Jan 2023 Minutes

Public Meeting Minutes Date – 25^th January 2023

Bob Dale Fiona Dyet

Sue Dumbleton Andrew Fraser Emily McLaughlin

Ashleigh Phillip Cllr Gibson

Carol Robertson Alison Swanson Jude Treeling

1) Welcome and record of those present and apologies

Everyone was welcomed to Riverside Primary School – thanks was given to the janitor for setting up.

2) Declarations of Interest

No Declaration of Interest was recorded.

3) Approval of Previous Minutes

Minutes for November were adopted.

Fiona Berrow proposed; Carol Robertson seconded.

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

None.

5) Co-Option of Community Councillor

Jude Treeling was co-opted as a member of Riverside Community Council Ashleigh Phillip proposed, Alison Swanson seconded

6) Reports

a) Chair

Noticeboards – Riverside Community Council has access to the Pontoon Noticeboard and on receipt of the

keys it will be put to good use.

A new noticeboard to be installed near Lovers Walk has been ordered.

Stirling Council is putting in place the arrangements required to provide a full set of Community Council Elections in the first half of 2023. This is an opportunity to get involved and join the team – some current members will be stepping down and new community councillors will be welcomed. Please get in touch if you'd like to speak with a member of Riverside Community Council to find out more.

b) Secretary Police Report

There were two undetected cases recorded in the reporting period. The cases relate to vandalism and failure to stop (Road Traffic) and one detected case of assault.

Persimmon Homes Community Champions Scheme – is accepting applications for funding up to

£6000.

Communication With Stirling Council Offiers – a gentle reminder was offered that any new communication with Stirling Council officers, without a prior relationship, should be submitted through the CC Enquiries account – this allows any issues to be addressed by the appropriate people and all requests are logged and followed up as appropriate.

Community Council Health Check – Riverside Community Council has submitted a completed health check.

Area Forum Development/Design – Stirling Council’s Community Development team is looking to work with Stirling’s Citizens to explore ‘The re-establishment of Area Forums’, where they would co-design a model that would best fit the communities it represents. Riverside Community Council will be represented.

Open Streets Festival – Stirling Council is in the planning stages of another potential Open Streets Festival for the city centre on Sat 22 April 2023 and are reaching out to the community councils to invite groups to join in who may be interested in hosting a family friendly activity that will engage children and young people. They are particularly looking to involve activities with an environmental or eco-friendly theme.

Augmented Reality App – Emily McLaughlin explored this app and particularly liked the travel information which would be particularly helpful and the guided walks.

The Robertson Trust is inviting interested parties to a breakfast event at The Barracks Conference Centre running from 8am-10am on Tuesday, 31^st January to share it’s exciting plans for 2023 at The Barracks Conference Centre.

Reported Issues

Potholes – will be reported. (NB – these were attended to within days of the public meeting and no issue was logged with CC Enquires)

Waverley Park – no response was received from the Stirling Council officer regarding when the park equipment would be replaced. Stephen Bly will continue to seek an answer.

Poo Bag Holders – The three placed around the river were damaged. These will not be replaced and free bags will be available at the noticeboards.

Poo bags were given for free by Riverside Community Council during COVID restrictions due to the inaccessibility of Stirling Council free bags. These can now be collected from the local library and the library bus that visits Riverside – timetable here .

Noticeboard – The pontoon noticeboard has been updated by Stirling Council and keys have been ordered.

Headwall Forthside – Information was requested regarding the location and function of this outflow pipe.

c) Treasurer

Expenditure: Riverside Bowling Club was hired for the November Community Council meeting (£30 from Admin Grant) and items bought for Christmas parcels for older Riverside residents (£64.70 from COVID-19 Support Funding).

Income: There was no income in December or January.

Fiona Berrow will meet with Rachel Nunn re the Admin Grant

d) Planning

Enforcement Order – EN/23/004/ULB - Unauthorised works to a listed building – Forth Place. No action to take.

Bellwood Hall

Bellwood Hall was discussed but any further investigation of the situation with Stirling Council is being progressed by the owner Mr Fotheringham. The Community Council support the building being turned to an appropriate and productive use.

Free Subscription for Place Builder Tool – Digital Planning have been collaborating withThe Future Fox on the development of a digital engagement tool called PlaceBuilder.

PlaceBuilder is a cloud-based community engagement and consultation platform for planning projects. It is fun and easy to use for everyone in the community. Andrew Fraser is going to look into this to identify if this is something of benefit to Riverside Community Council.

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.

7) Sub-Groups

a) Active Travel and Sustainable Transport

Gritting – Di Alderdice has requested an update on our request for two grit bins.

Inspire-a-ride – Recyke-a-bike are offering a six week course including mechanic skills, cycling skills, life skills and CV building opportunities..

£50 Repairs Scottish Cycle Repair Scheme – this scheme provides free repair and maintenance work up to the value of £50 for standard bikes and up to £100 for non-standard cycles. Recyke-a-bike is our nearest place offering this service.

b) Environment

Litter Pick – 25^th March 2023 – In partnership with Riverside Naturally and Keep Scotland Beautiful’s Spring Clean the litter picking equipment will be available from 9.30pm from Riverside Community Orchard.

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 that trees along the riverbank near the Cambuskenneth bridge will become unsafe and will need to be removed.

Old Harbour Woods Proposal – Di Alderdice and Judi Legg presented their revised proposal for the Old Harbour Woods, asking Riverside Community Council to become partners in this project. Riverside Community Council will no longer need to source insurance and the next step will be to discuss this proposal with Ettie, the Greenspace Ranger.

c) The Green, Forth Place

Joan Murphy spoke with Michaela Jackson regarding any progress in the Sustrans Bid, Zebra Crossings and the School Streets plans.

School Streets closures will start after the two zebra crossings – at Forth Place to Forth Crescent and from Lovers Walk are installed, it is still uncertain whether that will be in this financial year.

Due to restructuring of Stirling Council the Sustrans bid has been set aside although there may be other avenues for funding in conjunction with the Active Riverside Project.

d) Lovers Walk

Nothing further to report.

e) Parking (inc School Streets)

There has been continued frustration with inconsiderate parking around the school, including aggressive behaviour towards enforcement officers. It has been noted that the enforcement officers are visiting Riverside Primary School regularly, however often too late to stop inconsiderate and dangerous parking.

A community member expressed frustration at the length of time it is taking for any practical improvements to be implemented.

f) Misc Initiatives

Spring Event – Let’s Get Together Funding – Riverside Community Council are investigating dates and locations to host a gathering at the end of March. Sue Dumbleton will approach the Riverbank Centre to enquire about using it.

Stories Project – The project will aim to collect stories and capture the journeys of people within Riverside and culminate in a public art display of some kind. A working group of between 4-8 people will be formed and community members are encouraged to get in touch with Carol Robertson if they are interested in joining in.

Christmas Parcels – All volunteers greatly enjoyed giving out the parcels received many compliments regarding the generosity and kindness of the community.

Imagination Library – Bob Dale has been in touch with Kirsty Hill from the Dollywood Foundation. There are an estimated 80 eligible children in Riverside and the expectation is that in the first year 40% will sign up. This will be approx £600 for the first year (£25.96 per child) and will cost £3k over 36 months.