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Dunblane Community Council
Alan Booth
Secretary
Woodlea, Perth Road
Dunblane
FK15 0BU
Tel: 01786824791
Ailsa Gray
Chair
Old Glassingall
Dunblane
FK15 0JG
Tel: 07775313038
Minutes of the Dunblane Community Council held on Wednesday, 9 August, 2023, at 7 p.m. in the Library, Dunblane. This is a “blended” meeting, with some attendees joining by Zoom.
Present: Ailsa Gray (Chair), Alan Booth (Secretary), Terence O'Byrne, Graham Mowat, Fiona Plumtree, Karen Jenkins, Jonathan Failes, Anna Jarchow-MacDonald.
In attendance: Steve Mason, Margaret Bragg (Minutes Secretary). Joining by Zoom: Councillor Alasdair Tollemache, Mairi Santolini (Parent Council, High School), Sergeant Sarah Stephenson.
1. Apologies
Apologies have been received from Councillors Douglas Dodds and Robin Kleinman, Annelise Bakri, Stewart Corbett, and Calum Thomson.
2. Conflicts of interest
There were no declared conflicts of interest.
3. Approval of minutes of 7 June 2023
These were approved, proposed by Terence O'Byrne and seconded by Graham Mowat.
4. Matters arising
Trossachs Search and Rescue Steve Mason agreed to give an update at the next meeting (see minutes June 2023). Action: Steve Mason.
Kellie Wynd appeal The Chair has submitted the response of the community council.
Ramoyle Councillor Tollemache suggested that Braeport be given priority for road gritting in winter and that there should be further traffic limitations with access only for residents in Ramoyle. A meeting had been held with residents in the Dunblane Centre and Carlyn Fraser (Operations Team Leader, Stirling Council), who has since left the Council, to discuss suggested proposals. Councillor Tollemache and Terence O'Byrne will work to move this forward. Action: Councillor Tollemache and Terence O'Byrne.
5. Chair's Report: See attached.
Kellie Wynd The Chair commended the support she had from Planning Democracy in submitting the response to the developers’ appeal, especially with regard to the five-year housing land supply. She recommended that the community council draw on their expertise in the future.
Windburn windfarm The visual impact on Dunblane will be greater than first thought, but Stirling Council is not a consultee with the developer. Councillor Tollemache is finding out why this is the case and who on the Council can help in discussions between the community and the developer with regard to securing community benefits. Action: Councillor Tollemache.
Youth Action Group The Chair reported on the Incubator Ideas initiative set up by Rev Ruth Kennedy, Rev Colin Renwick and Sue Lockwood to engage with 6th year pupils at the High School and identify what they see as their main challenges and possible solutions and that the output from this group should be incorporated into the Big Dunblane Survey. Action: Jonathan Failes.
6. Operations Report: See attached.
Terence O'Byrne reported on the difficulties Stirling Council is having in recruiting enough engineers, causing delays in work schedules. He agreed to contact Gary Neill before the next meeting to discuss this. Action: Terence O'Byrne. If there is no progress, he will ask elected members to intervene. Fiona Plumtree suggested that community service workers be used, for example to clear weeds, and Councillor Tollemache agreed to pursue this with the Criminal Justice team at Stirling Council. Action: Councillor Tollemache.
Winter maintenance review At a recent meeting with Gary Neill (Roads Services Manager, Stirling Council) to discuss road gritting, Terence O'Byrne was disappointed to discover that no allowance had been made for the unique topography in Dunblane. He noted that proposals for grit bins etc, are not yet available.
Kinbuck Road culverts It was proposed that these would be cleared by the end of this month but, as Terence O'Byrne has not yet seen any details, he agreed to check this. Action: Terence O'Byrne.
Gullies As listed in the minutes of last month, gullies between the Queen Victoria school and the Fourways roundabout, and on the main roads in Dunblane have still to be cleared.
Cycle lane works on the B8033 It is now nearly two years since they were deemed to be unsafe but Terence O'Byrne has not yet received revised Traffic Management Plans for the necessary works.
Pavement weed clearance Councillor Tollemache agreed to pursue this. Action: Councillor Tollemache. He also said that Japanese knotweed in gardens abutting the B8033 opposite the bowling green has been reported to Council officers.
Openreach works on the Glen Road Terence O'Byrne complained that the original traffic signs when the work was started were inadequate and that it is imperative that, to avoid such issues, the community council must be informed of Traffic Management Plans beforehand. As the Council has to approve any plans, they should pass them on to the community council for comment.
Kinbuck Bridge Councillor Tollemache has visited the site of the bridge and its approach and he and Terence O'Byrne agreed to meet with a Roads officer to discuss improvements to prevent traffic hitting the structure.
The Chair reported that excess vegetation on the B8033 between Dunblane and Kinbuck is preventing pedestrians from walking on the pavement, forcing them onto the road into traffic. The Chair repeated that in the event of an accident, the Council would be held culpable. She agreed to send a letter to the Chief Executive of the Council, to Gary Neill, and to elected members, pointing out the danger. She also agreed to raise a petition of residents. Action: The Chair. Councillor Tollemache agreed to bring this up again and invited councillors to pass any comments to him. He has also asked Roads Department to go to Cromlix House to advise guests that they should not use this route.
Gold postbox Councillor Tollemache has been trying for four months to get the cobbles surrounding the postbox repaired.
Station lifts As was reported at last month's meeting, cladding has rusted and water pools at the entrance to the lifts. Together with the Secretary, Councillor Tollemache and Terence O'Byrne agreed to contact David Prescott to discuss how to progress this. Action: Councillor Tollemache and David Prescott.
Councillor Tollemache has asked for a meeting with Gary Neill to discuss various issues, such as winter maintenance and gullies, and will report back at the September meeting of the community council. Action: Councillor Tollemache.
11. Police Report: See attached.
Sergeant Sarah Stephenson attended the meeting and answered the questions raised. She reported that fraud is becoming a big issue and she is going to distribute leaflets around the town and arrange for a post on the community council's Facebook page in order to raise awareness. Councillor Tollemache contacted Trading Standard and asked them to distribute their leaflets on this subject.
Speeding in Daniel Avenue was commented on and Sergeant Stephenson agreed to look into it.
Mairi Santolini from the Parent Council at the High School raised parental concerns over social media and how to protect children. Sergeant Stephenson agreed to contact Mairi Santolini later with information for the Parent Council. She confirmed that the police can permanently prevent the forwarding of sexting material. Anna Jarchow-MacDonald reported on a meeting she had with Rev Ruth Kennedy and Mairi Santolini to discuss how children are being targeted by abuse and misogyny on social media. She stressed how important it is to support parents to help their children. Young people need to know what help is available. Sergeant Stephenson was not aware that this is a major issue in Dunblane and she agreed to contact school-based police officers who could visit the High School. The Chair suggested that the parentmail used by the school management would be useful in disseminating information.
With reference on how to raise awareness of scamming, it was suggested that the police make use of the Dunblane.info website, Facebook, and contacts with local groups. Sergeant Stephenson agreed to have posters printed, warning of scammers' tactics, and will bring them to the next community council meeting.
In reply to a question from the Chair, Sergeant Stephenson said that the police attend road accidents only when there has been an injury and confirmed that the community council should contact Transport Scotland directly to raise concerns over the non-compliant slips on to the A9.
Jonathan Failes asked how the police could achieve greater community engagement with the help of the council and Sergeant Stephenson commented that there is a lot being done at the moment. Daily, calls are being received about scammers and sexploitation.
Sergeant Stephenson agreed to give feedback on issues raised at this meeting to PCs Ross Barclay and Paul Gilliland.
7. Local Place Plan
Jonathan Failes reported on the progress of drawing out topics and sub-topics to prioritise the main themes for inclusion in the upcoming Big Dunblane Survey. Local groups are being identified with a view to setting up workshops with the larger ones to discuss the topics. Smaller groups will be contacted by email and requested to forward comments to him. He stressed the importance of community engagement to identify the right questions for the survey, which will form the basis for the Local Place Plan.
Mairi Santolini asked how the Parent Council can support this process for children and parents. Jonathan Failes reported that there will be a group session shortly as an initial engagement on selecting the right topics for a school survey. He is also fully intending to contact the Dunblane Centre. The Chair suggested that the Parent Council contact Rev Ruth Kennedy directly to propose a parent representative on her group.
Anna Jarchow-MacDonald praised the positive engagement between the various Headteachers in the town. Mairi Santolini thanked the council for the opportunity for pupils to take part in community council meetings and reported that pupil representatives will attend the September meeting.
8. Planning Update: See attached.
Terence O'Byrne reported that a new Planning Manager will be starting soon.
With reference to the rejection by Stirling Council of a plan for an access road for the development at Hillside, Terence O'Byrne was critical of the vague reply he has received from the planners.
9. Communications Report: See attached.
In reply to a comment from the Chair that Press attendance at community council meetings be revived, Councillor Tollemache suggested that journalists could attend by Zoom and an invitation should be sent to The Stirling Observer. Action: Calum Thomson.
10. Treasurer's Report: See attached.
12. Correspondence Report: See attached.
A discussion arose over the Common Good Fund and the Secretary reported on the two guidance documents he has circulated on whether the capital or just the interest can be spent. If capital can now be spent, the Provost's Committee should publicise this. Councillor Tollemache repeated that there needs to be a discussion whether it is capital or interest that can be disbursed and that the application process should be open to all with each application decided on its own merit. The Chair, the Secretary, and Terence O'Byrne are going to report back on this at the next meeting of the community council. Action: The Chair, the Secretary, and Terence O'Byrne. However, it was stressed that, although the community council can comment on applications, the responsibility for deciding on them lies with the Provost's Committee.
In reply to a query from Mairi Santolini on behalf of the Parent Council at the High School, who asked if there were publicly available funds to support the school's 50th anniversary celebrations, the Chair repeated that the monies available for disbursement by the Common Good Fund is not clear-cut and the Secretary suggested that they apply to the Windfarm Grant Committee.
13. AOCB
Windfarm Grant Committee The Secretary has been asked by the Dunblane Development Trust to check if the present representatives wish to continue on it.
Dunblane Development Trust The Secretary reported that there is an opening for a community councillor to be on the Board of the DDT and invited applications. Stewart Corbett is already on the Board.
Laighhills The Secretary reported that the Biodiversity Officer at the Council has left. Previously, he had been responsible for trees being planted in the Laighhills at the wrong time of year and without clearing bracken, with the result that many have died and need replacing. Councillor Tollemache agreed to find out whom he should contact at the Council to resolve this. Action: Councillor Tollemache. Councillor Tollemache commended the Secretary for the successful community orchard in the Laighhills.
With reference to the proposed Local Nature Conservation Site designation for the Allan Water from the Laighhills to Ashfield, this will be going ahead.
Support for councillors Anna Jarchow-MacDonald enquired if there was any support and training for community councillors and, although in the past this used to be provided by the Council, at present it does not seem to be available. With reference to increasing community engagement with the upcoming survey the Chair is also looking for a contact within the Council for support. Councillor Tollemache agreed that Parent Councils in schools could also do with similar support and will pursue this. Action: Councillor Tollemache.
14. Date, time and place of next meeting
The next meeting of the Dunblane Community Council will be held on Wednesday, 6 September, 2023, at 7 p.m. in the Library, Dunblane.
The meeting ended at 9.25 p.m.
This is a true representation of the meeting.
Ailsa Gray …………………………………………………………… Date ………………………
Chair
Alan Booth ………………………………………………………….. Date ………………………
Secretary
Police Service of Scotland
Community Council Meeting
Community Council:
Dunblane Month:
August meeting Officer completing:
PC 775 Paul Gilliland Email address:
DunblaneBridgeofAllanCPT@scotland.pnn.police.uk
Introduction / synopsis of previous month:
This report should provide sufficient information regarding police activity since the last community council meeting. If you have any further questions about the police report or any incidents that you are aware of that are not included in this report then please email us direct on the above email address and we will answer your questions.
If anyone has any information on any incidents that we have been unable to identify a suspect then please let us know by email, 101 or by contacting Crime stoppers.
The report encompasses all relevant crime and matters of note which have occurred between the 7th June and 30th July 2023 inclusive.
Current Priorities:
Our current priorities in the Dunblane area continue to be Anti-Social Behaviour, Housebreakings, Road Safety and Community Engagement and Reassurance.
Main Report:
Between the 7th June and 30th July 2023 a total of 34 crimes occurred within the Dunblane area. The crimes detailed below are those that are of relevance to the local community.
ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
On the 17th of June a vehicle then parked in Laighill Court, Dunblane was damaged having been struck by eggs. This has been crimed as Vandalism and following enquiry is undetected. PS20230617-2984 refers.
On the 24th June damaged was caused to a door at a property in Balmoral Court, Dunblane. The person responsible has since been charged with Vandalism.
Sometime between the 24th and 25th of June a vandalism occurred at a residential property in Balmoral Court where some windows were damaged. All relevant enquiry has been carried out and the crime is undetected, PS-20230625-4461 refers.
Between the 13th and 14th July a vandalism occurred to a wooden gated entrance at a property near Auchinlay Road. This is under investigation at the time of update. PS-20230717-1819 refers.
DRUG MISUSE
None to report
VIOLENT CRIME
None to report
HOUSEBREAKINGS/CRIMES OF DISHONESTY
On 16th June a theft by shoplifting occurred at a retail property in Stirling Road, Dunblane. Following investigation this is detected and a male will be subject of a report to the Fiscal.
On the 20th June a Housebreaking with Intent to Steal occurred at a property in Charles Street, Dunblane. No property was taken from the property in question and following investigation the crime is undetected, PS-20230620-0176 refers.
Sometime between the 1st and 3rd of July persons have attempted to gain entry to a vacant property at Atholl Place, Dunblane. This is crimed as an Attempted Housebreaking with Intent to Steal and is undetected, PS-20230703-3907 refers.
During the morning of 8th July a bicycle was stolen a bike rack at High Street, Dunblane. This under investigation at the time of update, PS-20230608-1062 refers.
Police are currently investigating a number of Fraud type offences.
On the 12th of June a Dunblane resident was contacted via Whatsapp from a suspect pretending to be her son asking for monies to be transferred to cover ongoing renovation work. The victim thereafter transferred various sums of money to accounts and after becoming suspicious later identified that she been the subject of Fraud. This is an ongoing enquiry at the time of update.
On the 27th of June a Dunblane resident was contacted via mobile phone and fell victim to a scam whereby she was asked to pay for repairs to her child’s phone. The victim believing this to be true transferred monies to a suspect account and later established that she been the victim of a Fraud. The victim has been fully reimbursed by her bank and the incident is still under investigation.
Between the 3rd and 4th of July an elderly couple from Dunblane were the victims of a Fraud whereby males have contacted the victims by phone claiming to be from the banks Fraud Department and police investigating suspicious activity on their accounts. After gaining their trust the suspects have duped the victims into providing bank details, personal details and arranged for the victims to be visited at their home address where various valuables and banks cards were retained.
Following extensive enquiry by the Priority Crime Team two suspects were later traced and arrested and held in court to appear in relation to Fraud and Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012 - Impersonate constable with intent to deceive offences.
On the 18th of July a resident from Dunblane was contacted by a suspect purporting to be from a bank advising him of suspicious activity on his account and thereafter details which allowed the suspect to gain access and have large sums of monies removed from the account. The victim became suspicious and contacted his bank whereby it was established that he was the victim of Fraud. This is an ongoing enquiry at the time of update.
On the 12th July a theft by shoplifting occurred at Tesco, Dunblane whereby a male suspect stole alcohol. This is still being investigated at the time of update, PS-20230712-3384 refers.
On the 18th July and 22nd July theft by shopliftings occurred at Tesco, Dunblane whereby a female stole products. Due to the suspects behaviour towards staff these incidents have been crimed as Theft by Shoplifting and Protection of Workers and Retail and Restricted Goods & Services (Scotland) Act 2021 S1. Both are under investigation at the time of update, PS-20230720-1953 and PS-2023 0722-3571 refers.
Police are currently investigating a robbery which occurred on the 27th July whereby a delivery driver had a package snatched from him near to a property in Doune Road, Dunblane. The assailant made off and the driver was not injured. This is being progressed by the CID, PS-20230727-1566 refers.
ROAD SAFETY AND ROAD TRAFFIC RELATED CRIME
On the 17th June a cyclist was struck by a vehicle near to Keir Roundabout. Following investigation a motorist has been reported in relation to Careless Driving.
On the 18th June officer stopped a vehicle on the A9 and established that the driver appeared under the influence of controlled drugs. Pending the results of a blood sample obtained, the driver will be reported for driving whilst under the influence of Cannabis – Section 5(A) 1 & 2 Road Traffic Act 1988.
OTHER MATTERS
Between the 7th June and 30th July 2023 there has been a total of 235 calls to the Dunblane area (this includes calls to sections of the A9 and M9). A breakdown of some of the calls are as follows: 6 neighbour dispute type calls, 3 public nuisance calls, 0 drugs/substance misuse calls, 3 noise related calls, 3 disturbance type calls, 7 damage calls, 6 theft type calls, 4 domestic incident call, 5 fraud calls, 14 concern for person calls, 3 abandoned vehicle calls, 1 bogus workmen call and 55 road traffic related calls.
Advice and information relating to Internet Safety and Scams and Frauds can be found on the Police Scotland website
https://www.scotland.police.uk/advice-and-information/
Internet safety - Police Scotland
Scams and frauds - Police Scotland
Community engagement and reassurance:
CPT officers attended a community event at Dunblane Hydro on the 17th June 2023 and engaged positively with a large number of local children and members of the Health Club.
Activity for forthcoming month:
- Carry out patrols in areas where antisocial behaviour is reported.
- Continue to deliver information and inputs relating to fraudulent type crimes to vulnerable members of the community.
Input being arranged to speak with local nursery children regarding the role of police.
Any issues raised at Community Council meeting:
https://scotland.police.uk/yourviewcounts