GLENORCHY AND INNISHAIL COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Minutes of Council Meeting

held in Portsonachan Village Hall

on 14 September 2006 at 7.30pm

Present John Burke, Pam Whitehead, Kate Craig, Karl Pipes, Cavin Crawford plus 10 members of the public

1. Welcome

The Secretary welcomed all to Portsonachan and explained that there was no Chair at present but as soon as one was elected she would hand the Chair over to them.

2. Apologies for Absence

Allan Macaskill, Donald McLaren, Alan Thomas, Averil Watson, Greg Bryce

3. Election of Chair

As there was not a full complement of Members it was decided not to elect a Chair but to have a Member stand in as Chair for the duration of the meeting. John Burke volunteered and took over the Chair.

4. Minutes of CC Meeting held on Wednesday 7 June 2006

Allan Macaskill asked to correct a couple of items:

(a) ALIEnergy is not an A&B Energy Agency but is separate from the Council (item 9)

(b) it is not correct to say that no monies would go to Community Councils. They would be channelled to Community Councils through the Trust which would make decisions on the allocation (also item 9).

It was agreed to amend the minutes.

5. Matters Arising from Previous Meeting

(a) 30mph speed limit in Lochawe - Alan Thomas to pursue response from SE Transport

(b) Bridge of Orchy Road Safety - Cavin Crawford gave a report of a meeting he and Alan Thomas had with the Strathclyde Police. It was agreed to improve the signage and repaint the road markings, but otherwise there would be no speed restrictions applied for. The reason for this is that the village frontage on to the main road is too small to warrant a speed restriction, and therefore there remains a road safety issue through Bridge of Orchy.

(c) Eredine Road - At the recent village meeting it was agreed by majority vote (18 for, 4 against) to fund the repair of the road. The council have agreed to pay £6000. However, the deadline for getting the funds in place is 24 September.

(d) Tree Thinning in Lochawe - CC had put in an objection to the trees being thinned in Lochawe. A&B Council have decided that 8 of the 26 trees opposite The Tight Line can be removed, with two being replaced.

(e) Uplift of bulky domestic rubbish from Dalmally Council Yard - The Secretary reported that A&B Council say there is no funding for this type of service this year.

(f) Eredine Bridge - The repairs have been scheduled to be carried out in this financial year and Operation Services are currently pricing the work.

(g) Community footpath, Glenview to Strone - Eight of the landowners between Glenview to the Fever Hospital were contacted for their views on a community footpath. Five landowners have replied. Two are against the footpath and three are in favour. The Secretary stated that Kenny Black of the Dalmally Community Company had written to say they are co-opting David Cruickshank onto their committee so he can pursue the development of the footpath via their company. A member of the public stated that it should be known that Mr Cruickshank is keen to get the footpath built so he can run workshops from the woods to provide himself with employment.

6. Police Report

PC Greg Bryce was not able to attend the meeting, however he sent along a report of the Summer activities which was read out in full. Items of note are:

there has been a theft of eagle eggs in the area and PC Bryce asks for people to be vigilant; there has been an increase in rural thefts from industrial sites of diesel fuel; the behaviour on the school bus remains a concern with weekly reports of vandalism and pupils disrupting drivers whilst the bus is in motion (the police will be boarding the bus in Oban and Dalmally when possible); the St Conan's Kirk area continues to be a problem with numerous cars going off the road - PC Bryce recommends an anti-skid road surface similar to the one put down at Stalkers Brae in Portnacroish, Appin which had similar problems.

7. Leisure Classes

The Secretary reported that eight people in Lochawe are keen to attend Gaelic classes during the winter months. A&B Council will be approached to organise them. Averil Watson was organising a questionnaire in Dalmally to find out what leisure classes were wanted.

8. Grant Applications for Community Groups

As the CC has received money from NPower for the Braevallich hydro scheme, the CC wrote to local clubs and societies to see if they required any help with funding projects. Three societies replied. The Dalmally Agricultural Society wanted £360 for trestles, the Dalmally and Lochawe Drama Club wanted £410 for a sound system and Lochawe Village Hall wanted £5000 to fund essential repairs. The CC applied for A&B Council grants for the trestles and sound system and were awarded the maximum grant of 50% of the cost. The CC has also applied for a grant for the Lochawe Village Hall repairs from Grants for All (a decision is expected next month). After a discussion and a vote it was agreed by the majority that the CC would fund the other 50% of the costs of the trestles and sound system. Cheques will be sent by the Treasurer to the Dalmally Agricultural Society and the Drama Club (total of £390) . Portsonachan Village Hall Committee said they were also interested in a sound system and the Secretary has sent them details of the Drama Club sound system to see if it can be shared. If they wish to apply for their own system, the CC may help them acquire funding for it.

9. Affordable Housing, Bridge of Orchy

Cavin Crawford reported that West Highland Housing Association have agreed to proceed with the Bridge of Orchy housing. The Forestry Commission have agreed to a 'nudged' boundary in the PDA and A&B Council Planning Department have agreed to this in principle. Once the official acceptance is given the Forestry Commission have agreed to the initial Exploration of the site. This will then give the architects the information to finalize their proposals. Permission has been granted to seek underground water and again the Forestry Commission has offered to help as they have quite extensive experience in this. It was agreed to invite Mr Gregor Cameron of the West Highland Housing Association to come to the next CC meeting to give an update on the progress of the Bridge of Orchy affordable housing.

10. Dalmally Playpark

John Burke reported that A&B Council have now taken over the maintenance of the playpark and hopefully it will be kept in a tidier condition in future. This will be monitored.

11. Road Accidents outside St Conan's Kirk, Lochawe

It was agreed that an anti-slip surface needs to be put down to reduce the number of accidents occurring. A&B Council, and Transerv to be pursued regarding this matter.

12. Any other Business

(a) The Secretary stated she had a copy of the Final Draft Lorn Plan on disc for any one to borrow.

(b) The Secretary stated there had been planning permission applied for a mobile phone mast in Dalmally by O2. There were no objections.

(d) The Secretary is attending a meeting on 7 October at Dalmally Church with the MacGregor Society, who wish to move some MacGregor stones and have them displayed within the Churchyard.

(e) Graham Brown, at A&B Council has requested our involvement in a focus group called Streetscene, to find out how we want our community spaces improved (litter, dog fouling, roads etc). The Secretary has asked for details of when the focus group is meeting and what is on the agenda.

(f) Mr and Mrs McGranahan wrote to complain about the litter along the A85 roadside on the east side of Dalmally. The Secretary wrote to A&B Council about this and has had a reply to say the situation will be looked at in the next month.

(g) It was noted that the white paint has disappeared from the Dalmally/Inveraray road junction, which is potentially very dangerous. The roads department will be written to requesting it is repainted.

(h) The 40mph sign by the Dalmally Surgery has not been moved eastward as previously agreed. This needs to be followed up.

There being no further business the meeting ended at 8.40pm

13. Date of Next Meeting

The date for the next meeting is Friday 17th November 2006 at 7.30pm in Dalmally Village Hall.