Minutes of Lochwinnoch Community Council Meeting held on Tuesday 4th April 2017 in Lochwinnoch Bowling Club

Transcription

1 Minutes of Lochwinnoch Community Council Meeting held on Tuesday 4th April 2017 in Lochwinnoch Bowling Club CC PRESENT: Morag Thow (Vice Chair), Jane Owens (Treasurer) Yvonne Ross (Secretary/Minutes), Kerry MacKendrick, David Fowles, Duncan Adam, Cathie McLachlan, Stan Kerr, Christine Brown, Christine Gibson, David Bain, Sybil Simpson, Jim Bryden OTHERS PRESENT: Councillor Andy Doig, Councillor Chris Gilmour, PC Steve Cheesman and PC Steve McMinn (Police Scotland), Ken Uppington, Lesley Parr, Lindsay Duncan, Barbara Milligan. APOLOGIES : Morna Coote, David Arthur, Jack Richmond, Councillor Derek Bibby. INTRODUCTIONS The meeting was chaired by Vice-Chairperson, Morag Thow, who welcomed everyone. M Thow asked those present to address questions through the Chair and to keep items brief. INTIMATIONS OF AOCB FROM THE CC : Morag Thow - Arts Festival and Meeting with Mark Brown, Chamber of Commerce; Christine Gibson - Coffey Contractors - Donations; David Fowles - A737 meeting; Sybil Simpson - access to Corsefield Road; Jim Bryden - Friends of the McKillop and CC Litter Pick; Jane Owens - Lochwinnoch Gala Day; and Yvonne Ross - Consultations, Communications and Workload. INTIMATIONS OF AOCB FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC: Lesley Parr - Struthers Lemonade Factory; Ken Uppington - Johnshill Planning Application. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES K MacKendrick requested a correction to the 20mph item on page 6 of the minutes. Insert - It was agreed that 30mph was reasonable, with 20mph in certain areas.

2 The minutes were approved, with this change. Proposed - Christine Brown, seconded - Cathy McLachlan. MATTERS ARISING S Simpson raised the subject of Transport. This will be discussed later in the agenda under Councillors' Reports. M Thow confirmed that S Simpson will take the minutes at the CC meeting on 1st August. The Secretary thanked S Simpson. POLICE REPORT - Police Constables Steve Cheesman and Steve McMinn attended the meeting and presented their report for the period from 7th March to 4th April Reported crimes recorded were 29, with 12 crimes detected, as follows: Crime Number Detected Theft by shoplifting (alcohol & medicine) 1 1 Theft by housebreaking (shop and house) 2 0 Common assault (in street, no crime established) 1 0 Theft and OLP 1 0 Theft of property (garden statue, tools, outboard 4 0 motor and mobile phone) Theft from motor vehicle (dash cam) 1 0 Criminal Justice Act 2010/BofP(street & house) 2 1 MDA Offences (4 cannabis, 1 x various drugs) 5 5 RTA Offences (no tax and careless driving) 3 3 Vandalism/culpable and reckless (scratched cars, x metal fence, 3 x windows) Street drinking/drunk and incapable 2 2 Other (not specified - protecting anonymity) 1 0 Total Drug detections have been made by plain-clothes officers. There has been an increase in housebreakings, possibly some common links. Shops targeted at night. Some Breach of the Peace cases were tit-for-tat cases, with small set of nominals who are known to the Police. It was reported that Police Scotland are making changes to community policing, with the return of beat officers, who will be out on foot and more visible in communities. From April 4th, a separate team has been set up, with two officers assigned to Lochwinnoch. This move is in response to what the public wants. There should be less abstraction of community officers, who will not be used for other duties; the local cycle tracks will continue to be policed. Policing Plan. The Chief Constable and Assistant Ch Constable are seeking to put a 10 year plan in place. This 70 page document will address the recent changes, including how they will be properly resourced; the document will be placed on the Police Scotland website. The 2

3 intention is to have more collaborative working with various partners. In response to a question from D Bain, it was confirmed that it's all about each partner playing their part to the best of their ability. SECRETARY'S REPORT The March Correspondence list had been circulated round CC members prior to the meeting. Some late items of correspondence had been received, including an from Cllr Gilmour regarding Virgin Media cable installation and a further Scottish Government Consultation on Improving Parking in Scotland. With the Chair's agreement, the Secretary talked to the AOCB item regarding Scottish Government consultations, communications and workload. Since the Community Empowerment Act process commenced, there has been an increase in the number of consultations received by Scottish Community Councils (CC's). There has also been an increase in communications between Renfrewshire Council and local CCs, as more matters are directed to local communities. This, in turn, has increased the workload for certain of our own CC members when reviewing, researching and responding to consultations etc. The current Planning consultations are an example of the complex and time-consuming nature of some of these consultations and the consequent increase in workload for CC members. Some discussion took place between CC members and possible solutions were suggested as to how these consultations could be handled more efficiently in the future. Suggestions included the setting up of sub-groups, sifting through future consultations to determine their relevance to our community, team-working, etc. The Secretary asked for the Consultations/workload item to be placed on the May agenda for further discussion and asked all CC members to bring along their suggestions to the May meeting, on how our CC could work smarter. TREASURER'S REPORT J Owens presented the March Accounts to CC members and a summary of monthly transactions for both bank accounts is shown below: NO 1 BANK ACCOUNT Balance brought forward at 1 March , Add advertising income bank interest received 0.02 Less Bowling Club hall hire Balance c/forward at 31 March , NO 2 BANK ACCOUNT Balance b/forward at 1 March No transactions during the month Balance c/forward at 31 March

4 The Treasurer had been reviewing the format of Lochwinnoch CC's monthly and annual accounts, which fully comply with Renfrewshire Council's procedures and meet the Scottish Association of Community Councils (SACC) standards; this process also ensures that Lochwinnoch CC receives an annual Administration Grant on submission of signed accounts to Renfrewshire Council each year. CC members were asked if they were content with the layout, format and circulation of the monthly accounts. Currently, monthly figures are included in the minutes, which are displayed on the CC's dedicated Facebook page, the Community Council's website, Lochwinnoch Library (paper and electronic form) and forwarded to Renfrewshire Council CC Liaison, A McNaughton. The Treasurer also addressed the content, format and layout of the Annual Accounts. In line with all CC's in Scotland, Lochwinnoch CC is accountable to Renfrewshire Council and is compliant with the SACC's processes and procedures. Lochwinnoch CC Annual Accounts, financial and source documents are inspected by two independent examiners, who are appropriately qualified to carry out this work. Some discussions took place, a suggestion was made to show simple comparatives as a guide. The Treasurer asked those present to give some further thought to any improvements they would like to see and to raise any suggestions or changes at the May CC meeting. COUNCILLORS' REPORTS A number of AOCB items were addressed under Councillors' Reports on the agenda Councillor Gilmour's Report Councillor Gilmour gave thanks to M Thow, C Brown and their team for an excellent Arts Festival Lochwinnoch minister, Rev Archie Ford, had opened this year's Festival and the book festival and other events linked to Paisley 2021 mean that Lochwinnoch's claim to be a Village of Culture and Heritage is well deserved. It was noted that over 1,600 had been raised for charity, which will be put back into the community. Councillor Gilmour reported on the letter of 6th February 2017 that Renfrewshire Council had received from Humza Yousaf, Scottish Government Minister for Transport regarding the extent of works and improvements on the A737. In summary, any future improvements to the A737 will need to be considered within the wider transport infrastructure needs of Scotland. The Strategic Transport Projects Review (STPR) will follow the review of the National Transport Strategy (NTS) and allow consideration of how to better connect all areas of the country, including any proposed improvements to the A737. A meeting will take place on 17th April, between Renfrewshire Councillors and Howwood CC members regarding the Howwood junction on the A737. It was noted that CC members D Fowles and D Arthur will be on the A737 Partnership group and Councillor Gilmour is determined to see this matter kept on the agenda. 4

5 J Bryden highlighted the problem with litter on the A737, near to Kilbarchan and Howwood. Councillor Gilmour has spoken to the Director of Community Resources and the litter problem will be attended to. The Johnshill Planning Application will be heard in front of the full Council, for determination on Thursday 20th April. It was stated that Kilbarchan, Johnstone and Brookfield Planning Applications have all been called in to be taken together, by the Reporter. Councillor Gilmour reported on his meeting in February with SPT regarding bus services. SPT stated that they are trying to run a commercial service, the X37 bus service is to be cut, though the figures provided for the X37 service are wide of the mark. Councillor Gilmour considers that the best alternative option would be for the re-regulation of buses, with franchises and fares set by the Council. K MacKendrick reminded those present that the Stagecoach Bus Consultation open event takes place at Beith Community Centre on 5th April between 10am to 7pm. Councillor Gilmour commented on the Virgin Media cable installation works and the guidance from David Bryce at the Council. The Scottish Government is supporting digital connectivity in various items of legislation and is also progressively extending permitted development rights for this work to proceed, thus removing the need for applications for planning permission to undertake the above mentioned works. In summary, installers can dig anywhere and any issues or damage arising out of these works, is a matter between the cable installation company and the property owner or individual affected by the works. The Secretary has a copy of the guidance on this matter and can circulate the information to any CC members, upon request. Councillor Doig's Report Councillor Doig also thanked the Arts Festival committee for this year's impressive event. Councillor Doig mentioned the cuts to the X37 bus service and SPT matter, the online bus services consultation that he had completed, the Johnshill Planning Application determination meeting on 20th April (which he will be attending), the Main Street Bridge compensation question and the Kilbarchan group that is being established by J Hastie, to connect outlying Renfrewshire villages. The Secretary confirmed for the minutes that K MacKendrick has made contact with Mr Hastie in Kilbarchan and that K MacKendrick is involved with this Kilbarchan based group as a private individual and not as a Lochwinnoch CC representative. It was further clarified that Lochwinnoch CC is actively involved with the Renfrewshire CC Forum (RCCF), which enables the CC to engage with other Renfrewshire CCs and that David Fowles is the Lochwinnoch RCCF representative. D Bain raised the question of possible compensation for the community, following the delays in the completion of the Main Street Bridge works. Discussions continued regarding penalties payable by the contractors, Coffey, to Renfrewshire Council and the contractual nature of the 5

6 delays and penalties payable, etc. It was agreed that D Bain will write to Councillor Doig on this matter and the Councillor will take up the matter of compensation for the Lochwinnoch community, with Community Resources at the Council. In addition, C Gibson also mentioned problems with the Main Street bridge contractor, Coffey, regarding the non-payment of funds promised by Coffey for the Christmas Lights 2016 event; this had been put down to an administrative error and Councillor Gilmour has been assisting the Christmas Lights group in trying to resolve the matter. PLANNING CONVENOR'S REPORT Johnshill Planning Application - Ref: 16/0806/PP Planning Convenor, D Adam, gave a presentation at the Pre-determination hearing on 14th March; the notes had been circulated previously around CC members. The planning application will be determined at the full Council meeting on Thursday 20th April Consultations It is considered that the changes being proposed to the planning system should achieve a closer relationship between Scottish Community Councils and the Planning System itself. It is hoped that there will be more planning at community level in future Local Development Plans, including the elimination of calls for sites. Brief discussions took place regarding the response to the Consultation on the Future of the Scottish Planning System. D Adam, K MacKendrick and D Bain had all been working on the final response. The deadline has been exceeded but an extension had been obtained by the Planning Convenor from the appropriate Scottish Government department, for Lochwinnoch CC's response. Preparations on the response to the Consultation on the Main Issues Report and the Renfrewshire Local Development Plan are now underway, involving D Adam, K MacKendrick and D Bain. It is expected that a draft is to be circulated round CC members by mid-april as the deadline for the CC response to this Consultation is Monday 1st May, the day before the next CC meeting on 2nd May. A number of CC members expressed concern that these Consultations are taking up a lot of CC time to meet tight deadlines and that community-related business and local matters could suffer, while Consultations are receiving a disproportionate amount of time and effort. Discussions will continue on this topic at the May CC meeting. 6

7 AOCB - CC MEMBERS AND THE PUBLIC A number of items were addressed earlier in the meeting. The following items were heard. M Thow stated that a meeting will take place locally on 26th April, involving Mark Brown from the Chamber of Commerce and CC members, M Thow, J Owens and Christine Brown. J Bryden reported that the Friends of the McKillop group had opened a bank account, registered with the ICO for electronic database purposes, had prepared a consultation survey in readiness for discussions with RLL (Renfrewshire Leisure Limited) and the team from the Big Lottery Community Fund. J Bryden proposed that a Community Council-led litter pick be held on 14th May to tidy up the village and this was met with a favourable response from those present. J Bryden will organise this and the equipment required and publicise more details soon. In the meantime, a notice will appear in the CC newsletter announcing this year's litter pick. S Simpson reported access problems in Corsefield Road involving 4 ramblers and a dog. At East Auchenhain, the gate across the core path leading to the Maich is still padlocked. Is this now a matter for the police as the right to roam is being denied to ramblers and Access Officer Dr Kate Cuthbert has not been at work? S Simpson to contact Cllr Gilmour to progress this. J Owens reminded those present that Gala Day will be held on Saturday 10th June this year. She appealed to those present to consider volunteering some of their time at this year's event. Member of the public, L Parr, raised concerns about the state of the former Struthers Lemonade Factory building and grounds, asking what could be done to remedy this. A discussion took place amongst those present, regarding removal of graffiti, health and safety issues, ownership of the premises and owner's responsibilities. The property is in private hands and the Council is limited in what they can ask the owners to carry out to their premises. There was a suggestion that L Parr writes to local MSP, Tom Arthur to highlight the issues; Councillors will also look into this matter for any possible solutions at Council level. It was confirmed to member of the public, B Milligan, that the former Police Station building in Calder Street has been sold and the identity of the new owners is not known. Johnshill. Member of the public, K Uppington, asked the Councillors if members of the public could attend the Council meeting on 20th April when the Johnshill planning application will be determined. The public may attend these meetings but they are not permitted to take an active part in or speak at Council meetings. A737 report by David Fowles. A further meeting of the A737 group was held on Monday 27 March at Johnston Castle Community Centre under the Chairmanship of Cllr. Chris Gilmour. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the reply from Humza Yousaf, the Minister for 7

8 Transport and the Islands, in response to a letter of concern sent by Renfrewshire Council on 16 December. Although invited, Transport Scotland Officials failed to turn up. The Minister's reply was extremely disappointing, simply stating what improvements are already in the pipeline i.e. the Dalry Bypass, due to start any day now, the Den realignment and Beith improvements that could be taken forward once funding becomes available, progress on the latter two depending on public reaction and a possible Public Inquiry. Acknowledging the detailed request for improvements, the Minister said that he would appreciate our being able to provide Transport Scotland with the appraisal and business case that supports the measures being sought, and also any agreement we have reached with North Ayrshire Council as "Any future improvements to the A737 will have to be considered within the wider transport infrastructure needs of Scotland" etc. The committee has agreed to set up a formal group to be known as the "A737 Partnership" and to keep up pressure on Transport Scotland. The group considered the Minister's reply to be totally negative and it was felt that, as a Trunk Road, the responsibility rests with Transport Scotland to gather the information required and to come up with a business case. The partnership is consulting with North Ayrshire Council and will meet again in August. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next Ordinary Meeting will take place on Tuesday 2nd May 2017 at the usual time of 7.30pm at Lochwinnoch Bowling Club. 8