Oct 2022 Minutes

Public Meeting Minutes Date – 27th October 2022

Sue Dumbleton Fiona Dyet

Joan Murphy Andrew Fraser

Emily McLaughlin

Ashleigh Phillip Cllr Susan McGill Carol Robertson

Alison Swanson

1) Welcome and record of those present and apologies

2) Declarations of Interest

No Declaration of Interest was recorded.

3) Approval of Previous Minutes

Minutes for September were adopted

Fiona Berrow proposed; Ashleigh Phillip seconded

4) Matters Arising from previous minutes not to be addressed within the meeting

None arising

5) Reports

a) Chair

New Community Councillor/Councillors - Riverside Community Council is currently recruiting for one councillor – they need to be a resident of Riverside, registered to vote and 16+ years of age.

In addition – elections for the next community council with be held April 2023 and some current community council members may step down. It is hoped that any community members that may be interested in

joining the team would consider being involved with the current activities.

Meetings Venue - It has been confirmed that the larger hall in the school is available to hire should the dates be available. Riverside Community Council has submitted a booking request for the first six months of 2023.

Thanks was given to Cllr Nunn for her support in this matter.

Thanks was given to an anonymous Riverside Resident who donated money to the community council to help with costs of venue hire.

Thanks and appreciation was given to the Lawn Bowling Club for being an excellent venue for our meetings for the past few months.

b) Secretary

Consultations and Funding Opportunities

Ongoing funding opportunities can be found on our website.

See Active Travel for Tactran Consultation information.

Correspondence

Ending Gender based violence – Stirling Council has launched a new campaign to highlight the key role men have to play in order to end gender based violence. White Ribbon Scotland is recruiting volunteers who will be given training to host awareness raising events within their communities. Volunteer speakers are encouraged to advocate for long term behavioural change. For more information email davy@whiteribbonscotland.org.uk

Community Council Health Check – As part of strengthening Community Councils and boosting their resilience, the Community Development Team have developed a Community Council Health Check, which is a self assessment tool which can be used to identify areas of the Community Council that may need strengthened and supported and to consider ways to build on the knowledge, skills and capacity of you group. Riverside Community Council will be part of the pilot for this Health Check process. Joan Murphy and Sue Dumbleton will attend the first meeting of this group on Tuesday 1^st November.

Reported Issues

Forthside, Old Harbour Forest – The company who owns the land has gone into liquidation so currently there is no-one to contact regarding the unsightly and undesirable condition of the area. This will be revisited in six months.

Waverley Park – An update was requested on the installation of replacement park equipment. There has been no activity since it was agreed in April.

Dean Crescent, Road Re-Surfacing – Rachel Nunn spoke to the Roads Department about getting this area made safe for cyclists.

Dropped Kerbs, Abbey Road – Based on feedback from the Disability Audit and The Green, Forth Place Consultations Riverside Community Council has enquired about the possibility of lowering the kerbs on Abbey Road. It was noted that there are other areas on Abbey Road that may need attention.

Bins – This issue will be revisited as there has been no further correspondence since Springtime. Cllr McGill will follow this up on our behalf.

Noticeboards – Due to the time between initial discussions regarding the installation of two new noticeboards Riverside Community Council is in communication with Stirling Council to follow the correct procedure to complete this project.

Flooding – Stirling Council’s Flooding team has requested an overview of flooding issues in Riverside. Information on flooding and emergency contact numbers can be found here.

c) Treasurer

Expenditure: Riverside Community Council hired Riverside Bowling Club for the August Community Council meeting (£30) and the cheque for the food for the Jubilee afternoon tea was cashed (£150).

Income: The Admin Grant for 2022-23 from Stirling Council (£308.49) was received.

Cllr Nunn has contacted Stirling Council to request a resolution to the cash flow problems Riverside Community Council experiences due to the time between reporting on the previous years accounts and receiving admin grant payments.

Jubilee Celebrations evaluation to be completed this month.

d) Planning

Bellwood Hall, the derelict hall at the end of Abbey Road. Riverside Community Council has been in correspondence for the past few years with Stirling Council about this building. It was confirmed that there has been no progress since our last communications due to a stalemate with the sale of the ground in front of the hall. It was agreed to follow this up again with our four local councillors. Cllr McGill suggested the Cowan's Trust may be the land owners of this area.

You can visit Stirling Council’s Planning Portal for further planning information.

You can visit the Scottish Government’sTell Me W ebsite for further licensing information.

6) Sub-Groups

a) Active Travel and Sustainable Transport

Tactran have issued a consultation regarding the work on writing a new Regional Transport Strategy for the Angus, Dundee, Perth and Kinross and Stirling Council areas to consider the challenges and opportunities that have arisen since 2015, not least the Climate Emergency declared by the Scottish Government and the four constituent Councils. Riverside Community Council, led by Ashleigh Phillip, will submit comments on this consultation.

MSP Alan Smyth and MSP Evelyn Tweed have asked residents to complete a short survey on travelling by bus in Stirling. Ashleigh Phillip is going to get in touch with the Over 60’s group to ensure any resident that would like to contribute to the survey has that opportunity.

A resident raised the issue of disability access at the train station. Due to changing layout there has been some issues with raised kerbs and the width of the footway. Riverside Community Council will log an issue with Network Rail. Cllr McGill will also raise this on our behalf.

b) Environment

Old Harbour Forest - Stirling Council has filled three new Countryside Ranger posts and one of the Countryside Rangers, Ettie Shattock, will now be leading on managing this area. In view of this positive development TreeLink is no longer seeking a lead role in managing these woods but will do what it can to support any management activities led by the Countryside Ranger Service.

Pumpkins and Hedgehogs - Wildlife groups are requesting that people please do not put pumpkins on the ground for wildlife as they cause stomach upsets in hedgehogs. Hanging them from branches allows birds and squirrels to enjoy them safely. On the day of lighting please also check bonfires for hedgehogs using a long brush and torch.

Ash Dieback Disease - Ash Dieback is a disease affecting over 50% of the British population of Ash trees. Stirling Council makes all decisions about any trees to be felled. It has been pointed out trees along the riverbank near the Cambuskenneth bridge that will become unsafe and will need to be removed.

c) The Green, Forth Place

There has been no further update regarding the Sustrans application. Stirling Council will submit in Spring 2023. This funding will be used to enhance the space as you enter Riverside from the City Centre by making it safer and more enjoyable to use the area. A meeting of interested parties will be held in January.

d) Lovers Walk

Lovers Walk has reopened for all modes of transport. Stirling Council has painted over the graffiti.

f) Parking (inc School Streets)

See The Green, Forth Place.

f) Misc Initiatives

Imagination Library – no update at this point.

Stories Projects – Earlier this year Riverside Community Council applied for funding from the Museum Galleries Scotland Community Stories Fund to celebrate the Year of Stories. As the bid was unsuccessful, and Carol Robertson proposed gathering a small group of community members to take the idea forward, including a creative outlet with a focus on the diversity within Riverside working with people the Community Council doesn’t always reach. It was agreed that this is a project that Riverside Community Council would like to work on. The group will bring a detailed brief to the November meeting for further considerations.

Christmas Parcels – Sub group will be meeting on 31^st October 2022 to plan the Christmas Parcels. It was suggested that this project incude any New Scots living in Riverside. The P2s from Riverside Primary School will be making cards for the bags again.

Living Advent Windows – Planning is underway for the annual defibrillator fundraising event and many households have signed up to be part of Riverside’s Living Advent Windows – including local businesses and the Primary School.