PORT OF MENTEITH COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Approved Minutes for the general meeting of the Port of Menteith Community Council
at 7.00pm in the Port Hall on Monday 17th February 2025
Approved Minutes
1.
Members Present and Apologies for Absence
Jim Riach (Chair)
Becky Saunders (Secretary)
Martin Stewart (Treasurer)
Robin Armstrong (CC Member)
Peter Stewart APOLOGY
Alastair Orr-Ewing APOLOGY
Jane Baron - Resident
Ken Higgins - Resident
Leanne Taylor - Resident
Councillor – none present
2.
Declarations of Interest in the Items of Business
No declarations of Interest were declared
3.
Adoption of the Draft Minutes of the General Meeting held on 9th December 2024;
Minutes adopted. Proposed by Martin Stewart, seconded by Robin Armstrong
4.
Ongoing Matters – not covered elsewhere;
4.1
Grant Funding – moved to section 5 under Local Place Plan
4.2
Pavements and pathways update Ongoing and as per last minutes but to add that Stephen Bly continues to chase this on our behalf. General agreement that we push for pavement from bus stop to hotel in first instance and then onto cemetery in time. See also LPP when published. RA to ask Angela McGibbon to attend a meeting about various aspects of pavements and road issues
4.3
Defibrillators – Update
Email in from gordon.gregory@trossachs-sar.com on 5.1.25 asking about ownership. JR communicating but not heard back from GG. Ongoing Action: JR
4.4
Community Benefit from Bridge Engineers
Nothing back to the contractors as to the suggestions of a Village Noticeboard, a tarmac parking area for school (subject to Landlord’s consent) and tidy up and tarmac of original hall parking area. Also noted that the engineers have not been on site really since our last meeting and project is now 3 months overdue. Will ask about potential for additional CB considering the inconvenience. Action: BS
5.
Local Place Plan Update
Port of Menteith Local Place Plan Steering Committee includes: Kevin Harrison, Jim Riach, Becky Saunders, Ken Higgins, Robin Armstrong, Nicky Finney, , Martin Stewart (Chair)
Report for Community Council meeting 17th February 2025
The LPP is a plan for what the residents of PoM would like to see happening spatially to the infrastructure within the village. It is the framework on which a Community Action Plan will later sit that address the hardware - things like transport, housing etc.
There have been 4 meetings and 3 workshops of the Steering Committee since the last report and they have;
1.
Done all consultations with residents and received all responses to surveys.
2.
Collated 680 comments from surveys and Place Standard Tool which were distilled into 230 separate points and pulled into 7 proposals.
3.
MS has pulled together a draft document. KH has worked on design and maps.
We now intend to:
a)
Finalise the draft report by 18.2.25
b)
Circulate it to rest of Community Council, National Park & ImagineIf for comments
c)
Receive amends by end of 19.2.25 and add them into word doc draft
d)
Pull the whole lot into a proper draft with pictures and maps by 24th February
e)
Have final meeting on 24th February before circulating to community and adjacent Community Councils on 25th February for final consultation. Action: Various LPP Committee
6.
Roads & Other Issues
6.1
Cardross Bridge Update
As per Maria Lucey’s updates. Work only started again on 17th Feb so is now not due to finish until May. This due to the project being halted by NatureScot’s intervention on behalf of a mollusc. Next engagement event is due on 26th February. Residents are being encouraged to send enquiries directly to council. It was suggested that the damming did not seem to be fit for purpose and also the contractors were based hundreds of miles away and this should be put on record with the council. In addition the CC will put on record the increasing frustration of the residents of the B8034 with regard to the bridge (see correspondence 8.6) Action: BS
6.2
Traffic and car speeds entering the village
RA and KH continue to have ongoing discussions with Angela McGibbon about extending the 30/40mph zones, further reducing some areas to 20mph, getting a flashing speed sign etc. RA to invite Angela McGibbon to attend a CC meeting about both speeds and pavements. Action: RA
6.3
Road edges
Have been recently filled with type 1 between Blairhoyle and Ruskie – currently somewhat tyre shredding and lorry was witnessed throwing those stones up towards a car. CC to check with council if they plan to improve the surface there. Correspondence has been received to this effect and passed to council. Residents to be encouraged to chase with Report It Function. Action: BS
7.
Financial
7.1 Statement of accounts – Treasurers Report 17th February 2025
Virgin Bank Current Account - Headlines
18th December 2024 Transferred to Virgin Bank £669.40 669.40
07th January 2025 Loan from Village Hall for LPP £1500.00 2159.40
07th January 2025 Payment to Imagine If £1416.20 748.20
The Community Council current account has now been moved to Virgin Bank. They offer no monthly or transaction fees, if less than ten transactions per month.
For cash flow purposes, we have are borrowing £3000 from Village Hall account to pay Imagine If total fees of £2975. This loan will be repaid from the LLTNPA grant offer of £3500 for LPP assistance.
To maximise grant retrieval, I propose we pay the Village Hall account a sum of £550 for hall use by LPP meetings.
Statement of financial position £ £
Current account balance 748.20
Liabilities this financial year
Village Hall loan 1500.00
ImagineIf final account 1558.20
Village Hall charges for LPP meetings 550.00
_______
(3608.20)
Provision for liabilities
LLTNPA grant 3500.00
Projected balance at end of financial year 640.00
8.
Correspondence –
8.1
Gritting of B8034 (see point 11.3)
8.2
Freezer Unit in layby (with council and ongoing – specialist uplift required)
8.3
Pavements etc (with A McGibbon and ongoing)
8.4
Doune the Rabbit Hole (see point 11.4)
8.5
Road Edges (see point 6.3)
8.6
Cardross Bridge (see point 6.1)
9.
Planning & Licensing Issues - None received.
10.
Reports
10.1
Councillor’s Report Councillor
No councillor attended and no report received
10.2
Port Hall Committee Report Kevin Harrison
Working with Stirling Voluntary Enterprise to become an incorporated charity so no liability sits on trustees.
New booking system being trialled.
Prices discussed and agreed £15 per hour was a good rate (other local ones considerably more)
Wifi installed via a grant organised by Briskona – password scotland
Received funding of £300 for craft activities.
Plans for Spring - Culture Night – banner workshop, litter pick, orchard launch, spring fling (26th April), green routes
Plans for Autumn - local food and drink (6/7th Sept?)- Apple festival
Rural Skills and Retrofit LN proposed working with a Professor from the University of Sustainability as development opportunity - training and mobile workshop - community building project - retaining skills in rural areas. Already in talks with City Centre and Traditional Skills - roofing and traditional slating training, links to training providers in stone masonry and carving. Conversations with Tracy at STEPS. Could be used as a test case for retrofitting sustainability and environment
10.3
Carse of Stirling Project Group Report Jim Riach
The COSP group were meeting this evening (same as CC meeting) to discuss FEL Climate Hub funding which would include proposals for an art and nature related project and PoM Primary school had already been invited. They were also preparing an application for the Neighbourhood Ecosystem Fund for community led nature restoration project that would include the PoM area.
10.4
Strathard & Trossachs Visitor Management Jim Riach
A meeting of the National Park's Strathard Visitor Management Group was scheduled for mid March - JR to attend. As a point of interest Scottish Government have announced another round of their RTIF (Regional Tourism Infrastructure Fund) which will be used to fund projects identified in STIDs (Strategic Tourism Infrastructure Development Plans) of note that PoM village hall is outlined in the Strathard Plan so may be eligible for future funding.
10.5
Website progress and wider village comms/integration of websites
Nothing to add at the moment
10.6
Port Church & Cemetery Robin Armstrong
10.7
NPA Report & Entry Sign progress David Mackie
DM did not attend and nothing to report
10.8
School Report Ben Outterside
Port School Report for Port of Menteith Community Council meeting 17th February 2025
1.
The Mini Mornings will resume after the winter and plans are in progress for this year.
2.
Also the community Ceilidh which was postponed due to the musician being sick has now been rescheduled 22nd March 2025, Advertising will be out shortly with tickets available from The lake hotel, by email at pomtreasurer@gmail.com and also on the door.
10.9 Police Report Donald King
10.10 Forestry and Land Scotland Julie McAlpine
Attached and no comment made
11.
Any Other Business
11.1
KH has been speaking to Matt Bingham of Scottish Water over the presence or otherwise of a mains sewer in the village. MB said that he understood there was none. This would impact the future development of the village as per discussions ongoing as a result of doing the LPP. Action: KH
11.2
Further to Dec query about the gritting of the B8034, Councillor Earl had reported back that it was a Priority 1 road although it is currently being done very intermittently by a contractor. ME advised that it should be reported if it is not gritted. Council to be asked if it will be returned to a normal gritter lorry once the bridge is finished.
11.3
Request from a resident that the weight limit for the Cardross Bridge should not be put up so high as to encourage large lorries, logging trucks etc back along that road that is not suitable for that size of vehicle. Agreed to discuss potential weight limits with council. Action: BS
11.4
Back Doune the Rabbit Hole (and also in correspondence). LT asked about Community Benefit
BS had a Zoom with organiser and discussed approx. £12.5k of tickets or thereabouts.
In CC meeting:
- All agreed that 500 tix was too many and that people outwith the area got free tix before.
- All agreed that they were keen for the event to go ahead and that it was a boost to the area.
- Some discussion about the advisability of calling it DTRH given the bad taste left by the unpaid bills of the last organisers but did see that the name of the event was a good one
- Agreed that residents of the B8034 bear the brunt of the inconvenience. Christmas service raised £XX for Simon Community and was busy. Issue of parking spaces at the cemetery was brought up and RA agreed to contact council about this. All agreed it would be nice to get pavement from bus stop to cemetery with parking at the end. Will pass this to the council for their consideration. Action:RA
On 19/12/24 PCs King and Deans were joined by children from Port of Menteith Primary Junior Road Safety in carrying out speeds checks.
During the reported period officers have been dealing with numerous weather related calls on the roads in the Trossachs and Teith area.
No other incidents reported.
- General agreement that day tickets were adequate by way of compensation.
- Discussed method of discounted/comp ticket delivery which organisers are looking into.
- Community Council members asked organisers to attend meeting/an engagement event .
11.5
JG asked about buses to Callander and it was discussed that this had come up in LPP and once the LPP was approved then we could move on with the Community Action Plan which would cover bus routes and particularly buses to Callander (or even adding back DRT).
12.
Date of Next Scheduled AGM and OGM: Monday 14th April 2025. 7pm Port of Menteith Village Hall