June 2024 Minutes

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THORNHILL & BLAIR DRUMMOND COMMUNITY COUNCIL
4th June 2024 at 7:30 pm
Blair Drummond Community Hall
Minutes
1. Present and Apologies
Present: Alison Newlands (AN) Minute Taker, Hector Muir (HM) Chair, Rowena Coulthard
(RC), Veronica Bachelor (VB), Cllr Gene Maxwell (GM), Campbell Millar (CM), Robbie Craig
(RC),
Apologies: Elaine Blanchard (EB) Secretary, Al Rawlinson (AR), Gary Thompson (GT), Moira
Russell (MR), Gabriela Ingle (GI),
2. Approval of minutes of meeting on the 23rd April 2024
Minutes approved.
Approved by RC
Seconded by VB
3. Matters Arising
Doig Street Water Pressure
RC advised that she has spoken to a member of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and
was informed that they would carry out the same checks to the water pressure as Scottish
Water. RC added that she will continue to raise her concerns with Scottish Water.
Cycle Path
HM advised that work has now completed on the new cycle path from Kirk Lane to the
Smiddy. HM agreed to contact Angela McGibbon at Stirling Council and ask about the
40mph limit between Coldoch road and Smiddy then Smiddy to Roseburn Lane. GI to
confirm status of Coldoch Road Speed restriction.
In addition, there is currently a campaign to impose a 40mph speed limit in the Blair
Drummond A84.
Thornhill Recycling Station
Carried forward to next meeting.
4. Reports – External
a. Transport Scotland – Traffic Alleviation at Safari Park
As discussed in agenda item matters arising.
b. Police Scotland
HM tabled the Police Report and verbally updated TBCC on the following topics:
Antisocial Behaviour
No reported incidents.
Road Safety
No reported incidents.
Theft
On 24/04/24 a theft from a motor vehicle occurred at Blairdrummond Safari Park. This
remains undetected.
On 31/05/24 just prior to midnight, a theft of a quad bike occurred from a farm in the
Blairdrummond area. Enquiries are continuing.
HM has contacted Police Scotland regarding accumulated road accidents in the area and
was informed that it is not possible to produce a chronology of incidents. The committee
entered a discussion on keeping their own accident records and also asking Police Scotland
to update the report and not delete previous records.
c. Stirling County Councillor
GM advised that the Stirling Council budget has now been set. GM advised that a meeting
of the Finance, Economy & Corporate Support Committee was held in April where the
committee was advised of a significant underspend in the General Fund Revenue Budget
2023/24, and they are looking to areas where this can be used.
All Council Meetings have now been suspended until after the General Election in July .
5. Reports – Internal
a. Chair
No update.
b. Secretary
No update.
c. Treasurer
HM updated the meeting with the current financial information.
Treasurer’s Report: £221.17 in the bank account to date. The admin grant will be completed
and submitted by the end of July.
d. Planning
Report circulated prior to meeting.
e. Thornhill Community Trust/ Futures Group
No update.
f. Blair Drummond Community Hall
No update.
g. North Common Trust
No update.
6. Community Council Business
a. Dunsire and Partners’ development in Thornhill
VB advised that the Mossend Development in West Calder has been refused and the
expectation is that the Reporter will now deliberate on the Thornhill development.
b. Slow Down sign/flashing light on A873 after B8031 (near Coldoch Road) towards
Stirling.
GM requested previous correspondence on the agreed works and will investigate with
Stirling Council.
c. Doig Street Water Pressure
As per matters arising agenda item.
d. Traffic/Speeding in Thornhill
HM advised that there will be more signage around the primary school and signage and
road markings need to be reviewed around the A84.
7. Residents Forum
Sommers Lane
RC advised that there is still an issue around restricted access to Sommers Lane. The
signage at present is not effective and the entrance road needs to be widened or a layby to
prevent a bottleneck of traffic.
Back Yetts Road
Email from resident - The amount of traffic that passes by my end of back Yetts is awful
especially at this time of year. I believe most of this traffic comes this way as they are
directed to by sat nav. Instead of continuing around the bend at the top of the Main Street
and along past JCC, they come down the hill, turn right and go left at the tannery as I
assume this is the shortest route. There are a lot of big vehicles too with trucks,
motorhomes and caravans all trying and to get up our wee street and passed back Yetts
cottage.
I have been in touch with Stirling Council over the precious few years without much success
apart from a main routes sign being displayed at the top of the hill near the monument. I
even tried to contact Google maps myself without success. I would like action to be taken to
alleviate the traffic please. My car has been hit several times and my neighbours’ children
have had some near misses with cars swerving onto their driveway when altars approach
from the tannery side. TBCC agreed to email Stirling Council to try and escalate the issue.
Speed Limit B822
Email from Resident - Would the CC look into if/how we might get a speed limit placed on a
section of the B822, from just south of the Flanders Moss entrance to the 30 limit south of
the village, please? I know I will have the support of those that live along the route, but I
believe support would be wider than this.
 We know from LPP/CAP consultations the community would like a safe walking
route to Flanders Moss
 The road has no pavement.
 We know that more generally, the community wants safe active travel routes to
other communities/villages.
The B822 serves:
 Visitors turning into and out of Flanders Moss National Nature Reserve, including
those in campervans.
 The expanding Alpaca Trekking Centre tourist attraction, whose entrance is on a
sharp bend with limited vision.
 The trekking of alpaca and tourists on foot, in groups along B822 between the
Centre's entrance and Flanders Moss
 Blind entrances servicing 9 residential houses.
 Field gates
 A narrow bridge with less than ideal vision.
 In the summer months, and particularly at weekends, the road is used like a
racetrack by certain types of road user, chiefly motorcyclists and sometimes
performance car drivers, sometimes in groups. The series of bends and long
straights encourage speeding behaviour of slowing and then accelerating rapidly
along the straights. Villagers have told me they can hear the engines from c. 2-3
miles away as they approach.
 A resident has previously measured a distance between two points and timed
vehicles travelled at much greater than the national speed limit.
TBCC agreed to look at how to review speed limits with Stirling Council.
8. AOB
Problem with Crows
RC mentioned the problem of the noise generated by the crows in the village. A large number of
crows are nesting in the area, causing a disturbance with their loud calls, and creating a mess with
their droppings. GM mentioned that he will contact Stirling Council Environmental Health to explore
potential solutions. Additionally, RC was advised to reach out to Nature Scotland for further
assistance.
9. Date, time, and venue of next meeting
20th August 2024 at 7:30pm Thornhill Community Hall.
Action Points
Member Responsible
EB
Contact Stirling Council regarding issue
raised by Dean Lockhart on Stirling
reactive road repairs and potholes.
Contact Angela McGibbon at Stirling
Council and ask about the 40mph limit
HM
between Coldoch road and Smiddy then
Smiddy to Roseburn Lane.
Confirm status of Coldoch Road Speed
restriction.
GI
Chronology of accidents on A84
HM
EB
Funding options for Thornhill Recycling
Centre fence repairs – contact Jean Cowie
Stirling Council
Submit Administration Grant for TBCC
GT
HM
Email Stirling Council regarding Back Yetts
Road
Review of Speed Limits Flounders Moss
HM
Meeting closed 20:50.