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MINUTES
Meeting Monday 4th September 2023 in the Village Club
Final
Members Present: - Julie Hutchison; Kate Ramsden; Grace Edmonds; John
Gray; Pamela Lee; Rob Davies.
In attendance: Councillor Rosemary Fraser; Omar Ahmed, Louise Moreland,
Greens + 10 residents
Apologies: Graeme Kemsley, Andrew Thompson
(SC = Stirling Council. CC = Community Council. CDT= Community Development
Trust * Denotes an action)
1. Welcome from the Chair and declarations of Interest
JH welcomed everybody to the meeting especially the representatives from
Greens.
There were no declarations of interest.
2. Minutes of June meeting and matters arising.
The minutes had been circulated to all CC members and were accepted. Proposed
JG, Seconded KR
Matters arising: JH told the meeting that we now have to pay for the rent of
the VC out of our Admin grant. This has not yet been received. She plans to
speak to Killearn CC who still meet in the school because they thought they
had no option, but also have issues using the internet. RF will pass this on.
JH said that we plan to move to internet banking and to amalgamate our two
accounts.
3. Proposal to co-opt new members
Ian Boardley and Eleanor Balfour have submitted their co-option paperwork to
SC and the members present agreed that they will be co-opted as soon as
possible. JH told the meeting that we will still have one vacancy and encouraged
residents to volunteer to join us.
4. Police report
PC Matt McCammon has joined the Community Policing team to work with PC
McNulty.
Anti-social behaviour
People continue to burrow under or climb the fences around the quarry at
Mugdock Country Park despite a huge amount of money being spent on fencing.
Numbers entering the water appear to have reduced, but it remains a
very dangerous place.
A male has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal in relation to Assault,
Threatening and Abusive behaviour and careless Driving after what appears
to be a “road rage’ incident.
Road Safety
A male died as a result of a road traffic collision. Enquiries are ongoing to establish
the full circumstances surrounding this tragic incident.
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There was a road traffic collision involving three vehicles and damage to an
exterior wall. The A81 was closed for a period as a result but fortunately no
serious injuries were sustained.
Theft
Items were stolen from a locked garage and a large quantity of timber was
stolen in a rural part of the area. Both of these remain undetected.
There have been a number of reports of thefts/attempted thefts from potentially
insecure cars. Please remember to secure vehicles.
A charity collection box was stolen from a commercial premises. Enquiries are
ongoing to identify a male captured on CCTV.
Two males stole wine from a local shop. They were seen on CCTV and enquiries
are ongoing to identify them.
The full Police Report is available on the CC website.
A resident asked us to notify the police about the constant speeding on the
A81 through the village. GE will do this.
5. Greens Representatives
JH welcomed Omar Ahmed and Louise Moreland from Greens. We had sent
questions to them prior to the meeting.
At present Greens is not recycling soft plastic bags because SC has no facility
to process these.
Residents had complained about light pollution from the shop at night. The
lights should be on a timer which switches them off at night. Omar will look
into this.
Residents were concerned about the sale of single use vapes. Single use
ones are becoming less popular, and Omar expects them to be banned by the
end of the year. Currently the shop has a recycle bin for these and every part
is recycled. They operate a 25+ policy when selling vapes.
The provision of fresh fruit and vegetables is improving in response to customer
queries. The shop is trying to include more fresh foods and cut back on
sweets and drinks. Unhealthy offerings are gradually changing as they realise
what customers in our area want.
JG noted that the Slushy and coffee machines take up space where there
used to be toiletries and nappies.
They are erecting a shed to protect goods delivered early from being attacked
by birds.
Greens contract with the Post office only allows for Post office hours, but they
are considering extending these. Residents can access £100 cash back from
the tills. JH mentioned residents’ concerns that the Post Office might disappear.
Omar assured the meeting that it will stay.
Residents have complained that the shop is more expensive than the Co-op.
Omar said that they try to keep prices as low as possible but are tied by their
suppliers. They are keeping Co-op products as people want these.
JH noted that residents are happy with the staff who are helpful and friendly.
A resident asked how business has been since the shop opened. Omar said it
has been good, but they hope that it will get better. They want residents to tell
the staff about products they would like to see. Their aim is to enable customers
to do a weekly shop.
JG asked if he was correct in thinking that Greens operates mainly in the East
coast but is expanding to the west. Omar said that this is what is happening.
JH said that it would be good to keep dialogue open and Omar agreed. She
thanked them for coming to speak to us.
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6. Defibrillator
JH thanked Greens for installing the defibrillator on the outside of the shop. It
is monitored by SAR.
A resident said that she doesn’t know how to use it and Julie said that it talks
to you as you use it to explain what to do. SAR ran a course on how to use it
some years ago and JH said it might be worth asking if they would run another
one. GE will contact SAR about this.
7. Local Place Plans
Members of the CC attended a Teams meeting with SC about the Plan. We
already have a lot of evidence that we can use, but we need to produce a
questionnaire for residents. The latest census data should be available soon.
A resident asked if we would work on the plan jointly with the SCDT. We intend
to do this. A resident asked if there is an outline time scale for working
through the plan. We do not have this yet. JG said that residents are welcome
to join us in formulating this. RF said that it is recommended that we use as
many methods as possible to contact residents.
The final Plan has to be submitted by April 2025, so we have time to work on
it.
RF asked if we could let her know about any safe routes that may need work
that are identified by residents. Paths were considered important in our last
plan. The Paths Group will be looking at this.
8. Planning and Licensing
The new system at SC means that we have to comment quickly on planning
proposals. JG now emails members if there is anything we need to discuss
between meetings.
23/00376/FUL – Brancepeth, Moor Road, Strathblane JG has notified SC that
we will not comment on this application.
23/00450/FUL – Erection of 8no. dwelling houses and associated works –
land 625m East of Auchencraig Strathblane. JG circulated draft comments on
this proposal saying that it doesn’t comply with any policies. He expects that
the Planning Officer will recommend refusal.
RD said that we need more housing in the area, and he is in favour in principle.
JH and JG said that there is concern that this might start a linear development
which would reach Milngavie. We do not want to open the Green Belt.
RF asked if this area is within our current LPD. It is not. A resident commented
that we need to be very careful about encroaching on the Green Belt Rf
said that what is needed are smaller houses to allow people to downsize. A
resident commented that there have been no affordable houses in the area
since the 1950s. We need more affordable homes. The members present
agreed with JG’s comments with RD noted as a dissenting voice.
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9. Finance
Current Account - £2753.50
Savings Account - £1381.59
JH thanked KR for sorting out the accounts and submitting them to the accountant.
10. AOCB
RD attended the Rural Southwest Forum which was about the Big Conversation
regarding Budget cuts. SC is looking to find £13million savings this year.
The Conversation is intended to ask what people want and to explain how and
why cuts are made. RF said that SC is installing a new IT system which
should make things more efficient. KR said that we have already advertised
the Big Conversation on Facebook and we will highlight it in the next edition of
the BVB. RD suggested that SC could charge for car parks e.g., at the
Queen’s View.
JG mentioned the Regional Energy Masterplan which aims to make SC more
energy efficient. He noted that there is no mention of Smart meters and the
new ones do not work in some areas of the village. A resident mentioned that
it is very difficult to get older houses to a C grade on the EPC. De-
0carbonising older homes is not easy.
Scottish Water will be removing the iron fence beside the Ash Track at the
beginning of October. JH will complete a survey from the Rural Stirling group
on our behalf.
A resident asked us about siting a memorial bench in the village. We referred
her to SC.
Another resident asked about installing CCTV cameras at either end of the
village. We referred her to SC also.
A resident asked if our school is affected by the concrete issue. We do not believe
so.
JH and GE met Alan Smith, our MP and raised the issue of which hospitals
we can use and where ambulances will take residents. He promised to look
into this and to liaise with Evelyn Tweed. JH will email regarding progress on
this.
A resident asked about the treatment for Himalayan Balsam and enquired if
we know where tests are being carried out. JH knows where the trial patch is
and will email Lomond Fisheries Trust about this.
11. Date of next meeting
October 2nd, 2023
Copy date for the BVB – September 15th, 2023
Contact us at contact@strathblanecc.org.uk Also on our website
www.strathblanecc.org.uk. Telephone numbers for Community Councillors
are on the notice boards, in the library and in the Blane Valley Bulletin
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