Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 9th April 2025
This mee ng took place in Lochearnhead Village Hall at 7:30 p.m. on 9th April 2025. It was
chaired by Carolyn Brooks.
Present: Carolyn Brooks (CB), Andrew Poulter (AP), Maida MacLaren (MML), Webster
Inglis (WI).
Apologies: Ruth McLusky (RM), David Johnston (DCJ), Bob Wells (RJW), Mar n Mackenzie
(MM), Angus Cameron (AC); David Fe!es (DF), Loch Lomond & The Trossachs
Na onal Park Authority (LLTNPA).
Also A!ending: Cllr Mar n Earl (ME), S rling Council; PC Heather Campbell (HC), Police
Scotland; Paul Hicks (PH), minute-taker.
Item Content Ac on
- Approval of minutes from 26th February 2025
It was proposed by MML and seconded by AP, that the minutes of the
mee ng on 26th February 2025 should be accepted and this was
approved unanimously.
- Declara ons of Interest
There were no declara ons of interest by members present.
- Police report (27 Feb to 9 Apr 2025)
During this period, there were no incidents of an -social behaviour.
On 27th February, a report was received concerning the" from a motor
vehicle in Balquhidder. However, the complainant declined to engage
with the police and insufficient details were obtained to file a crime
report. On 24th March, a report of a vehicle behaving suspiciously in
Strathyre was received. Details were obtained but there was
insufficient evidence to establish that any crime had taken place and
no further ac on was taken. During this period, there were three
traffic-related incidents. One involved a deer colliding with a vehicle
and one involved the breakdown of a vehicle on A84 near
Lochearnhead where police a!ended and helped move the vehicle to
a safer loca on. The third report was an allega on of poor driving in
Balquhidder, but neither the vehicle concerned nor the person
repor ng the incident could subsequently be traced. Three
miscellaneous incidents were recorded: a dog was found straying on
A84 near Balquhidder and eventually reunited with its owner and the
burglar alarm of a commercial property in Lochearnhead was
ac vated but, when the premises were checked by police, all was in
order. On 5th April, a report of males possibly trespassing and taking
drugs in Balquhidder was made, but due to the pressure of other calls
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in progress, no officers were able to a!end immediately. No
subsequent complaint of crime was made to the police.
- Ma!ers arising from previous minutes
a)
Calair Bridge. With reference to item 6A of the previous minutes (on
26th February 2025): following Cllr Earl's interven on, the weight
restric on on the Calair Bridge had been reviewed by S rling Council
(Bridges and Network Management teams). They had concluded that
the current restric ons were adequate and a copy of the relevant
traffic order had been supplied to the community council, specifying
the vehicles that are exempt from the restric on. These included
delivery vehicles, winter maintenance vehicles, refuse vehicles and
emergency services vehicles. A copy of the order had now been
posted on the community council website and all the local residents
had been given a personal copy.
RM had noted on 20th March 2025 that waste bins were s ll in place at
the Strathyre end of Stroneslaney Road. The bins were preven ng the
use of a passing place and might be abused if le" in situ too long. AP
noted that the bins had not yet been removed. DCJ had also asked
that the assistance provided by Dick Lewis in delivering oil supplies to
two residents be acknowledged specifically and this was approved
unanimously.
- Forestry and mber transport
a)
Funding bid for C33 road, Balquhidder. On 3rd March 2025, the
community council was no fied by S rling Council's 'Road Network'
department (SCRN) that the Sco%sh Government agency, 'Sco!sh
Forestry', would be providing financial support again this year through
its Strategic Timber Transport Fund (STTF). This was warmly welcomed
by members a"er the disappointment of no bid being put forward
during the previous two years. In 2024, a private company called
'Sco!sh Woodlands' (origina ng from a woodland owners'
coopera ve) had been able to fund a survey by an independent
consultancy firm (Arvikaconsult Ltd) on the physical condi on of the
C33 road in Balquhidder Glen, between the village hall and the end of
the road near Inverlochlarig. This survey had iden fied poten al
improvement works at an es mated cost of £900K and members
expressed their sincere thanks to Sco!sh Woodlands for suppor ng
this project and laying the founda on for a renewed bid to the STTF.
Based on this report, the SCRN had now considered that a bid to the
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STTF for funding towards a project cos ng £300K would be realis c.
Any such bid requires matched funding from other bodies and SCRN is
prepared to offer £150K. If any local forest owners are prepared to
contribute addi onal funding, it may be possible to increase the
overall value of the bid to the STTF. Members were informed that a
'le!er of support' from the community council and co-signed by the
elected ward representa ves had been submi!ed and SCRN is now
working to prepare a suitable plan of works that will make best use of
the funding available. DCJ had requested that the community council
be provided with full details of the proposed works (once they have
been decided) and also be allowed to liaise with SCRN and any
contractors in order to offer help from local landowners and to ensure
that details of the loca on of the community broadband network will
be available to avoid any inadvertent damage being caused.
b)
Drumardoch long-term forest plan. This forest lies to the East of Loch
Lubnaig. On 12th March 2025, details of its latest long-term plan had
been provided to the community council by Bidwells, a commercial
estate agent ac ng on behalf of the the forest owner. Comments were
invited - to be submi!ed by 9th April. RM had reviewed the plan and
was of the opinion that it was straigh'orward and unlikely to be
conten ous. No members present offered any contrary views.
- Correspondence
a)
Visitor Levy. On 28th February 2025, no fica on was received from
S rling Council regarding consulta on on a proposal to charge a visitor
levy for overnight visitor accommoda on in the area. The inten on is
to gather ideas about where revenue from such a scheme might be
spent, at what level the charge should be set and the need for any
'caps' or exemp ons to the scheme. Based on the consulta on,
council officers will draw up specific proposals and a decision is
expected to be taken in December 2025. If that decision is to go ahead
with the proposal, the earliest date of implementa on is likely to be in
June 2027.
On 3rd March, an online survey was launched (with paper copies
available in local libraries) and local 'drop-in' sessions were to be held
during March and April in S rling, Drymen, Callander and Killin. (Links
to this site and accompanying informa on were also published on the
community council website.) A dedicated email address was set up
(visitorlevy@s rling.gov.uk) and council officers were to be available
to a!end community council mee ngs and provide further
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informa on about the proposals. The pros and cons of the levy were
then discussed in the mee ng and views were mixed. ME pointed out
the posi ve aspects of developing facili es (such as bus services) for
visitors with the money raised.
b)
The Trossachs Explorer shu!le bus. From July to September, 2024,
LLTNPA had trialled a 'shu!le bus' service connec ng Callander and
Aberfoyle with key des na ons in the Na onal Park that are normally
only available by private transport. The aim was to test the demand
for such a service, to assess the effec veness of branding and
marke ng and to provide a viable alterna ve transport op on that
was both accessible and sustainable. The results of an evalua on of
the service are available on the LLTNPA website. A con nua on of the
trial during 2025 is envisaged, but it is proving difficult to secure the
necessary funding and to iden fy a suitable operator in me for a
launch in the summer. Community councils will be no fied of the
outcome in due course. ME added that an important outcome of this
trial would be the provision of a solid case for a sustainable service
con nuing in the future.
c)
Plots of land for sale at Stroneslaney. Following a recent query about
si ng a canal boat adjacent to one of these plots of land, the LLTNPA
had prepared a detailed le!er of informa on to be sent to all those
people who had purchased such plots (as based on the records held
by the Land Register of Scotland). The le!er details the various
restric ons that apply under the Town & Country Planning (Scotland)
Act, 1997 (as amended). These include the designa on of the River
Balvaig as part of the River Teith Special Area of Conserva on, the
recogni on of this land as a flood plain and as a habitat for breeding
birds. The le!er strongly advises plot owners to make themselves
aware of the need for planning permission and statutory consents
before embarking on any developments for changes of use and
itemises areas of legisla on that should be taken into considera on
before embarking on any work. A copy of the le!er had been
circulated to all community council members.
The owner of one of the plots at the western end of this land is now
prepared to start work on reinsta ng the land to its original condi on
with the help of a hired digger. Prior to that, the owner is mee ng
with an official from the LLTNPA to discuss how best to approach this
work in order to ensure safety and minimal damage to the area. This
ini a ve was welcomed.
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d)
Community Council Insurance. On 18th March 2025, S rling Council's
liaison officer had requested that details of any community council
assets or drivers requiring insurance cover be returned by 31st March.
AP commented that the community council had no assets currently
and the drivers' insurance had not been used during the previous year.
e)
Age Scotland na onal housing and energy survey. On 18th March
2025, no fica on had been received via S rling Council that Age
Scotland was conduc ng an online survey on peoples' use of both
housing and energy. The survey is being carried out by ' Sco nform Ltd'
- an independent company. It is available at this address.
f)
Public Safety Commi!ee and police reports. The convenor of the
'Public Safety Commi!ee' (PSC) at S rling Council had contacted the
community council with an invita on to take note of the minutes of
the commi!ee, following the launch of a pilot scheme to adopt a
different approach by Police Scotland to its liaison with community
councils. The current system of providing officers for each community
council had proved to be too resource intensive in some areas and the
pilot scheme will interact with community councils by council ward
instead of trying to meet with each council. The convenor
recommended having a look at the papers being provided to the PSC
to assess whether this might be a suitable way forward for all
community councils. The papers for the PSC are available on the
S rling Council website.
DCJ had submi!ed wri!en comments on this topic to members prior
to the mee ng. He believed strongly that community engagement
should be a top priority for the police and that this was best served by
the regular presence of a local officer. He had looked at the PSC
minutes but found that they provided only limited informa on and
the onus was on members to find the papers rather than being
no fied as a ma!er of course.
- Damage to Stronvar Bridge
With reference to item 9 of the minutes of 26th February 2025, an
update on progress to the repairs at Stronvar Bridge had been
requested from S rling Council and, on 10th March, the following
informa on had been provided. Repairs to the bridge had been
scheduled to begin on 17th May 2025. An inspector was to a!end
beforehand to assess whether any addi onal work was required
following recent damage. Should it be necessary to install ' e bars' to
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the copes at the bridge, this is likely to require building consent from
LLTNPA. This process will take around four months (to allow for a full
review and the gran ng of approval). Accordingly, the date of the
scheduled repair work may need to be amended, depending on what
is possible and whether or not permission is given for work to
proceed.
- Water provision in Balquhidder
With reference to item 10 of the minutes of 26th February 2025, a
request had been made to Sco!sh Water for a mee ng regarding the
recent leaks in Kirkton at Balquhidder. On 27th February, a reply was
received from the lead officer in the 'Communica ons & Engagement
Team' at Sco!sh Water. This apologised for any confusion arising from
an extended period of absence by the person originally receiving the
enquiry from the community council and again confirmed that the
burst pipe had been iden fied and repaired. It promised that the
details of the work carried out would be passed on to the community
council again and that the enquiry regarding a fire hydrant would be
addressed.
The details of the completed repair were duly reiterated and
arrangements were made to install a fire hydrant at Stronvar Garden
Co"age. An invita on to consider any other ma!ers of concern was
made and DCJ responded with six items covering the maintenance of
fire hydrants, the procedures for finding leaks and for tes ng water
quality, the ques on of exis ng capacity in Balquhidder Glen (with its
poten al for increased demand as new proper es are being built), the
concern about protec ng the community broadband fibre network
and the apparent problems with communica on and community
engagement. On 14th March, the community council was advised that
arrangements were in hand to schedule a mee ng with the
community council and on 19th March, confirma on was received that
the fire hydrant at Garden Co"age had been installed. However, more
recently, DCJ had been informed that Sco!sh Water had been unable
to find anyone to meet with the community council. He had offered to
follow this up and members agreed that the community council
should, on principle, pursue the request for a representa ve of the
company to a!end a mee ng.
- Road signs in local area
AP reported that three speed limit signs (with alcohol zone signs AP to ask
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adjacent) plus a 'shared route' sign had been erected on Stroneslaney
Road, but some of the original 'alcohol zone' signs had s ll not been
replaced (as per CC enquiry 2403952) and nothing had been placed on
the C33 road. Furthermore, an agreement had been reached
previously for addi onal passing places to be created on Stroneslaney
Road. It was agreed that AP would follow up the request for addi onal
passing places, par cularly as the recent warm weather had
encouraged more visitors than usual and people were stopping in the
exis ng passing places, causing conges on and problems for local
residents.
S rling Council
when the
missing
alcohol signs
and extra
passing places
will be
erected.
- RiverTrack sensor at Strathyre
With reference to item 12 of the minutes of 26th February 2025, this
ma!er had been passed to the BLS Community Trust for a!en on. An
update had since been received from S rling University, providing
addi onal details of where it was proposed to site the addi onal
sensor and seeking to allay any fears regarding complica ons over
insurance claims. This informa on had been passed to the BLS Trust,
whose chairperson had responded very quickly with confirma on that
the Trust would be willing to support the project.
- Upper Strathearn community benefit project
On 10th March 2025, an update had been received from Rachel Searle
of Founda on Scotland regarding the mee ng on 25th February. This
confirmed the report from DCJ that had been received by the
community council at its previous mee ng on 26th February. It also
confirmed arrangements to try and bring together the various groups
involved at a further mee ng to explore the various community
benefits and how they might provide different outcomes according to
the need of each community, together with the appropriate structures
and governance arrangements to ensure fairness, transparency and
equity.
DCJ had submi!ed a further update on this to members prior to the
community council mee ng. He reported that a second mee ng of the
community benefit project had taken place on 3rd April at St Fillans
and he would circulate minutes to members in due course. He had
also liaised with the chair of Killin community council with a view to
seeking advice from S rling Council on how best to proceed with this
project. ME confirmed that he had forwarded this request to the
Council.
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- Glen Lednock wind farm
On 11th March 2025, an update was received from the Senior
Stakeholder manager at 'Low Carbon'. The company is on track to
deliver its planning applica on to the Sco%sh Government's 'Energy
Consents Unit' by the end of April 2025. Physical copies of the
Environmental Impact Assessment will be available at the White
Church in Comrie and from the Village Store in St Fillans. Further
informa on is also available at the Glen Lednock website.
- Planning ma!ers
a)
2025/0051/DET. Erec on of wireless mast. An applica on had been
made by Cornerstone Communica ons to erect a thirty-metre mast on
land to the north-east of Immeroin Farm. This is linked to the
applica on for a feed mast above Auchleskine Woods, for which the
community council had previously raised no objec on. This project will
be part of the government’s 4G network scheme and members did not
think that it would be conten ous.
b)
2025/0067/DET. Construc on of leisure facility. The Clachan Co"age
Hotel in Lochearnhead had applied for permission to erect a leisure
facility in its car park on the north shore of Loch Earn opposite the
hotel itself. It will comprise a hot food takeaway, sauna, bin storage
and fencing with addi onal car parking space and decking. Some forty
years ago, an applica on to build what is now known as The
Boathouse (adjacent to the hotel but also on the foreshore of the
loch) s rred up much conten on and anger locally. The planning
authority at that me was S rling Council and it was believed that
they had given an undertaking then that no further such
developments between the shore and the A85 road would be allowed.
DCJ suggested that members might wish to ask the LLTNPA (as the
new planning authority) whether or not it was aware of this
commitment. This was agreed.
DCJ to raise
this query with
LLTNPA.
- Ma!ers from ward councillors and Na onal Park representa ve
DF was unable to a!end but had previously circulated an update to all
members of recent events and future plans for LLTNPA.
- Any other competent business
a)
Community bus service at St Fillans. DCJ had been contacted by a
member of the St Fillan’s community council regarding the possibility
of se%ng up a bus service to run between loca ons in Strathearn. This
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would have support from Perth & Kinross Council with the offer of a
vehicle, but would also need the services of local volunteers as drivers.
The community council at St Fillans had suggested that the BLS
community council might be interested in suppor ng this venture.
Members agreed that more detail on the project was required and it
would be necessary to ascertain the probable level of demand. ME
noted that a similar service already existed at Killin.
b)
Flood management upstream from Callander. DCJ had circulated an
invita on from the chair of Callander community council to be
involved in an ini a ve to develop natural flood management as part
of its approach (jointly with the Callander Flood Group) to perennial
problems with flooding in Callander. A substan al grant from the
Na onal Lo!ery may be available and S rling University can offer
support through its 'Forth20' project. S rling Council, the Forth
Environment Link and the LLTNPA had also shown an interest.
Members agreed unanimously that the community council should
accept this invita on.
c)
S rling Council repor ng system for community councils. AP raised a
concern that there is no mechanism available for dealing with more
urgent ma!ers (such as the recent problem with the Calair Bridge).
Members expressed their disappointment with the lack of help from
S rling Council following the closure of Stroneslaney Road due to
storm damage and fallen trees. All proper es had been accessible
from one end of the road or the other, but there were no waste
collec ons and no help when oil companies needed guidance on
whether they could use the Calair Bridge. Some residents had suffered
considerable addi onal and unnecessary expense because of the poor
communica on between departments and the slow responses
through the community council repor ng system. ME confirmed the
need for a be!er system, but also highlighted the poten al for abuse.
- d) Community Council Treasurer. AP gave no ce that he wished to give
up the rôle of treasurer. This was noted.
There was no further business and, at 8:35 p.m., CB declared the
mee ng to be closed. The next mee ng is scheduled to take place at
Strathyre Village Hall on Wednesday 21st May, 2025 at 7:30 p.m. It
will be preceded on that day by the Annual General Mee ng.
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