Sept 2019
ARDENTINNY COMMUNITY COUNCIL
(WWW.ARDENTINNYCC.CO.UK)
Minute of meeting held September 30th 2019.
Present Neil Robinson. Alistair McDowall, Bill Tierney. Jim Robinson. Marian Norris
WPC. Laura Evans, Councillor Alan Reid, Bob Darrocott (NP). Stuart Chalmers (Forestry Scotland)
Public; D. McDowall, V. Fairley, Elsbeth Brint. John Brint, Robbie Lawrence. Stuart Maslin, Sandra Tweddle, Jann Garrett, Eileen Connell.
Apologies; Aidan Docherty, Lynn Kerr
Neil began the meeting by asking if there were any Declarations of Interest. None
Police Report
Neil introduced WPC Laura Evans to the meeting. She hopes to attend as many Ardentinny CC meetings as possible dependent on her work schedule. She informed that there had been 5 reported incidents in the area since the beginning of July.
Incidents - Beat 49 - Ardentinny - 5 incidents in total
1 x property damage (signage for the big picnic)
2 x road traffic (one complaint of a quad on the beach, person warned and one complaint of 4 bikers riding erratically, no trace)
1 x suspect person (vehicle driving slowly acting suspiciously - no trace)
1 x concern for person (female with dementia on bus - found safe and well and returned home)
Crimes - Beat 49 - Arden tinny - 1 crime
1 x vandalism (big picnic poster damaged with sharp object - press appeal negative and no suspects
Neil asked if it is illegal to ride a quad bike on the beach. Laura stated that yes it would be.
Minute of last meeting No issues
Proposed Alistair Seconded Jim
Matters arising from the minute. None
Treasurer’s Report
Bill reported that the balance is £2609.33. There have only been a couple of transactions such as payments for advertising the meeting and paying for the website.
The admin grant has been applied for which should be received soon. Copies of the balance sheet are available.
Correspondence
Letter received from a Shore resident with official complaint of the condition of Shepherds Point beach such as drinking, swearing, dog fouling, camper cans, tents etc. This will be passed on to the Forestry and National Park.
Forestry Commission Report
Stuart Chalmers gave a background of his position in Forestry Scotland.
Active felling is taking place on Stronchullin Hill with the timber then taken down to Gairletter then either going to Sandbank or by road to the customer.
There are 2 hydro schemes in Arden tinny (Coul Burn & Schoolhouse Burn)
The 20 year Land Management Plan which deals with how the woodlands are managed will be prepared over the next 6 months. Steve Murphy will be in touch with the CC soon to discuss this further.
One area planned for felling may be around Soldiers Rock but that is to be confirmed.
The disease affecting larch trees is still a cause for concern. There are no new infected sites in the Ardentinny area but there is a large infected site outside Dunoon. Puck’s Glen has also been affected.
Concern had been raised by the CC in regard to the amount of camper vans and camping at the beach. At the moment Forestry policy is that there are no overnight stays in Forestry car parks etc. Stuart informed that they are looking at the issues throughout the area and how best it could be managed. He cited several possibilities which are to discussed.
Alistair asked if the community would be part of that discussion and, as he lives closest to the beach would like to be part of the discussion
Stuart informed that they are hoping to look all individual popular areas and how best they can be dealt with.
Marian asked if the Forestry would consider giving support to the Nature Trail and Bird Hide such as cutting the paths. Stuart agreed that a meeting could be arranged to look at the trail.
Robbie asked how often and how they assess the conditions of trees. Stuart informed that twice a year a specialised team inspect from the air. If there are concerns raised a ground team would inspect the trees and identify the cause of deterioration and respond accordingly.
National Park Report
Dawnfresh application has been put into the National Park. An impact assessment is required before it moves any further.
Western Ferries application for changes at Kilmun Pier is in abeyance for the moment.
An application by Flamingoland for the Loch Lomond area has been retracted.
Councillor’s Report
Alan gave his report which included answers for issues raised at the last meeting
Speeding traffic through the village. Alan was asked to forward to A&B the concerns of speeding out with the 30mph designated area in the village. Chief Inspector Wilson has asked road policing to monitor this. WPC Evans was given an outline of the villagers’ concerns. She informed that there are available speed stickers which can be bought and used in addition to the large road signs.
Work has been done between Ardenfield and Kylemore. The road markings for there, as well as the slow signs marking at either side of The Ardentinny should be done soon.
The request for speed bumps at The Ardentinny has been turned down. Reasons are that it is the main road, on a bus route.
Polling station for elections will be at the village hall.
There will be a consultation exercise on this year’s A&B budget. At this stage it is impossible to say what cuts will be made.
Jim asked that, if council is not doing the road surfaces outside Swedish Houses, would they consider doing something about the sides of the roads which are causing flooding etc.
Marian has been in touch with Nigel Potts giving him photos etc. of the areas where sightlines are particularly bad. Despite several methods of communication, there has been no response. Marian asked what the process of complaining would be.
Alan was asked by Mr MCDowall of his position regarding the fish farm proposal. Alan had been in touch with Dawnfresh but had no response.
Neil asked if Alan could get in touch with estates to ask when they can meet about discussion of agreement regarding public toilets.
Actual Reality Report
Sorry that I am unable to attend this month.
We have a very busy week ahead at the centre, and I am working tonight.
The centre has had a great start to the Autumn term. Lots of schools from Inverclyde and Renfrewshire. We have done a few sections of beach clean already with a few more planned for in areas from the slipway to the beach.
Also, we have helped in the tidying up of the usual mess from campers and fishermen around the Shepherds point area, all much tidier now.
I have sent in a letter to the national park regarding the fish farm proposal.
Dawnfresh Report
Jann Garret gave an update of the Aff the Clyde groups campaign against the fish farm. They have been active in the social media and local radio. They are liaising with the group in Bute who are also fighting against their proposal of a farm. Some of their posters have been taken down or vandalised. They would more volunteers to join their group and if so, they should get in touch with the group.
She asked if CC could contact on their behalf for an update. Neil replied that he has been in regular contact with Dawnfresh with no response.
Emergency Action Plan
Alistair gave an update on the plan. After a meeting with West of Scotland Resilience Partnership and the Resilience officer sent a template to work with. At present he will continue with the present plan. He requires volunteers to commit to being part of the Action Plan. He will send round the information to groups in the village and also it will be put on the notice board and CC website.
Amenities (Community Toilets)
There had been difficulties getting some maintenance issues solved however the problems with electricity has been solved. There is a possibility of a paid cleaner being identified.
Future meetings
TBA
Delegates Report
Website Nothing to report.
Caucus Caucus of Community Councils
Invereck Care Home: There was a recent Caucus meeting to discuss the closure of Invereck Care Home. It was decided to protest in the strongest possible terms against the closure. As it is the only specialist care for dementia patients in the area it was decided to request the Scottish Government to take it over under special measures.
Fish Farms: All Community Councils in the area have pledged support to Ardentinny Community Council in the fight against the introduction of fish farms. They have been requested to write a letter of protest to SEPA, and to be ready to fight the planning application when it is instigated.
Dunoon Hospital and local health issues: The Caucus has arranged to meet Joanne O’Donnell3 on 5th of November to discuss the running down of Dunoon Hospital, lack of clinics, lack of communication and other health issues.
Planning
Jim reported regarding the planning application by Dawnfresh. It was agreed that there is still a lot of work to be done before any application is fully considered. He gave some of the areas and points that require to be met during the application. A lot of the information can be obtained from the website.
The application for removal of ecumenical items from Arden tinny Church has been passed.
Community Action Plan is on hold at the minute.
Updates Ardentinny Renewables Trust
Two applications made.
Village Hall to paint outside of building. Passed
Walled Garden Partly agreed
Ardentinny Hall Management Group
External painting and rendering are underway
Hydro scheme is due to start on 21st October. There will be caravans in the hall car park while the work is carried out.
Winter clubs have started and a list will be posted on hall notice board.
They would like space on the new notice board. Neil has ok’d this.
They will be visiting all houses in the village by October to collect membership monies.
Ardentinny Community Trust
Considering the torrential rain, the Big Picnic was well attended and the band played on past 4 o’clock when the sun came out.
The garden had a table at Kirn Gala and raised £85 selling mostly, garden produce.
In August the eXp Youth Group spent an afternoon in the garden trimming and knitting the willow tunnel.
Twenty people from Bellville Street Community Garden, in Greenock, came to the garden for a picnic lunch. They were spending the day at the Outdoor Centre and wanted to share community growing experiences with us.
In September Dunoon Primary Learning Centre visited the garden. They picked apples and vegetables making soup back at school with the carrots, leaks and courgettes.
Sandbank Primary pupils from GM P1/2, P3/4 and P5/6 came to the garden for a One Planet Picnic.
Alistair brought out a new HELP Team who came to our rescue when we needed gravel moved and grass cut for the Harvest Fair.
The Duck Derby at the Harvest Fair proved to be very popular and the whole day was a great success despite the showers.
The garden is officially closed to visitors from Sunday 13th October 2019 until Easter Sunday 2020. However visitors are still welcome in the garden when the gate is open, usually Wednesdays and Thursdays, 11a.m. – 2.30p.m. or by appointment.
Ardentinny Conservation & Heritage Group
Bird Hide and Nature Trail: The feeders at the Bird Hide continue to be maintained, but we need to consult with the Forestry Commission about the lack of support with the trail. However, we have linked up with the Heritage Trail with a view to gaining support for the development of the nature trail involving local schools, also linking up with the Bird Hide at Kilmun.
Lairds Grave: We now have access to the Lairds Grave again and will tidy it up for the winter and hope to plant more snowdrops.
Planters: Eileen continues to maintain the new planters at the car park, and is replacing some of the plants. The herb pots will be collected at the end of the year to prepare for the Spring.
Noticeboard: The noticeboard is well used, but the manufacturers have been contacted to find a solution for the damp.
AOCB
Defibrillators Jim has looked into the possibility of having more defibs in the village. He feels that St Johns is the best option as they will part fund the package. There are several stipulations to this. More discussion is required regarding placement, maintenance, checking, renewing pads etc.
Festive Lunch Kilmun CC and Arden tinny CC organise the annual Festive Lunch. A request has been made from the organisers to ask if Arden tinny CC are willing to donate £50 to make up the goody bags for the children who will be performing. All agreed