Balquhidder, Lochearnhead & Strathyre
Community Council Minutes – 26th February 2025
This mee ng took place in Balquhidder Village Hall at 7:30 p.m. on 26th February 2025. It was
chaired by David Johnston.
Present: David Johnston (DCJ), Carolyn Brooks (CB), Ruth McLusky (RM), Mar n
Mackenzie (MM), Maida MacLaren (LMM), Andrew Poulter (AP), Bob Wells
(RJW).
Apologies: Angus Cameron (AC), Webster Inglis (WI); PC Heather Campbell (HC), Police
Scotland.
Also A!ending: Cllr Mar n Earl (ME), S rling Council; David Fe!es (DF), Loch Lomond & The
Trossachs Na onal Park Authority (LLTNPA); Four members of Sco"sh &
Southern Electricity (SSE); Paul Hicks (PH), minute-taker.
Item Content Ac on
- Approval of minutes from 15th January 2025
It was proposed by RM and seconded by AP, that the minutes of the
mee ng on 15th January 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 (16 Jan to 26 Feb 2025)
During this period there were no incidents of an -social or criminal
behaviour reported. On 23rd January, a male was running on a forest
track road in Strathyre when he was struck a glancing blow by a
passing van. He reported the incident to police but, when interviewed
later, did not wish to make a formal complaint, acknowledging that it
was a narrow road and no injury had been caused. On 30th January, a
joint opera on was carried out in Lochearnhead between the police
and the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency. Numerous motoring
offences were iden fied and a number of fixed penal es and vehicle
rec fica on ckets were issued. Also during this period, pupils from
Strathyre Primary School took part in the Junior Road Safety ini a ve
and police officers deployed various other resources to deter speeding
in Strathyre and Lochearnhead.
Three other incidents were reported to the police. On 10th February, a
report was received of a dog worrying sheep at Lochearnhead. The
dog owner was traced and given advice, but no formal complaint was
made. On 16th February, Killin Mountain Rescue Team helped to
recover a male from Ben Vorlich. He was uninjured but had requested
assistance. On 22nd February, the carcass of a dead deer was removed
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from the A85 near Lochearnhead by BEAR Scotland.
- Lochay Power Sta on - Presenta on by SSE
Representa ves of SSE Renewables gave a formal presenta on about a
£70M investment in Lochay Power Sta on at Killin that is taking place.
This sta on was commissioned in 1958 and is the largest and highest
producing hydro-power sta on in SSE Renewables' Breadalbane
scheme. The investment will ensure that the sta on can con nue to
play a rôle in the country's renewable energy system for decades to
come.
The project will take place over three years and see all main
genera on components inside the sta on being replaced with
modern, efficient technology, extending the power sta on's
opera onal life by at least forty years. It will result in improved hydropower
genera on without the need for any increase in water volumes.
All exis ng building and civil infrastructure will be retained. The main
construc on work will begin in mid-April, 2025, with the project
expected to be completed in 2028, to coincide with the power
sta on's seven eth anniversary. A programme of engagement with
key stakeholders and the local community will take place over the
coming weeks.
Whilst an increase in traffic around the site is expected, the company
will seek to minimise disrup on wherever possible, including asking
contractors to share vehicles and con nually monitoring traffic
movements to reduce local impacts. Some large vehicles will need to
travel through the village of Killin. As per requirements, contractors
will no fy Police Scotland of these movements in advance and will
endeavour to avoid busy mes, where possible. The local community
will be kept abreast of likely impacts throughout the dura on of the
project. Ques ons were asked about community benefit packages and
members were informed that a new fund had been set up recently for
exis ng hydro-power sta ons. It would apply ini ally only to Killin, but
there may be poten al to provide some benefits for se!lements
outwith the immediate area that will be affected by the works.
- Ma!ers arising from previous minutes
There were no ma!ers arising that were not on the published agenda.
- Storm Éowyn
- a) Blockage to Stroneslaney Road. During this storm on 24th January
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2025, the road became blocked by fallen trees, resul ng in a serious
emergency for residents when fuel supply tankers and waste
collec on services could not gain access to their proper es. This was
exacerbated by the weight restric on on the Calair Bridge. On 12th
February, DCJ contacted S rling Council to request urgent assistance
for these residents. He was informed that Council vehicles were also
inhibited by the weight restric on but intended to place large,
temporary waste-bins at either end of the road for residents to use.
These bins were eventually put in place at the southern end of the
road, but at a considerable distance (in some cases) from the affected
proper es at the northern end.
The weight restric on on the Calair Bridge was imposed in 2019. The
community council had been assured that the order would allow for
emergency and service vehicles to have access, including for the
supply of fuel deliveries and emptying of sep c tanks. On 13th
February, the Council team leader for Waste Services could not find
any exemp on to the restric on order and could not supply a vehicle
small enough to use the bridge. Council staff also had problems
finding a suitable loca on to site large waste bins for local residents to
use. On 21st February, the Council had contacted Forestry & Land
Scotland (FLS) to expedite the clearing of fallen trees from the road
and were an cipa ng that the road would re-open on 26th February.
Further enquiries were ongoing to double-check the details of the
weight restric on for the Calair Bridge.
DCJ added that, a%er considerable 'encouragement' of both the
Council and FLS, the road had been cleared, oil deliveries had been
made and alterna ve bin collec ons had been arranged. The rôle of
some local residents in assis ng others with temporary oil deliveries
was gratefully acknowledged. Discussions with Cllr Earl were now
underway to have the weight restric on on Calair Bridge reviewed so
that such problems do not occur in the future. It was agreed that DCJ
would seek to clarify with S rling Council the provision of no ces of
exemp on.
DCJ to clarify
the provision
of no ces of
exemp on for
relevant
bodies.
b)
Street lights in Strathyre. The storm caused power cuts that affected
the street lights in Strathyre. A%er the power had been restored, it
was no ced that the lights were coming on during the day but turning
off in the evening and overnight. It had eventually been established
that BEAR Scotland was responsible for restoring the normal func on
of the lights and a request for this work to be done had been made.
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- Forestry and mber transport
a)
Clach Mhor estate. This estate has submi!ed an applica on for two
forest areas to be cleared.
b)
Phytophthora Ramorum (Larch disease), Balquhidder. Forestry &
Land Scotland is organising a drop-in session at Balquhidder Village
Hall on 29th March 2025 to discuss with local residents the ques on of
removing diseased larch trees from Balquhidder Glen.
- Correspondence
a)
S_rling Council World Gaelic Day community event. S rling Council
will be hos ng a community day at Bridge of Allan Church Hall on
Sunday 2nd March. Details are available from the community council
website.
b)
Sco"sh Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) statutory consulta on. The SFRS
had no fied the community council that it was reviewing its strategic
plan for 2025-2028 and invited members to comment on the dra%
version that had been published on its website and to submit any
relevant views on the service. The consulta on is due to close on 2nd
April 2025.
c)
Climate and nature emergency plan. S rling Council is adop ng a
'Climate and Nature Emergency Plan' to priori se and direct its
ac vi es in response to the challenges of the expected changes in our
climate and environment in the coming years. The results of a recent
consulta on are now available from its website.
d)
Loch Voil - building plot or property. A request had been received
from two people in Switzerland who were looking to build a singlestorey
bungalow (or re-develop an exis ng property) beside Loch Voil,
asking for assistance in loca ng a suitable site. Members suggested
that the best way of approaching this would be for them to search
online.
- e) Sco"sh Government - Rural Delivery plan. The Sco&sh Government
is conduc ng a consulta on with a view to developing a Rural Delivery
Plan that will encompass a range of key areas, such as agriculture,
marine, land reform, transport, housing, social jus ce, popula on,
skills, digital connec vity, economic development, and health and
social care. All rural communi es, businesses and stakeholders are
being invited to take part online.
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- Damage to Stronvar Bridge
With reference to item 10 of the minutes of the community council
mee ng on 12th November 2024 and item 9 of the minutes of the
community council mee ng on 15th January 2025, DCJ reported that
nothing had been heard from S rling Council Roads Department about
repairs to the bridge or the ac ons that the Muirlaggan Partnership
was planning to take. MML reported that she had no ced increasing
instances of damage caused to the bridge. It was agreed that DCJ
should write to S rling Council for an update on its plans.
DCJ to ask
S rling
Council for an
update.
- Water provision in Balquhidder
With reference to item 10 of the minutes of 15th January 2025,
Sco"sh Water had been asked to provide further informa on about
the recent leaks in Kirkton at Balquhidder. On 5th February, a reply was
received from the company, sta ng that a burst pipe had been located
and repaired. At the same me, a new meter had been installed that
would constantly monitor flows of water and detect any future leaks
at any early stage. The company had checked its records and was
unaware of having sent any tankers to Balquhidder at the me that
members had reported seeing water tankers in the area. It was
suggested that the vehicles may have belonged to SSE which had been
supplying generators in the area following a power outage. However,
members pointed out that the date quoted by Sco"sh Water was 17th
January - not 15th - and were not convinced by this explana on. CB
added that the real problem was the apparent waste of resources
involved in sending numerous tankers that were no longer required.
DCJ said that there had been no further contact from Sco"sh Water
and, since they appeared unwilling to a!end a mee ng of the
community council, he proposed that, if any members were willing,
the community council should ask for a mee ng with them at their
own premises. MML and DCJ were willing to a!end such a mee ng
and it was agreed that DCJ would ask Sco"sh Water for an
appropriate me and place to meet.
DCJ to request
mee ng with
Sco"sh Water
at their
premises.
- Road signs in local area
S rling Council's department for Roads (Network) is in the process of
ordering the signs required for the 40mph speed limit. The bye-law
signs have been manufactured and are ready to install. A works order
is being issued to accomplish the erec on of all signs by the end of
March 2025.
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- RiverTrack sensor at Strathyre
With reference to item 12 of the minutes of 15th January 2025, a
further request for assistance had been received, but the previous
mee ng had taken a decision to forward the original request to the
BLS Community Trust. DCJ reported that he had since liaised with the
Trust and that they would respond to the request.
- Upper Strathearn community benefit project
An online mee ng for those involved in the project had taken place on
25th February. DCJ reported that there had been a presenta on from
Rachel Searl of Founda on Scotland, which is an independent charity
that has distributed over £200M to communi es across Scotland since
- The charity operates over eighty community benefit funds
involving around three hundred and fi%y communi es. In view of this,
the charity had been approached by Low Carbon, the developer of the
Glen Lednock scheme, to help with the community benefit
arrangements. There had also been a presenta on from Glenkens &
District Trust which has a windfarm community benefit scheme
covering ten community councils in Dumfries.
There was then a short discussion on what should happen next and it
was decided to arrange a series of mee ngs with Founda on Scotland
to scope out what the various communi es and community councils
want. DCJ also proposed that it would make sense for BLS Community
Council to collaborate with Killin Community Council, which is similarly
placed regarding this project. This was discussed and generally
supported, so it was agreed that DCJ should put this proposal to the
Chair of Killin Community Council.
DCJ to confer
with Killin
Community
Council
regarding joint
collabora on.
- Planning ma!ers
DCJ reported that a consulta on is taking place regarding the erec on
of a thirty-metre high telecommunica ons mast at Auchleskine Wood,
Balquhidder. The work will include installa on of associated
equipment and the construc on of a track to provide access to the
site. DCJ reported that this is a longstanding project which has already
raised interest amongst many residents in Balquhidder. The proposed
loca on has been moved from a prominent spot to a posi on where it
will only be seen 'if one goes looking for it'. The project is part of the
Government's scheme to upgrade the fourth genera on (4G) mobile
network. It will also provide a link that will bring 4G connec vity to
Immeroin and Ballimore, which currently receive no signal at all. DCJ
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suggested that this would not raise any opposi on from the local
community. Following some discussion, it was agreed that no
objec on from the community council need be raised.
- Ma!ers from ward councillors and Na onal Park representa ve
a)
DF reported that the mescales for the LLTNPA local development
plan had been revised owing to unforeseen staff absences. As a result
the consulta on process will con nue un l June 2025 and comments
are s ll possible via their website.
b)
DF also stated that a consulta on was currently taking place on deer
management at East Loch Lomond. Further informa on is available on
their website.
c)
DF men oned a poten al conflict of interest that concerned him
personally as he is a member of the Local Access Forum but is also a
member of the LLTNPA Board. The Forum is not always seen as a truly
independent body so he may have to re-consider his level of support
to one or other of these bodies.
d)
ME stated that S rling Council would meet on 27th February to set its
annual budget. He an cipated that there would be an 8.8% increase in
council tax for the coming year, which compared favourably to many
other local authori es in Scotland. The budget will require some
economies to be made, but ME considered them to be reasonable in
the main. There was also the prospect of some new funding pots
becoming available and his hope was that one of these might offer
hope for improved transport facili es in our area.
- Any other competent business
- a) Auchleskine Wood. See item (14) above.
There was no further business and, at 9:15 p.m., DCJ declared the
mee ng to be closed. The next mee ng is scheduled to take place at
Lochearnhead Village Hall on Wednesday 9th April, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.
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