February 2025 Minutes

  1. February 2025 minutes

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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

  1. 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.

  1. Declara ons of Interest

There were no declara ons of interest by members present.

  1. 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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Community Council Minutes – 26th February 2025

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from the A85 near Lochearnhead by BEAR Scotland.

  1. 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.

  1. Ma!ers arising from previous minutes

There were no ma!ers arising that were not on the published agenda.

  1. Storm Éowyn
  2. 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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  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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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  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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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  1. 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.

  1. 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

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. 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.

  1. Any other competent business
  2. 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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