Approved Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 14th of December 2021
7.30pm Via Zoom
Present: Hugh Aitchison, Margaret Beaton, Robert Clubb, Susan Hewitt, Barbara Ross, Derek
Shanks
Attending: Councillor Rob Davies, Councillor Jane Hutchison, 4 members of the public.
Apologies: Scott Crawford, Sarah Hill, Christine Stewart
Minutes of the last meeting: (09/11/2021 & 07/12/2021) were approved (proposer Barbara
Ross, seconder Robert Clubb).
Dairy and Anaerobic Digester planning applications: A screening request was sent to
Stirling Council as KCC consider that the 2 proposals are linked and thus should be subject to
an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) and also that the scale of the intensive dairy
warrants an EIA in its own right. Since Stirling Council intimated that it would not be able to
respond to this request immediately, the request was forwarded to the Scottish Office as it
would otherwise have run out of the statutory objection period. Letters of objection to the
both the proposed Robotic Dairy and the updated Anaerobic Digester proposals have been
drafted. The screening direction from the Scottish Office is expected within 5 weeks from its
submission on 12.11.21. The importance of sharing the information in both objection letters
with the wider community was emphasied.
The main points arising were:
Dairy application: There was agreement that the dairy requires upgrading the but there
remain serious concerns about the scale of the development, its impact on the landscape
and its impact on human health and biodiversity. The impact on the landscape, particularly
when viewed from higher ground, such as from the scenic Military Road between Kippen
and Gargunnock, is a serious concern. Concerns were also expressed about the impact of
the noxious gases (ammonia, methane, and hydrogen sulphide) produced by intensively
farmed dairy cattle as no information about their mitigation is included in the application.
There is increasing concern about the adverse effects of ammonia on air quality as it readily
combines with particles such as those produced by vehicular exhausts and can subsequently
be distributed over very wide areas causing adverse effects on human health and on
biodiversity. KCC members need to decide which of the opening paragraphs for this letter
should be adopted. It was agreed that members should submit their votes by the end of
15.12.21.
Anaerobic Digester application: The AD plant can stand alone so there is no need for an EIA
but when combined with the dairy application then it is considered that an EIA is warranted.
There have been significant changes made to the application and it is thus disappointing
that Stirling Council did not alert the people who had submitted objections to the original
proposal to allow them the opportunity to respond to the changes.
Kippen Community Council
c/o Reading Rooms, Castle Hill, Kippen FK8 3DN
kippencommunitycouncil@gmail.com
Police Report: Two separate RTCs occurred on the A811. One was near Kippen Station
Roundabout where details were exchanged and no one was injured and another occurred
on the roundabout whereby an elderly man suffered minor injury as a result.
They have again carried out Hand held radar speed checks within the village. These checks
were carried out at Fore Road and Main Street.
Christmas Lunch Update: The Christmas lunch was very well organised and was delivered
to more than 200 Kippen residents. Feedback indicated that it was both enjoyable and very
much appreciated. Kippen Community Council contributed £500 to the overall costs.
Kippen Green Update: The Windmill Trust has offered to provide a grant to cover 50% of
the cost of removing the diseased ash trees on Kippen Green but that the remaining cost
must be met by match funding. Councillor Hutchison proposed that KCC contact Jean Cowie
to request a Community Grant. It was also pointed out that it may be possible to offset
some of the match funding through the use of volunteers who would be costed at minimum
wage level. It was also noted that the path from the Green that emerges behind the Health
Centre is in poor condition and would benefit from upgrading.
EV Charge Points: Stirling Council recently placed a notice in The Observer intimating that
they intend installing two EV charge points just off the Main Street in the layby on Castlehill
Loan.
Correspondence: Rob Davies said that there had been no progress on xxx.
KCC Website and Comms Team Feedback: Developments of KCC website are ongoing.
Planning: There were no planning applications highlighted for discussion other than the
Anaerobic Digester and Agricultural Dairy referred to above.
Treasurer’s Report: The current balance stands at £1877.55
Councillors’ Report: The following points were raised at the meeting of Stirling Council on
09.12.21:
-
There have been 2 resignations from the Planning Committee which meant that it had
become inquorate. Two nominations have been proposed so it is anticipated that it will
be reconstituted and thus quorate for the next meeting in January. -
There is a proposal for the World Cycling Championships to be held in Stirling in August
2023; this would have implications for closure of the A811. -
Delivery of bus services in the Stirling area have become infrequent and erratic. There
was a cross party consensus that the Scottish Government should be contacted to
request urgent intervention to protect vital services. -
Stirling Council agreed to operate a hybrid meeting system; there would be IT
equipment implications for this scenario.The local police have been monitoring traffic speeds in the Kippen village to ascertain how
much compliance there is with the 20mph speed restrictions. As there was not much traffic
on the Fore Road further monitoring will be carried out.Round Table Discussion: The following points were raised:
-
How can we encourage more people to utilise the Park and ride facilities in Stirling?
-
Can information relating to the Anaerobic Digester and Agricultural Dairy be shared by
email as not everyone is on social media. -
A resident tripped up on damaged paving near to the shops. A complaint has been
submitted to Stirling Council who have agreed to send out someone to assess the action
that needs to be taken.Any Other Competent Business: No further issues were raised.
Action Points:
-
KCC members to submit their preference votes for the introductory paragraph to the
Agricultural Dairy objection by the end of 15.12.21. -
KCC’s agreed objections to the Anaerobic Digester and Agricultural Dairy to be
submitted to Stirling Council. -
Information in the objection letters to be shared with the wider community.
-
Jean Cowie of the Community Grants Programme to be contacted to request match
funding to facilitate the felling of the diseased ash trees on Kippen Green. -
The possibility of using volunteers to offset match funding costs to be investigated.
-
Funding sources, including the Wind Farm, to allow further improvements to be made to
Kippen Green and linking path to be explored.
The meeting closed at 8.45pm.
Next meeting: Tuesday 8th February 2022 at 7.30pm via Zoom
(BR-14/12/2021)