ARDENTINNY COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING

www.ardentinnycc.co.uk

Minutes of the Ordinary meeting held on 11^th June 2024 at Ardentinny Village Hall at 7.30p.m.

Present: John Brint (Convener) Mark Rowthorn (Secretary), Keith Wood (Treasurer), Bill Tierney, Helen West, Danielle Markey and Brian Hillesdon.

Public: Elsbeth Brint, Neil and Dee Robinson and Douglas Menzies.

Welcome and introductions

JB thanked everyone for attending.

Apologies
Received from Nik Cox (FLS), Steve Gillen (FLS), Bill Williamson, and Anna Williamson, Susie and Mike Robertson, Jim and Jeannie Urquhart, David McDowall, Anne Wood and Sandra Davidson.

Note: No Apologies received from other A&BC Councillors, National Parks Authority and Ardentinny Outdoor Centre.

Declaration of Interest

No declarations of interest declared.

Matters arising not covered on the agenda

DM asked for Ideas for funding to be covered under AOB:

Minutes of last meeting (5 Mar 2024)

Formally adopted.

Proposed: Helen West

Seconded: Keith Wood

Matters arising from minutes

No matters arising.

Treasurers Report

A detailed breakdown of the financial activity was presented by the treasurer, Keith Wood (KW). He stated that the following had taken place from the date of opening the new bank account:

Financial Activity From 1st April 24 to £31st May

• Opening balance £3677.65

• Money Credited to account.

Totalling £0

• Money Debited from the account

3 payments to Out of Your Hands toilet cleaning £504.00

1 Payment to McCuaig Hygiene Services, Sanitary Disposal £150.00

1 Payment to South Cowal Community Council £50.00

1 Payment for Squirrel signs for village £34.46

Totalling £738.46

• Closing balance on 31st March £2939.19

(KW identified two pending transactions due to be debited to the account:

Spanglefish (web site fees) £78.00

Two Donation boxes £75.98)

Police Report

The following report was provided by Reporting Officer: PC James Convery and in his absence JB read out the following report to the meeting:

Community Council Debrief. Dates Between: 05/09/23 – 05/06/2024

Location & Beat: Ardentinny LB49

Between the dates above the number of Incidents and Crime Reports respectively are 52 and 0

The overwhelming majority of these calls are in relation to planned shoots/pest controls which have led to no further police action. The remainder are in relation to issues with the weather.

There have been 0 crimes recorded

The following Useful Links/Contacts were provided:

Crimestoppers – Crimestoppers in Scotland (www.crimestoppers-uk.org)
Distress Brief Intervention - Connected Compassionate Support (www.DBI.scot)
Scottish Partnership against Rural Crime - Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (www.scottishparc.co.uk)
Women’s Aid - Home - Women's Aid (womensaid.org.uk)
Citizens Advice – 08081646000
Trading Standards - 08081646000

Councillor’s Report

No apologies received from any of the Councillors and no written report was submitted.

Forestry and Land Scotland Report

In the absence of an FLS representative JB read out the report received from Nik Cox FLS:

The Argyll Rally is taking place from the 21st and 22nd June around Dunoon and the Cowal Peninsula – We are not organising it and none of it is taking place on FLS roads however there will be a temporary radio mast installed on the Larach to enable their comms. Any issue with associated road closures/restrictions etc should be directed to Rally organisers.

The extra bin capacity we have at the picnic site has so far been working for us with only one additional collection required so far. We will continue to monitor this and the water supply to the toilets over the summer.

Nik Cox said that she was hoping to have a better update for you in regards to the civils work and potholes but the FLS Civils Manager is caught up in the UKWAS audit that we have taking place this week so has been unable to provide me with an update as yet, the Argyll Rally is taking place from the 21st and 22nd June around Dunoon and the Cowal Peninsula – FLS are not organising it and none of it is taking place on FLS roads however there will be a temporary radio mast installed on the Larach to enable their comms. Any issue with associated road closures/restrictions etc should be directed to Rally organisers.

Nik Cox said that she was hoping to have a better update for you in regards to the civils work and potholes but our Civils Manager is caught up in the UKWAS audit that we have taking place this week so has been unable to provide me with an update as yet.

National Park Report

No apologies received and no report received from National Parks Authority.

Review of Ardentinny Residents Survey

Road Safety

JB explained that our existing request to the Roads and Infrastructure Team for improved traffic calming measures, improvements to the road, marking etc remain as logged in the system since September but there had been no response. After further chasing they had promised to escalate it to Management (and that there should be a reply within a week) – that was 4 weeks ago and still there is no response. JB confirmed that ACC will now escalate this further and refer it to Councillors and out liaison contacts at A&BC.

Walkie Talkies

JB explained that together with Stuart Gray they had carried out some trials of Walkie Talkies throughout the village to determine the extent of coverage and the viability of their purchase for use in the event of an emergency. He read out to the meeting a report by Stuart Gray of their findings:

Date 6th June 2024

A trial to measure the coverage of two-way radios in the Ardentinny village was carried out by Stuart Gray and John Brint using a pair of Motorola TKLR T92 handheld radios. These are licence-free radios and are classified as PMR 446 i.e. limited to 0.5W output.

The purpose of the trial was to assess the performance likely to be achievable from radios that the Community Council is intending to purchase primarily for use by the Emergency Team.

The trial was split into 2 sections:

Village South

One radio at point A (passing place at village sign) second radio following the route shown in red.

Reception was clear along the route except -

Unclear voice at locations X (north side of Ardenfield) and (Kiosk opposite Outdoor Centre)

No signal between locations O (alongside of Old Stables – Beach Road)

And no signal inside the Village Hall

Village North

One radio at point B (Village Hall carpark) second radio following the route from Drynain bus terminus to the Hall.

Reception was clear along the entire route

Weather conditions were broken cloud and intermittent light rain.

The longest distance transmitted in the trial was 2.13km from point A (passing place at village sign) to the far end of the beach carpark.

The performance exceeded expectations given the loss of Line of Sight along all of the route due to headlands and forestry. Reduction/loss of signal due to buildings was to be expected

As a result of their investigations, it was proposed to purchase just two similar types of units (BAOFENG BF-88ST Pro PMR446 Walkie Talkie, Upgraded Long Range Rechargeable License-Free Two Way Radios with LCD Display, VOX Dual Watch, Desktop Charger and Earpieces, with a two-pack costing on Amazon £32.99) in the first instance so that they could initially be proven in practice and then further units could be purchased and put in use for all key Emergency Contacts. This was approved by the meeting.

ii) Defibrillators

Thanks to both Neil Robertson and Anne Wood for their work on the applications to Highgate Hall that have been approved for funding and it was now proposed to install a further new Defibrillators outside the Village Hall and on the Beach Toilets. JB confirmed that he will liaise with Heartstart who recommended a company who may possibly supply discounted units.

Emergency Plan

Distributed updated contact lists for the meeting. HW showed the meeting the laminated credit card sized emergency contact numbers that she will get distributed to everyone throughout the village.

Bus Shelter

JB confirmed that no further action had been taken on this as we need to liaise with the A&BC Roads Dept. (whom we are currently not getting any response from). As soon as they start to respond then we will discuss this with them.

Beach Appearance and Waste Bins

DM confirmed that a further beach clean had taken place on 2^nd June and thanked those that had taken part. She said that she would try to organise another one soon and would also identify social media sections along the main road that people could clean on an individual basis.

Regarding Waste bins she said that she had emailed on numerous times to A&BC for Dog Waste Bins at 3 locations around the village but had no response. She said that she now needed to escalate this to A&BC Managers/Councillors (and include the photographs of the locations where we would like the new bins sited.

Charge Point/Climate Change

DM said that there is currently nothing further to report on this item at present.

Community Council Web Site

HW stated that regular additions are continuing to be made on the Ardentinny Community Council web site, Facebook and Instagram pages. She reported that she has spent time updating all the links on the site so that people can easily find other key contacts/utilities etc direct from the ACC web site. She said that she had noted that the Conservation and Heritage web site appeared to no longer be active and she would enquire with Marion whether she would like ACC to feature a page for the Conservation and Heritage Group on our web site (as she already does for the Village Hall and the Bowling Club).

Please have a look at the updated web site – there is a lot of information there:

http://www.ardentinnycc.co.uk

https://www.instagram.com/ardentinnycc/

https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=ardentinny%20community%20council

Report on the Gourock Ferry

BH updated the meeting on the situation regarding the proposal for an additional new vehicle ferry between Dunoon and Gourock.

Improvements to the town centre to town centre ferry route.

We reported previously on ideas to improve the current CALMAC ferry service between Gourock and Dunoon.

The previous people leading this initiative were the Dunoon-Gourock Ferry Action Group, DGFAG, who had the support of 7 local councils, including us in Ardentinny.

Following a meeting with councillors that did not go well, DGFAG have stepped down and a new team, comprising 2 members of the South Cowal Community Council have taken over the cause, still supported by the 7 community councils. Mark and I have attended the 2 meetings held so far.

The scope now is to improve the existing service, which may be a better and more reliable passenger service or a vehicle service - this is yet to be determined.

The first thing needed by the new group is to gauge public opinion which will give the group a mandate to proceed. To ascertain public support, a survey has been issued, which simply asks if residents would like to have a better service than the current one (fit for purpose).

Dunoon Community Council are hosting the survey on their website. A link can be found on John's Ardentinny Community Council weekly news email update from last week, and previous weeks.

Alternatively, you can sign a petition form which we will place on a clipboard in the Ardentinny pub.

Please do complete either the online survey or sign the petition.

We will keep you updated on developments as they occur.

The link to this survey was included in the Ardentinny Community Council News email last Friday. BH confirmed that he had completed it personally and encouraged others to also fill it in as it is our opportunity to influence future decisions.

Donation Boxes

KW showed the meeting one of the new donation boxes that had been purchased to be fixed inside the Public Toilets. These are for free will donations to help keep the Public Toilets free and open to all.

MR will investigate getting hard plastic signs made that can accompany the boxes to explain the need to give.

Beinn Reithe Fish Farm appeal update

MR reported that Scottish Ministers have yet to make a decision.

Nothing further to report at this time.

Local Place Plan

JB explained to the meeting that the expression of local people’s aspirations in a Local Place Plan can influence local planning policy. National Parks had encouraged us to produce one because it would be linked to National Framework 4. He outlined that we are currently progressing this and have used the previous Ardentinny Action Plans from 2008 and 2015 together with the Residents Survey (Jan 2023) as a basis. We now need to consult with all of the interest groups in Ardentinny to also get their views. Once this is done, we intend to have a public consultation to get residents views on the proposals. We will need to gain funding from National Parks for this and envisage that it may not be complete until next year.

15 Ardentinny Renewables Trust

Douglas Menzies reported that ART are currently in a good financial position as we have had a lot of rain which has enabled the hydros to produce more electricity which in turn has given ART over £13k this year. They have had applications for funding from the Bowling Club for £800 and also others from the Village Hall for contributions towards replacing the heating. However there is still plenty for others to apply.

Ardentinny Hall Management Team

MR updated the meeting on current progress by the new management team. He explained that things have been delayed by a slow response form the bank and that they are still waiting for new log-in access to the hall bank account. This is preventing new actions from being taken. However, we hope to resolve this shortly.

MR also explained that they intend to hold an EGM soon as the new team want to change the status of the charity from an Unincorporated Association to an Incorporated Organisation. This would make the charity a legal entity in its own right (enabling it to make purchases and enter into contracts in its own name) which will protect the Trustees from personal liability (Trustees currently have to act as personal guarantors for any contract). This change will require the agreement of the members as it will require a new charity to be formed and the old one closed.

Note: The Weekly News updates are available on the ACC website: www.ardentinnycc.co.uk

Ardentinny Community Trust

JB read out a report provided by Jeannie Urquhart:

Thanks to the volunteers, the garden is looking fantastic. There has been over £150 raised in plant sales this month so far.

Sgoil Araich (Gaelic Nursery) school trip will be at the garden on the 14th June. This is a regular event. A young man is volunteering one day a week from the job centre. Community Payback continue with support.

The volunteers who completed the T.S.I. Program have chosen to keep coming to the garden. This is a great achievement.

A part funding for new seating was received from Ardentinny Renewables Trust that allowed the garden to get 2 of the seats and the garden used some of its reserves to purchase the third.

A reminder that the garden is open on Wednesday and Thursday from 10.30 till 2.30, weather permitting. Also, the garden can be entered at any time for residents of Ardentinny. Anyone wanting to know the combination can get in touch with a trustee

Argyll Conservation and Heritage Group.

No report received.

AOB

Ideas for funding

DM informed the meeting of an email that we have received from the Argyll and the Islands Community Led Local Development (CLLD) Fund stating that grants are available between £10k and £75k for Constituted Groups, Third Sector organisations and Public Sector organisations. The closing date for applications is Friday 28^th June so there is little time left to apply for interest parties.