchment area remaining at whatever school they currently attend. From the 25th June 2022, the catchment area for Drymen Primary School will be extended to include the catchment area for Buchanan Primary School. Any person wishing to make representation to Scottish Government Ministers for or against the closure of Buchanan Primary School, must do so before midnight on the 16th March 2022, by emailing: schoolclosure@gov.scot.
· 22nd February – We received an email from Kenny Auld of the National Park Authority, inviting us to participate in an online meeting on Friday 11th March 2022 between 2.30pm – 4pm, in relation to visitor management during the coming season.
· 22nd February – We received an email from Richard Boddington of Drymen Community Development Trust, informing us that Stirling Council have confirmed that they will extend the pavement at The Square towards the butchers, by extending the existing pavement into the road.
· 19th February – We received an email from Constable Graham, informing us of a theft of a quad bike from a farm on the back roads between Croftamie and Alexandria.
· 14th February – We received two emails from Councillor Jane Hutchinson: one email informing us that solar panels can be installed without planning permission on the roofs of housing on Stirling Road, provided that the houses concerned are not listed buildings nor within the conservation area. The second email informing us that Stirling Council will try and contact the owners of the bins left on Stirling Road at the car park, and see if commercial waste arrangements would be more suitable.
· 11th February – We received an email from Ewan MacKay of the Development Trust, informing us that Scottish Water have confirmed that they will install a drinking water dispenser at The Square.
· 11th February – We received an email from Bruce Reekie of Stirling Council, informing us that the repairs to Branshogle Bridge should be completed by the end of April 2022, and that repairs to the Catter Burn Bridge should commence during May 2022.
· 09th February – We received an email from Councillor Jane Hutchinson, informing us that Stirling Council will raise the level of the new pavement at The Square, at the bus stop.
· 09th February – We received an email from Stirling Council, asking us to submit our community assets insurance form before the 18th March 2022, and informing us that we can insure our private vehicles for community council work through their insurance broker.
AR then informed the meeting that Stirling Council have issued guidance in relation to community groups attaching bunting, posters, signs and other items to street lighting. In relation to bunting, amongst other conditions; the group or organisation must take out £5m insurance cover to indemnity Stirling Council from liability. AR said that rather than take up time by going over all of the guidance, he would refer to the guidance as and when required, during any preparations made by the community council for future events.
Chairman’s Report
FR informed the meeting of the following:
- The Development Trust has been busy with improvements to the bus stop at The Square.
· The Development Trust have applied for funding from the War Memorials Trust to repair the war memorial.
· There has been no response from MacTaggart And Mickel in relation to laying the foundations for public toilets within the car park. They are required to pay a Section 75 payment, so this might pay for that work.
· The option of temporary toilets for the village has been looked at by the Development Trust. They will cost £135 plus VAT per week, plus cleaning costs.
· MacTaggart And Mickel intend to start work on the new development during May, beginning with creating the temporary car park.
· Stirling Council have had litter pickers within the local area.
· The Development Trust has organised a village litter pick on Saturday 26th March, starting at 10.30am at The Square.
Treasurer’s Report
JA provided the meeting with the following update, via email:
· There is £3632 in the bank account.
- There are no major expenses due to be paid out.
FR informed the meeting that the Development Trust have £50k within their funds. However, £30k is ring-fenced for the completion of the cycle path between Drymen and Balmaha.
Planning Correspondent’s Report
WH informed the meeting of the following:
· The planning application for a development in the field north of the cemetery is still ongoing. The community council commented on this application last spring. Due to where the proposed development site is, the roads department have been heavily involved in the process.
Roads Correspondent’s Report
No roads update was available. But it was agreed that all relevant roads issues had been covered elsewhere during the meeting.
Publicity Report
AD updated the meeting on the following:
· She has created a series of PDF images detailing the achievements of the community council, and she provided copies of the images to be viewed by the meeting. Her intention is to post a different image each day for 12 days onto Facebook, to raise the profile of the community council and attract new community councillors.
Everyone agreed that the images were very eye catching and fit for purpose, and AD was thanked by the community council for her work in producing the documents.
· She has created an Instagram page for the community council, and will link that page with the community council’s Facebook page. AR agreed that an Instagram page was a good way to publicise the community council and its work, as Instagram attracts a different demographic than Facebook.
FR suggested that AD contact Paul Saunders so that she could put her PDF images onto the Development Trust’s noticeboard at The Square. FR also suggested that AD speak with WH about putting her PDF images onto the village hall noticeboard. WH said that he would put the PDF images onto the village hall noticeboard.
FR then asked CRD as to when the next community council elections would be. CRD replied that he was unsure, possibly in a year or so.
Councillor’s Report
CRD updated the meeting on the following:
· The elected councillor elections will take place during May. Whilst he intends to stand for re-election, Councillor Berrill and Councillor Hutchinson do not intend to stand again.
· Stirling Council will have a meeting on the 03rd March to set budgets. It is anticipated that the council tax will rise by 3%.
· The repairs to the Branshogle Bridge should be completed by the end of April 2022, and that repairs to the Catter Burn Bridge should commence during May 2022.
Mr Edwards asked if Stirling Council’s meetings were still being held online. CRD replied, yes, and added that Stirling Council were looking to adopt a hybrid approach similar to that used in parliament.
There followed a general conversation about bin collections. CRD said that Stirling Council’s bin lorry fleet had suffered a series of breakdowns. Additionally, many of Stirling Council’s drivers had left to drive either buses or supermarket delivery vehicles.
There then followed a discussion about litter. AD suggested that litter bins could be placed at the junctions of the B858 (Main Street and Stirling Road) with the A811, and at the entrance to the Drymen Show Field on the A811. Whilst her suggestion was accepted as a good idea, it was thought that placing litter bins at the entrance to the show field would encourage people to go onto the field – something which the landowner was trying to discourage. It was also noted that there is a litter bin on the A811 where the West Highland Way passes along the A811, north-east of Drymen.
Loch Lomond And The Trossachs National Park Authority Update
No update was received from the National Park Authority.
Any Other Competent Business
FR raised the possibility of holding a gala day. This was discussed, as well as the possibility that Drymen Primary School may hold an event to mark the jubilee. It was agreed that the school should be contacted and asked if they plan to hold an event. The gala day will be considered again during the April meeting.
FR noted the plight of the people in Ukraine, and offered them the thoughts and best wishes of the community council.
FR then offered his thanks to CK for recording and publishing the minutes. Mr Edwards offered a vote of thanks to the Chair.
Date Of Next Meeting
7.30 pm on Tuesday 05th April 2022, within Drymen Village Hall, virus regulations permitting.