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LOGIE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Minutes of Meeting on 17th January 2023 Blairlogie Reading Room
Present: Mary Maxwell-Irving (Chair), Robin Kelsall (Vice Chair), Peter Jennings (Secretary), Cameron Campbell (Treasurer), Susan Allen and Georgina Cairns.
In Attendance: Councillor Jim Thomson and 6 Residents
- Apologies: PC Jacqueline Fisher, Community Officer, Police Scotland
2. Declarations of Interest: None
- Approval of Minutes of Meeting of 15th November 2022: The minutes of the meeting held on 15 November 2022 were approved (proposed by Cameron Campbell and seconded by Susan Allen.)
4. Matters Arising
Clearing Footpaths: After being reminded by Angus Annan’s excellent article in Logie Life, the Secretary will follow up with EPIC to see what can be included in the schedule for The Conservation Volunteers for this year. Angus offered to provide the correct contact for TCV.
Outstanding items on which Councillor Nunn has followed-up:
Blairlogie Orchard Carpark Improvements: Stirling Council advises that there has never been an undertaking to improve this car park and no funding has ever been directed towards it, despite the Community asking for it to be considered.
Stirling Council confirmed that the reason there is no dual dog/litter bin in the car park was due to previous fire damage and vandalism. The cost for a dual litter/dog waste bin is £259 plus VAT, but the Council is very reluctant to let the Community purchase and install. Stirling Council Land Services will continue to monitor and uplift litter on a weekly basis.
After much discussion, the following actions were agreed:
- Councillor Thomson will follow up on any link between litter picking and Community Resilience (whereby residents could be engaged to litter-pick in their communities) and report back.
- A resident (Ken Todd) volunteered to take weekly pictures of any litter in the car park to demonstrate whether weekly litter picking by Stirling Council is
Electronic ‘Your Speed’ Sign at West End of Blairlogie: Stirling Council confirmed, at a meeting on 24 November 2022, that there will be no additional speed signs. This issue is therefore closed with no further action.
Blairlogie Burn Flooding: This issue was covered under agenda item 9 below.
5. Treasurer’s Report
Cameron Campbell gave the latest position. The bank balance at the last meeting was
£2503.76. Income since has been nil and expenditure has been £1159.20 (to Stirling Council for the additional play equipment) with the balance at 17 January 2023 being
£1344.56. Held in the bank balance is £190.80, the remainder of the £1350 grant from Stirling Council for the additional play equipment. When this is removed, the Community Council will have a credit of £1153.76.
6. Police Report
The police report was submitted to the Community Council covering the period 15 November 2022 to 14 January 2023. The report states that there were no reported incidents in this period. However, a Community Councillor did report a crime at a property in Cotkerse to the police in the middle of November and has a crime number. This suggests that the police report is either not picking up all reported incidents or is not covering the Logie Community Council area correctly.
[Post-meeting note: the Chair has emailed the Police Community Officer accordingly to see what improvement can be made to reporting.]
The police have continued to conduct speed checks in the Blairlogie area and surrounding roads (one was seen being conducted in Blairlogie on 13 January.)
7. Planning Report
Robin Kelsall, and Georgina Cairns, gave an update. The following planning applications were reported:
- Logie Villa: extension to the rear, erection of car port and domestic ancillary
- Blair House (retrospective): trellis panels on boundary
- 2 Manor Farm Cottages (retrospective): partial change of use of garden from house to nursery for Wild Wellies Kindergarten.
- Dumyat Estate: tree planting scheme by the Future Forest
8. Blairlogie Speed Reduction Project
The Petitioner (Ken Todd), together with the Chair and Secretary of the Community Council, met with the Stirling Council team on 24 November 2022 to discuss the results of all the traffic surveys and the completion, or otherwise, of the Petition. The key outcome of the meeting was a clear statement of the Stirling Council team’s position, as follows:
- The Council team (under Dot Reid) will report back to the Stirling Council committee to say that, as things stand, there is no recommendation for any further interventions but that the team will undertake an additional speed survey this May and meet the Petitioner/Community Council again to discuss the results;
- The Council team understood that the Petitioner (Ken Todd) was not in agreement with the team’s decision but would very much like to leave the door open for further
- The Council team’s report will most likely go to the Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee planned for 30 March 2023. The Elected Members will decide whether or not the Petition should be closed or left open until after the further speed survey in May.
There was much discussion which concluded that the Stirling Council team’s report should go ahead to the Committee meeting planned for 30 March 2023 and not be held back until after the May 2023 speed survey. It was separately concluded that it would be worthwhile revisiting speed cameras as a way to curb speeding, even though previous attempts have not been successful. The Petitioner (Ken Todd) and Councillor Thomson were agreed on this approach, and Councillor Thomson offered to pick this up again with the police camera partnership.
9. Blairlogie Burn Flood Risk Assessment and Culvert/Downstream Burn Clearing
The outstanding items on the Blairlogie Burn issues on which Councillor Nunn has followed up are as follows:
- The communal discharge drainage across the road outside ‘Huntly’ still needs to be identified as either a culvert or a pipe and dealt with accordingly. A response from Stirling Council (Gary Neill) is still awaited.
- Measures at Blairlogie Castle. The Stirling Council flooding team met the property owner on the Geomorphology walkover in October and plans are progressing regarding possible measures here. The Council’s Flood Surveyor has advised that a topographical survey is now proposed. The final report from WPS Consultants, also to include reference to any relevant items below, is to follow
- Possible hake (grill) in the Burn. Further works have been commissioned as a result of the initial report (geomorphology walkover and topographical survey).
- Survey of fall of the Burn on the south side of the A91 to the point where the level has fallen by 1 metre is to happen over winter when vegetation is lowest.
- Checking of culvert during very heavy rain. The village is checked every time there is a weather warning or when heavy rain is experienced. There have been no issues to date.
- Possibility of Community Justice Clients clearing the burn in the village. The Burn was cleared on 30th November by Community Justice Clients.
- Access to Dumyat Estate north of Blairlogie. The Future Forest Company was notified by Stirling Council for access prior to the Geomorphology walkover and the Council will continue to engage with this landowner.
- Ditch Clearance. The work to clear the ditch south of the A91 was completed during November 2022.
10. Improvements to the Blairlogie Play Park
The play park upgrade was officially completed on 6 January 2023 with the delivery of the picnic bench.
The bill for the additional play equipment has been settled leaving £190.80 of the upgrade grant unspent. Stirling Council has confirmed that the Community Council can repay this or use it to add to the upgrade. Suggestions from the meeting included another bench for placing elsewhere in the park or some grass matting to place around the picnic bench to help prevent the ground becoming muddy in this area. The Secretary will see what can be obtained for the money available.
The Secretary will need to complete and submit a Monitoring & Evaluation report to Stirling Council (a condition of the grant), now that the project is complete. As part of this report, Stirling Council likes to see photographs/hear quotes on the projects supported by Community Pride grant funding and will feature some of these photographs/quotes on the Community section of Stirling Council’s website, or in the Community Development News.
It would be greatly appreciated if people could let the Secretary have appropriate pictures of children using the playpark equipment and provide quotes on the upgrade and its benefits (and permission for photos to be used by Stirling Council)
- Community Resilience Plan
Susan Allan gave an update. The resilience group has been keen to produce a map of the Community Council area to support planning. An opportunity has arisen from the Scottish Community Alliance on ‘mapping your Community’ with a year’s free trial of mapping software that has been used by Parish Councils in England and Wales. The Community Council agreed that this should be exploited.
Home Emergency Kit: Councillor Nunn also asked, in her list of things to follow up, the Stirling Council’s Risk & Resilience Team for a list of essential items every household should have. In response, the Council provided a link to the Scottish Government guidance via Ready Scotland (How to create a home emergency kit) with a screen shot of a list of items. This list of essential items (and the link) is attached in the annex to these minutes.
The Council also provided a pamphlet produced by Scottish and Southern Energy Networks (SSEN), which members of the Community and Community Council might find useful. This document is included in the email that sent out these minutes.
12. Active Travel Route – Blairlogie to Stirling University
Nothing to report. There has been no update from Clackmannanshire Council since the last meeting, where it was reported that the City Region Deal funding bid application is still with the Scottish Government and being assessed. The Secretary continues to request an update for each Community Council meeting.
13. AOB
Grey Bin Collections – A resident asked if the frequency of collection can be reviewed. Councillor Thomson stated that the Stirling Council Waste Survey, intimated to residents by the Community Council at the time and which closed on 28 November 22, attracted a very high response rate and is still being analysed. The survey results will be reported to the relevant Council committee and in due course to the public.
Grit Bin for A91 pavement in Blairlogie – A Community Council Enquiry was submitted in December, following a resident’s request, for a grit bin to serve pavements on the A91 in the village. The response was that this will not be provided as the area does not meet the Council’s criteria for a grit bin.
Manor Powis Pavement – The pavements at Manor Powis require clearing. The vegetation has been cut back, but the residual growth needs to be cleared to make it possible actually to walk on them. The Chair has sent details and photographs to Councillor Thomson to follow up.
West Lane, Blairlogie – A Community Councillor raised the issue of the condition of the West Lane which had become unsuitable for pedestrians. There was also a call from a resident for signs at either end of the West Lane for dogs to be kept under control. It was agreed that both these matters need to be addressed by the landowner (Blairlogie Community & Heritage Trust).
Community Council Elections – Arrangements are being made by Stirling Council for elections for the new Community Councils, with the formal process starting around April. People across the Community Council area are encouraged to consider becoming a Community Councillor and respond positively to the call, when it comes, for people to stand for election.
14. Date of next meeting – 14th March 2023
Peter Jennings
Secretary, Logie Community Council
Annex
Home Emergency Kit
The Scottish Government guidance via Ready Scotland: