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MINUTES FOR
CROFTAMIE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Venue -But n Ben
Wednesday 13/09/23 at 7.30pm
Attendees- Henry Braid ( HB) David Armstrong (DA) Cyndy Bourbousson ( CB), Gerry McGarvey, Stirling Councillor - plus 9 residents
Apologies: Alli Peterson, Callum Crawford, Clifford Clark, David Mackie- LL&TNP.
1. Previous Minutes - June Minutes were seconded by DA. August approved by HB- to be seconded at next meeting
2. Police Report – CB
Apologies that they can’t attend as they only get one Wed late shift every 4 weeks.
Paul Henke has arranged a meeting with a Council roads officer and the Police to visit the village week beg 18 Sept.
Can CB request the Police incident number for the Car accident and provide it to Callum.
Forth and Endrick, Croftamie Community Council
June/July/August 2023 – Compiled by PC Matt McCammon
On 14 August 2023 PC Matt McCammon joined the Community Policing team at Balfron Police Office for the Forth and Endrick ward. Matt arrives in his new post with nine years Policing Service, having previously worked in the Callander and Stirling areas.
Fire Raising
Enquiries are ongoing regarding a wilful / reckless fire-raising at the Visitors Centre at Balmaha. The fire appears to have been caused by a bbq on the decking area which has caused damage to About 3m by 2m of decking.
Antisocial Behaviour
Call received regarding a van attending at a property and a number of persons exited the vehicle and urinated in a residents garden, when confronted the occupants of the van issued abuse before driving off at speed. Contact was made with the caller who did not wish to provide a statement out of fear of repercussions.
Staff member at the visitors centre at Balmaha received abuse from a visitor. The male was traced and received a recorded Police Warning in relation to the incident.
Theft
A number of chickens have been stolen from the area. Enquires are still ongoing and extra patrols are being conducted. There have also been other reports of thefts of
chickens in the surrounding villages. It is important members of the public remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to Police. Police received a report of a van parked at the Buchanan Arms Hotel had been broken into and a quantity of tools taken from within. Enquires are still ongoing.
Road Safety
• A cyclist travelling on the A81 near to Indian’s Road received minor injuries after coming off their bike due to a vehicle overtaking without leaving adequate room.
• A collision occurred whereby a vehicle struck a domestic property causing significant damage to same. Enquires still ongoing.
• A number of calls have been received in relation to speeding vehicles. We are aware of this and will give the area extra attention when the opportunity presents.
• A number of calls received relating to parking Issues in and around the area. Council parking wardens have been deployed to the usual problem areas and a number of Parking Tickets have been issued.
• A number of calls have been received in relation to livestock encroaching on our roads. Fortunately these do not appear to have been the cause of any reported collisions.
Incidents of note
A Cow and Bull were let out of their pens after damage was caused to the latches. The food and water of the animals was also ruined. Fortunately the owners had discovered the insecurity quickly and secured the animals. This appears to have been a wilful act which could have resulted in injury to members of the public. Enquiries are still ongoing.
A male was held in Police custody to attend at Stirling Sheriff Court for Breaching is Bail Conditions.
Search and Rescue
A number of calls received relating to search and rescue in the local area of Ben Lomond, Conic Hill and Devils pulpit. We would like to thank the volunteers of Lomond Mountain Rescue.
Community Engagement and Reassurance
It is important to you to have community officers who you know, who are accessible and who address local problems.
PC’s Graeme McNulty and Matt McCammon are the Ward Officer for the Forth and Endrick area. They are based at Balfron Police Office and can be contacted at the office, on 101, or at ForthEndrickCPT@scotland.police.uk. It is recommended that this email address is used by the local community for email contact however this should not be used to report crimes.
Please remember that we regularly publish useful information and updates on social media, including appeals for information, updates about road closures and crime prevention advice. Our Facebook and Twitter pages can be found at;
www.facebook.com/forthvalleypolicedivision www.facebook.com/policescotland www.twitter.com/stirlingpol www.twitter.com/policescotland
What basic steps can I take to protect my home? Having your home broken into is not common. There are however many ways that you can help secure your home. They don’t all cost money – some are common sense and good housekeeping. First, think about basic good housekeeping routines that aren’t expensive: • Keep your home locked at all times • Many thieves do not need to break in at all because a door or window has been left open or unlocked • Don’t leave keys on the inside of door locks, under mats or anywhere else they can be easily found • If you have a ‘thumb turn’ lock on the inside of a door, ensure that it cannot be accessed from outside • See details on letter-plates, glazing and adjacent windows advice below • Don't put your name or room number on your keyring if you live in shared accommodation, if it is lost or stolen, the thief will have information that could direct them there • Don’t keep house keys and car keys on the same key ring • Don't keep a lot of cash in the house • Mark your property with a UV marker pen or Security DNA marking Kit - these can be bought online or in some stores • Look for the Secured By Design accreditation on the product and register - you can place an invisible imprint of your postcode and house number on your possessions • You can record and register details of your valuables, serial numbers and features or marks, on devices on the national mobile property register on the immobilise website - this includes mobile phones, cameras, laptops and tablets • Don’t leave valuables where they can be seen through a window - for example, around the tree at Christmas time • If you have a wall calendar, avoid having it shown near a window from where appointments can be seen - people may see when there will be no one in.
3. Planning Report -AP
Item 1: New Planning Application- TREENQ-2023-069 Gartachor Croftamie G63 0HE
Application to remove 3 trees.
Item 2 : Pirniehall Application 2022/0329/PPP Large multiple purpose leisure development
Nothing to report.
Item 3 : Dalnair Estate Application 23/003239/FUL Erection of 3no. dwellinghouses Land To Rear Of 1 - 6 Mid Dalnair Dalnair Estate Croftamie
Community council objection was submitted on time after the last meeting and is available on the Stirling planning portal.
Determination deadline was 8th September but no information on the planning portal as yet.
Item 4: Dalnair Estate footpath and footbridge giving access from Dalnair to the village.
Response received to second information request. Stirling council have confirmed that enforcement action is underway against the developer/site owner regarding failure to comply with the section 75 agreement. It is an ongoing legal situation which limits the council ability to reply further.
Question to Gerry –
what is the best way for the Community council to stay informed of any progress on the Dalnair House footpath situation?
Can you please explain the process as we haven't been offered a way to be informed of any developments.
At the moment we keep sending in requests for info but are not getting answers.
We understand it's a legal situation but when they have any info or resolution it would be helpful for the community to know.
4. Roads Update -
Blane Water bridge closing 2-3 October 23
Meeting being arranged through Paul Henke with a Council Roads officer and police for week commencing 18th September regarding speeding.
HB asked if any additional points were to be raised and a request was made to find out the results of the Traffic survey which was previously done.
C116 (on the Back Road near the Brownie House) will be affected from 18th to 26th Sept for BT works.
5. Treasurer Update – DA- Balance of Bank account is £1241.62. Admin Grant has been awarded for £671.87 which includes £370 for Minute taker. Invoice to be paid for website and Email server of £270.
6. Stirling Council Update – Gerry McGarvey
• It was raised that the email received about the Council shortfall in budget meetings (The Big Conversation) was received on 5 Sept but our local meeting in Drymen was held in August so it was too late.
• Budget cuts to be at least £13M. Contact Gerry if we have any comments to make on the budgets. Gerry happy to come to our community to discuss with us.
• There is an ongoing request for a Dropped kerb- Ref is LG 731738- Can Gerry please provide an update.
• There is confusion as to whether a Surgery will take place at 7pm and Gerry confirmed he would be happy to speak to residents before our meetings or he can be contacted at any time. Gerry to provide us with the Rota for councilors who will attend our meetings.
• Damaged Bin has been reported and Gerry will chase.
• Can Gerry please also chase the damaged Chevrons – Ref 101000721134
• There are road signs around the Village which have been left lying and are no longer required. Some on the Dalnair side of the bridge, at the junction and on the back road.
• Gerry commented that the Council would be saving £40K by not sending out Bin Collection Calendars.
7. LL&TNP update – No report
8. Catterburn Bridge - Community benefits - AMCO Griffin starting work on this on 18th September
Notice board to be installed and one at the cycle path.
They will be planting trees on the far side of the bridge.
2 benches at the bus shelter.
What are to be the benefits for the community as this has not been established.
9. Correspondence received
• There is a Solar Farm being installed at Ross Priory.
• Winter volunteer scheme- looking for volunteers- GM suggested for us to speak to Gargunnock re the Resilience plan. HB can look at what’s involved.
• Invitation to the Local Place Plan for Stirling Council on Teams. It was noted that the majority of village is in the National Park.
• The CC Trust have been working on our Plan.
10. AOB
a.Trying to arrange meeting re the future of Nursery. Community will need consulted as to their wishes for the building/site through the local place plan.
• Q what would you like done with the nursery space.
• One suggestions is a Playpark as we have nothing in the village for our kids. Callum has done some investigation and we would need to secure a plot, specify a playpark design for this site, gain support from the community, apply for funding.
• Another idea is a small skatepark ( however it is noted that the lack of public transport could be an issue.
• Another suggestion given was a Library. Comment was made that there would need to be a business plan to make sure that it can pay for the upkeep.
• We should think about what would the community benefit from and perhaps apply for funding. You would need volunteers to run the building.
• Suggestion of a Home working environment- but there were concerns about the lack of Fast broadband.
b.The Community Council have an outstanding Grant to purchase a pop up Banner. DA to arrange design- perhaps with a map of Community council and description of what we do.
c.Strathclyde Uni will be running Lifelong Learning courses at Strathblane Library including Beginners Spanish, Beginners Italian, Family History research and Coping with Stress.
d.Finnich Glen- this summer the number of visitors have seen large growth to in excess of pre Covid volumes. Concern around people crossing the road from parking in the layby. Concern that the yellow lines are worn out in places.
e. Drymen CC have asked for Croftamie Community feedback on the Traffic Calming trial with the Barrels in the Square. Comments were that the Lack of parking is concern.
Q asked Has the change made the traffic speed reduce?
Concern that the road crossing is not an official crossing and thoughts that it isunsafe as it is on the bend.
f. A question was raised in relation to the broken down cars in front of the Old Post Office. There is broken glass all over the pavement which is a hazard to dogs and children. HB will investigate further and speak to David Mackie to see if he has any suggestions.
Additonal Notes from Callum who is unable to attend:
g.Speeding Participation requests are ongoing and Callum has chased Stephen Bly for an update.
h. Post Box damaged with the Car accident has been reported to Royal Mail who have advised they're 'still investigating',
- ref number is 1-9684664848.
i. Jennys Rest Bench:
Callum has responded to confirm that the community will deal with this locally, and that we have other benches in storage which we're looking at siting by the bus stops.
Confirmation of Next meeting
Wednesday 11th October 2023 at 7.30 pm
Location: But n Ben