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Fintry Community Council
Draft Minutes
14th June 2023
19:30
Menzies Hall
- Present/apologies for absence:
Group/Organisation Representative
Fintry Community Council
Reps
Michele Bennett (MB – Chair
Moira MacKay (MM)
Ian Rodgers (IR)
Stirling Councillor Cllr Frazer
Members of Public
(MoP) 4
Police Apologies
Apologies Ronnie Garvie
Jacqueline Garvie
Helena Johnstone
Sue Wallace - Declaration of interest in any items of business
- Approval of Minutes of last meeting:
Approved - Councillor’s Report
Cllr Frazer is a member of an officer group for net-zero active travel looking to install the Kings Highway. Cllr Frazer is to participate in negotiations yet to be held. Much active travel is Stirling based so improvement of travel without the city is important.
Large cycle event is taking place and so drop-ins are taking place for community members to find out more. PC McNulty to inform on what time these will be taking place. Final routes were released on the 11th of May and so times and dates are now available. The race is set to come through Fintry on the 6th, 12th and 13th of August. Stirling Castle to be the background for some time trials. Stirling Council and UCI are sending letters to people in the community to inform and reassure people of the closures.
Social care delivery is still difficult due to rural living travel limitations. Cllr Frazer informs the CC that Health and Social Care has been working to get recruits for the Stirling area and are
attempting to encourage local young people and others to train in social care to help lower costs. Sub-contractor providers are currently being reviewed to try and streamline their
working areas and travel time. - Police Report -
No police report received - Treasurers Report - Fintry Community Council
Treasurer’s Report June 2023
1. General Fund Account
The current balance is £4,596. All money from the grants received in 2022 has been spent.
The accounts for the year ending March 2023 will be available for the next meeting.
2. Foundation Fund
The current balance is £19,367.
We are expecting a payment of £31,191.69 from Kingsburn for this year. The payment will be received once they end of year accounts and annual report has been filed. These should be completed in the next few weeks.
The total spend for rest of 2023 following receipt of the grant will be £50,919 and the proposed budget is below.
MB had examined the student travel/study grant. It had increased to £4k as the demand was so high.
MB Advised that a grant for travel expenses for volunteers will be opened shortly and if our application was successful, it may free monies that CC could boost the student travel/study grant.
MM questioned how many had applied for the tuition grant and emphasised that is should be given out on a first come-first served basis this was agreed.
MB confirmed that the payment for the hall comes out of the admin grant, which is now set at £500.
MOP questions the state of the Wind Farm Fund and asked if we still held reserve on the Kingsburn fund, MB confirms that there is a reserve of money in the account .
IR confirms an even split of Shelloch Wind Farm Fund will be between 5 Community Councils
IR states that another proposed wind farm site is north of the Earlsburn Loch. Grant application for £250 tuition fee grant approved
Second travel grant was refused due to already receiving a grant already this term they will be advised they can apply again in the new term
Grant application for £250 for Bowling Green lawn mower repair/£350 for a strimmer IR/MM raised that should the Community Council be paying for maintenance. MB comments that she didn’t think that the Kingsburn grants can be used for maintenance and repairs but
Foundation Scotland Budget Description Budget Spend Balance
Commissioned Service Community Transport Scheme £2,500 £513 £1,988
Commisioned Activity Continued Path Maintance £5,000 £440 £4,560
Commisioned Activity Maintance of resilience fund assets £1,000 £1,000
Commisioned Activity Flood Prevention Project £2,500 £2,340 £160
Fintry Special Project Community Garden & Resilience Fund £3,000 £162 £2,838
Fintry Special Project Hardship £5,000 £1,615 £3,385
Fintry Special Project Prescription Collection service £4,000 £4,000
Fintry Special Project Play Park Equipment £11,000 £11,000
Micro Grants-A Individual Grants £250-500 £6,000 £6,000
Main Grants Constituted Groups £500-2500 £10,000 £10,000
Student Study Grant Student Study Grant £4,000 £4,000
Administration Fee FCC Admin work £500 £500
Other Contingency £1,488 £1,488
Total £55,988 £5,070 £50,919
she will check with SW it was agreed that grant the would be voted on at the next Community Council meeting once clarification had been made.
Grant application for £1,750 for Parent Council run Breakfast Club voted on and approved. - Resilience Update
Wildfires last week affected the Jaw Farm over 4 days. This was put out on Thursday 8th but was reignited again on Friday 9th.
It was found that there were 3 points where fires were started on purpose. Perpetrators were caught.
The Resilience Emergency Plan was activated on 5th June.
The resilience team were involved in discussion with Stirling Council, Local Police and the Fire Brigade Headquarters, but there were questions on Facebook as to why there were no resilience volunteers. It was stated this was because this would have been too dangerous
and the resilience team was advised of this by police and instead offered resilience help in the village.
The police force involved with the fires was East Dunbartonshire police.
To put the fire out, helicopters had to be dispatched on Thursday 8th and used water from the Carron dam, successfully putting the fires out however the fires reignited the 9th but were brought under control by Saturday 10th.
MB to raise concerns over the fire brigade having said to the farmer that a helicopter to put out the fires would cost 1k per helicopter and they would have to foot the bill in the end the forestry commission paid for the helicopters as it threatened there Forrest. 12 fire engines
had to be used over 4 days.
MB believes that the reluctance of the fire service to use helicopters prolonged the fire and will raise these concerns to local MP Alyn Smith.
Cllr Frazer questions the heatwave, and how the fire bridge should have been able to work out that the fire may have been impossible to put out naturally.
MB wants the concern of helicopters not being included in the fire service and falling on companies and members of public to foot the bill to be raised to the fire service and Stirling
Council. - Fintry/ Killearn Resilience
MB questions Cllr Frazer on the Killearn Resilience efforts surrounding the issue of the hiring
and returning of hospital beds. One hospital bed took 4-5 days of phone calls to Falkirk Council to be picked up and returned.
MB believes that more staff must be hired to deal with these calls and brings up how this may be detrimental for elderly or bereaved people.
Cllr Frazer to bring up these issues up at an IGB Health and Social Care event. - Planning
Application for the renewal of planning permission for erection of 1.5 storey dwelling house and garage at land adjacent to south east of Buckingham cottage received.
Change of use from agricultural land to site for business and storage use, a building for class 5 storage use, and a building for agricultural use, formation of new access, fitting of solar panels on building roofs, installation of private treat plant and soakaway for foul drainage,
and planting of trees and hedging.
This application was withdrawn on Monday 22nd May 2023
More objections were received by the Community Council after the fact to this development. MB received an email concerning changes to the planning application and community
council system. MB waiting on Michael Mulgrew to confirm the exact changes but these changes will likely mean that Community Councils now need to formally email within 7 days saying that they wish to note their interest in replying to the application and then gain access
to the 14-day deadline to release their comment, although this period can be extended.
Cllr Frazer brings up the tightness of time to object as a possible issue with this. IR agrees with this point.
Community Councils will become formal consultants in planning applications now. - Roads/Paths
Traffic Calming Measures Stirling Council have acknowledged receipt of Community Councils letter concerning a speed bumps, traffic calming and school crossing.
Balfron Police to be requested for more speed checks in the village. This is being done, following up from a previous MOP request at last meeting.
MOP requests speed checks be done at the church end of the village, MB to review the number of houses there and the speed limit by the church, however this data is updated frequently so it is unlikely that there will be a change in speed limit. MB however will bring up the possibility of getting a new speed check for that end of the village and will request this from the police. - Road Closures
Full closure of B818 Denny Road has been postponed until the 5th July 2023 Crow Road however is to shut in July, but MB cannot provide a date due to contractor uncertainty. Community Council has negotiated with Stirling Council that it will not be closed 24/7 as this main route for majority of villagers travel to work.
MOP questions Cllr Frazer on her involvement with the coordination of the Crow Road closures Cllr Frazer stated she had no involvement but would look into it. MB states that the closures could not be coordinated due to families living up there. Riverwalk and Cicely’s way have had new benches installed by volunteers; the Community Council would like to thank everyone involved.
Road closures to be taking place in the week beginning 17th of July for resurfacing. MB to announce this on Facebook.
MB to get back to a MOP over their questions over the Gartocharn Road resurfacing.
Cllr Frazer states that she is dealing with bridge checking and grading and has been pushing for bridge checks and a new plan where there is focus on fixing one bridge at a time in order to get projects finished faster. Report of last transport meeting she was at made a point of
raising contracts and budgeting for repairs in order to get contractors to pick up the repair projects.
UCI cycling Championships to be taking place. Balfron Police to work with the Community Council on confirming exact times and routes.
Request received from a MOP requesting how much the Community Council spent on the installation of Cicely’s way. This was confirmed to be around £39,000 which was received in grants from landfill funding.
The Community Council is also requesting legal advice on Cicely’s Way ownership; these questions were raised after a recent planning application. - Correspondence
MM to speak to Andrew Haslam about access to Galbraith Hall.
Letter received from Julie Bave in regard to Culcreuch Castle. MM taking forward - A.O.B.
Bench at Cross IR to follow up on bench at Cross.
Cllr Frazer to ask land services about this as it is on council land.
Flower Beds at Cross
MB following up the adding of flowers at the Cross, they are scheduled to be going in end of June 2023 - Wind Farm
IR to get in touch with Shelloch and Earlsburn wind farm to get updates.
Next Local place Plan meeting set to take place on 27th June, MB and Susan Rodger to attend.
Nursery Class lists must be figured out, Briony Monahan is to continue pushing this in nurserymeetings.
MB to check this with Mairead Cameron
MM questions Cllr Frazer on the road closure flyers for the cycling race she helped with the posting of. The issue of the writing being too small and blurry to be read is brought up.
Cllr Frazer to use a link format next time instead of a pdf. - Date of next meeting 13th September 2023