March 2022 Minutes

Minutes of the Meeting held on Tuesday 8^th of March 2022 7.30pm Via Zoom

Present: Hugh Aitchison, Barbara Ross, Scott Crawford, Derek Shanks, Sarah Hill, Susan Hewett, Margaret Beaton

Attending: Councillor Jane Hutchison & 10 members of the public.

Apologies: Robert Clubb, Christine Stewart

Minutes of the last meeting: (08/02/2022) were approved (proposer Barbara Ross, seconder Hugh Aitchison).

Police Report: (1.) There was an RTC on the B822 near Kippen roundabout involving a car and a tractor. 2 males suffered minor injuries as a result. One of the drivers was reported to the PF for careless driving. (2.) An RTC at Kippen roundabout was reported and it transpired that the vehicle was stolen form a premises in Gargunnock after it had been broken into shortly before. Male was traced, arrested and charged with a theft by housebreaking and various Road Traffic Act offences. (3.) Enquires are ongoing to trace the driver of a vehicle driving dangerously on the A811 near to Kippen.

Dawn Homes: KCC have written a letter – everyone seems to be OK with it. Just need the green box added to the letter. When there was heavy rain the other day, soil from the site was making its way into the stream and the water is now not running as well as it was. The rubbish coming down is blocking a culvert and there is sediment in the stream and over a path. They have been chopping down trees.

Graham’s Dairy/AD Application: A response has been received from Scottish Government. We asked if this was on a scale big enough to fall within the EIA if both applications were combined. Laura has chased them up on numerous occasions and only received something today. The Scottish Office Minister is waiting to rubber stamp the report but someone is on holiday. They have decided that they do not warrant EIA regulations and therefore Stirling Council can therefore move forward with the Application. However, there has been an objection by SEPA re the AD Application that doesn’t seem to have been updated on the portal to show if there is any response. Two reasons decisions have been made on incorrect information. The report states that the applications are independent – however, they are clearly linked. The application also suggests that the new dairy is going to operate in exactly the same way as the current dairy – however, the new application is for a robotic dairy which the current one isn’t. This operation is 8 times larger than the threshold and this seems to have been overlooked. The whole thing seems to be quite disappointing on the part of the Scottish Government. We are in the dark due to little information being uploaded onto the Planning Portal. It’s not clear in the planning application how the system would work. The plan is only for 500 tonnes of manure and there has been no response to this. For the number of cows that the robotic system is being created for – there isn’t enough room in the fields for the number of cows that would justify the robotic dairy. It was mentioned that they have experience of numerous dairies and has seen a great impact in the welfare of the cattle. There would be a rotation of cows dependent when they are

Kippen Community Council

c/o Reading Rooms, Castle Hill, Kippen FK8 3DN kippencommunitycouncil@gmail.com

milking. An attendee will ask an employee directly. We can write to a planning office and CC in GD to see if we can have an answer on the questions raised. With a follow up letter to the Scottish Government. KCC to draft the letters.

Kippen Green Update/Tree Cutting: We have been given £1350 from Stirling Council. Met with DE for input on a quote received from Weir Forestry (WF) with a total value and seeking for the rest of the funds from the Wind Farm Funds. Had a meeting with WF and went through all of the plans and quote was received. All of the Sub Committee were asked if they had any questions – to which they advised “no”. One member of the Sub Committee then contacted WF directly with questions including asking for a payment upfront in case of any damage to property – WF is fully insured and therefore no money should be given out. Access to the green will need to be closed for a couple of days to allow the works to be carried out safely. Once the work is completed, there will be a large pile of chippings.

Bobby Wilson has been approached for a quote to surface the paths on approach and through the green. An application has been put into the Wind Farm Fund with a decision to be made soon. Any work will be carried out after the trees have been cut down. Hopefully this should be completed soon if no further issues/concerns raised. The trees are currently dangerous and has been confirmed by all of the Tree Surgeons who have quoted. Another company have provided a quote but has taken too long to respond that WF should be given the contract.

Correspondence: An e-mail has come through saying that donations for Ukraine need to go through proper channels.

Road Issues: Back in 2014 when planning permission was given for new houses, part of the plan was that Fairfield Road should be closed. A padlocked gate has gone up with a road closed sign. The road is in a poor state due to the traffic on it and the fact that Stirling Council haven’t been looking after the upkeep. Concerns had been raised by a local resident but no update has been given. Due to the lack of maintenance the road is being unusable.

JH has had comments back from Stirling Council and they don’t seem to be keen to do anything with it. JH believes that the junction with the A811 is a bit dangerous but would support the opinions of the council. These roads are part of the heritage of Kippen and should be kept. The part of the Claylands Road that has been done has been done well, however, vehicles are now going faster than they use to. It’s become more dangerous and also slippery in inclement weather. A suggestion of signs to let drivers know about walkers/cyclists/etc. SC brought up the issue of Castlehill with traffic and suggest putting in different road markings to make the road safer. SC will put a post on the village pages to see if there are any thoughts. The sign on the Fore Road is still flashing up 30mph rather than 20mph. Stirling Council are aware.

KCC Website and Comms Team Feedback: Nothing new.

Planning: An Application has been submitted down Rennie’s Loan. This has now been rejected. Application for 3 houses behind the brewery. And other sites down Boquhan. A lot of development on the Carse.