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Fintry Community Council
Approved Minutes
20th June 2024
19:30
Menzies Hall
Present/apologies for absence:
Group/Organisation
Representative
Fintry Community Council
Reps
Michele Bennett Chair
Ian Rodgers Vice Chair
Moira MacKay Secretary
Stirling Councillor
Cllr G McGarvey Apologies
4
Members of Public
(MoP)
Police
Apologies
Apologies
Ronnie Garvey
Jackie Garvey
Declaration of interest in any items of business
Approval of Minutes of last meeting:
Approved
C ounc il lo r’s Report
No report
Police Report –
See Attached
Finance –
Gazebos
The Purchase of 3 gazebos £300 was voted on and approved. They are to be stored in the
resilience shed.
Grant opening dates
Student travel and tuition grants both open up in July closing end of September 2024. Micro
and macro grants open from the 2nd of September closing 31st October 2024. Induvial
grants open 2nd September 2024
Driving Lesson Grants
8 Driving lesson grants have been received and approved payments will be made end of
July 2024
Tuition grant voted on and approved
Cicily’s Way funding and construction plans
MM raised whether there could be a year where the FCC does not provide grants just to
fund and complete Cicily’s Way. It was agreed that Micro & Macro grants payments will be
reduced this year.
To complete Cicily’s Way, the FCC needs to ‘match fund’ the landfill grants £8k in total &
additional survey works to be carried out. This was voted on approved from this year’s
budget as a special project with agreement from Foundation Scotland.
IR states that his dry-stone dyke contact is not available for the job of dyking Cicily’s Way.
MB suggests that the FCC works with the West of Scotland Dry Stone Dyke Association,
using their dyking courses to involve members of the public in dyking some sections of the
path. IR agrees that it would be good to involve the community. He notes that there may be
costs associated with doing the course, but this could potentially be made free through the
individual grant.
Bank card
The FCC need a Debit bank card to pay for Fasthosts etc so it was agreed that the treasurer
would hold it., It was proposed and agreed that one other person would have access to the
bank accounts for invoices payments etc.
Movement of a shed
A MOP has complained to Fintry Primary school, requesting the shed at the school to be
moved. The shed will be moved within the school grounds. MB will return to the FCC with
the cost for this which will then be voted on.
Resilience update
Himalayan Balsam removal works will be being carried out in the second week of July and
we’ll advertise for volunteers nearer the time to assist.
Some giant hogweed has been removed from various sights in and around the village.
Japanese knotweed will be getting treated again in September.
Malcolm McCormick has agreed to be adviser on our flood forum along with Hendy Spence.
Meeting arranged with Stirling Councils flooding officers along with Hendy & Malcolm for the
Wednesday 3rd July. Site visit to houses who have issues with flooding
Phase 2 flooding programme the community council has £2,500 set a side towards this from
the flood prevention project monies. FCC will be meeting the Scottish government to discuss
additional funding.
Next flood forum meeting will be held in early August 2024
Planning
No new planning applications
Licensing meeting
MM attended a licensing meeting, but there was nothing relevant to the village discussed.
Roads/Paths
Cicily’s Way
Further expansion of Cicily’s Way will not start until early 2025 as permission is needed from
some landowners, and a survey must be conducted, to allow essential new drains to be put
into the field along the path. MB to speak to Anderson Associates and to arrange a meeting.
Crack on road
There is a crack appeared in the tarmac near the Knockraich Farm turn off. MB has emailed
Stirling Council to request a site meeting.
Gonachan Bridge and park wall
MB has emailed Stirling Council to find when the works will be completed for the Gonachan
bridge which has been hit recently, and has emailed about the wall in the park, however has
not received a reply as yet.
MB arranged for a road sweeper to clear the area up and over the bridge and kippen road
due to the mess left after road repairs etc.
MB arranged for drains to be cleared
Both works were carried out yesterday
Correspondence
Grant Applications (see finance)
Email received requesting a copy of minutes to be sent out, FCC admin sent copies.
A.O.B.
Earlsburn
The Earlsburn project is set to go ahead after court proceedings about the wind farm’s
visibility from Stirling Castle finish.
June picnic
The picnic in the Community Garden was a great success. The FCC would like to thank the
Killearn Community Council for lending their gazebos, and everyone who helped out.
The FCC donated the leftover cakes and juices to St Mary’s food bank in Bearsden.
The FCC donated bottles of water along with ice lollies leftover from the picnic to Fintry
Primary School, as they were hosting their own picnic.
Seed library
The FCC received an update regarding the seed library which is a huge success within the
village and wishes to thank Angela May for setting up the seed library and for all her hard
work in managing the library at the Fintry Sports Club.
Playpark developments
Play Park is still ongoing but due to staff leaving and not been replaced due budget cuts it
taking a lot longer for the contract to be awarded.
MB has chased up getting swings painted, and new wood chips put down in the Fintry park,
however, she has not yet gotten a response.
Grass cutting
There are several issues concerning grass cutting in the park. Stirling Council has removed
grass cutting from the budget, and additionally, the grass at the park is so long that when it is
cut, the park is still left a mess.
MB has sent out an inquiry to find out whether the beech hedge near the bridge belongs to
the council as she would like it to be cut. Any cutting is likely to take place in September.
Flowerbed near Menzies Hall
Unfortunately, and without informing the FCC, Stirling Council has seeded the flowerbed with
grass. MM is to discuss with the garden committee to see if they want to take it over.
Community litter pick Loup
Discussion held about the FCC organising a community litter pick at the Loup of Fintry in
August. IR will speak to Hamish Mundell to see if he is happy to allow that.
Bus Trip
August bus trip will be to Pitlochry
September / October will be to Glasgow
Minutes
The FCC wishes to thank Isla Rodger for her work writing up the minutes. The June minutes
will be her last as she leaves for university.
Jo Skabara will be returning in September to be our minute taker
Date of next meeting
7.30pm 11th September 2024
Community
Council:
Reporting
Period:
Ward Plan
Priorities
Forth and Endrick, Fintry Community Council
May 2024 – Compiled by PC Matt McCammon
Road safety
A motorcycle collided with another vehicle on the B822 causing damage. The motorcyclist
thereafter left the scene of the accident. Enquiries are ongoing.
On 11/05/24 A large number of people in vehicles attended on the A818 between Fintry and
Lennox town to observe the Northern Lights. Unfortunately, the volume of vehicles completely
obstructed the road. Police attended and manged to move vehicles along and clear the road.
Incidents of Note
Please keep in mind that there have been a number of attempted house breakings in other
villages, So please remember to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
Where to Report Scams
Scams
In Scotland, report all scams to Advice Direct Scotland by calling 0808 164
6000 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm) or online at www.consumeradvice.scot
Fraud
If you have been the victim of fraud, report it to Police
Scotland on 101 or 999 in an emergency.
Suspicious Emails
You can forward suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk and send links
from websites which you think are trying to scam the public to the National
Cyber Security Centre's scam website reporting service
at www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-this-website/report-scam-website
Suspicious Text Messages
If you receive a suspicious text message you can forward it to 7726. The free
of-charge ‘7726’ service enables your provider to investigate and take action if
malicious content is found.
What basic steps can I take to protect my home?
Having your home broken into is not common. There are however many ways that you can help secure your
home. They don’t all cost money – some are common sense and good housekeeping.
First, think about basic good housekeeping routines that aren’t expensive:
Keep your home locked at all times
Many thieves do not need to break in at all because a door or window has been left open or unlocked
Don’t leave keys on the inside of door locks, under mats or anywhere else they can be easily found
If you have a ‘thumb turn’ lock on the inside of a door, ensure that it cannot be accessed from outside
See details on letter-plates, glazing and adjacent windows advice below
Don't put your name or room number on your keyring if you live in shared accommodation, if it is lost
or stolen, the thief will have information that could direct them there
Don’t keep house keys and car keys on the same key ring
Don't keep a lot of cash in the house
Mark your property with a UV marker pen or Security DNA marking Kit - these can be bought online
or in some stores
Look for the Secured By Design accreditation on the product and register - you can place an invisible
imprint of your postcode and house number on your possessions
You can record and register details of your valuables, serial numbers and features or marks, on
devices on the national mobile property register on the immobilise website - this includes mobile
phones, cameras, laptops and tablets
Don’t leave valuables where they can be seen through a window - for example, around the tree at
Christmas time
If you have a wall calendar, avoid having it shown near a window from where appointments can be
seen - people may see when there will be no one in.
What should I do when I go on holiday?
When you go on holiday there are a few steps you should take for security.
Get to know your neighbours, if you trust them they might keep an eye on your home, draw curtains
and remove mail from behind the door
Consider using Royal Mail’s Keepsafe service, they will keep your mail for up to 66 days
Make sure you cancel any regular deliveries such as milk or newspapers
Use timers on lights, make sure your alarm is set
Don’t post on social media that you’re going on holiday - criminals can search for this kind of
information to identify empty houses.
Some other tips include:
Doors should be fitted with a 5 lever mortice deadlock to BS 3621 standard or a Euro Profile Cylinder
lock to TS007 3 star standard
Door frames should be strong enough to support the door, hinges and lock.
If the door is not a ‘multi – point locking’ door, fit mortice bolts at the top and bottom of the door and
hinge-bolts give additional resistance
External timber doors should be solid core and a minimum of 45 mm thick.
UPVC doors should be to PAS024:2016 standard as below
New / replacement doors should be manufactured and installed to meet standards PAS 024:2016 or
equivalent
Glazed panels within or adjacent to the door should have laminated glass in at least the inner pane to
standards P1A
Letterboxes should have an internal cover plate and not be at floor level. This means that mail drops
down and can't be taken from outside
If you are replacing your letter-plate, look to replace it with a letter-plate to TS008 standard
Fit a door viewer and a door chain
Don’t leave keys in the door. They could be turned or stolen through the letter-plate if a standard
letter plate is fitted
Think about having your door reinforced with a security door bar
Ask the manufacturer/supplier before fitting any extra locks to double glazed windows or doors
Windows should have internal beading to avoid the glass being removed from the outside. Some
systems which have external beading are secure because the glass is adhered to the frame or
secured by special tamper-proof clips. This can be checked by consulting the manufacturer
New / replacement windows should be manufactured and installed to PAS024:2016 or equivalent.
This indicates set specific standards of design and security for windows.
What if I’m making home improvements or even carrying out routine maintenance?
Your property can be more vulnerable whilst you’re carrying out home improvements.
Don't give keys to workers as they can make copies quickly and easily
Let your neighbours know about work being carried out, where workers are likely to be and who they
are
Scaffolding may allow an intruder access to areas they wouldn’t normally be able to access
Remember to lock all accessible windows.