Public Meeting Minutes

1. Declaration of Interest

   No Declaration of Interest was recorded.

    

2. Matters Arising from previous minutes not to be addressed within the meeting

    

   No matters arising

    

3. Co-Option of New Community Councillors

    

   Carol Robertson was proposed by Sandra Engstrom, seconded by Emily McLaughlin representing
   the remaining three attending members. Carol Robertson was was voted in with 4 votes of the 4
   votes eligible.

    

   This brings the total number of Community Councillors to 9 – a full complement – plus 5 associate
   members.

    

4. Approval of Previous Minutes

    

   Minutes for May were adopted

   Joan Murphy proposed; seconded Carol Robertson

    

5. Reports

    

   1. Chair

      Riverside Quay Short Term Lets – the reporter’s decision was announced on the 2nd June 2021. The
      appeal lodged by Riverside Quay to allow them to rent their rooms out over the summer was
      denied and there will be no permission given for short term lets.

       

   2. Secretary

       

      Police Report: There were three undetected cases of vandalism, failure to stop after an accident
      and an assault and one detected case of assault to injury.

       

      Riverside Community Council also notified the Community Officers about some reported anti-social
      behaviour in the Old Harbour Forest.

       

      Amendments regarding what Riverside Community Council shares and does not share was made to
      the GDPR/Privacy policy. These were adopted.

       

      Riverside Community Council has written an environmental statement. This was proposed and
      adopted.

       

      These can be found on our website.

       

      Consultations -

      Local Place Plan – it was decided the Riverside Community Council could not enter a comment. The
      consultation was inaccessible due to it’s complicated terminology an unclear objective. It was also
      debated whether this was relevant to Riverside at this point.

      Tree and Woodland Policy - 23rd August 2021
      Alive with Nature - 19th August 2021

       

      The following maintenance issues have been reported to Stirling Council
      Tree fallen in Old Harbour Forest – the tree has been made safe

      Path cracked – Old Harbour Forest, this has been reported to Whitbread

      Damaged Wall. Forth Crescent - Joan Murphy has been in contact with Cowane’s Trust and Stirling
      Council to ensure this is resolved.

      Forthside development site – member of Stirling Council to visit the site and determine what action
      is necessary.

      Hidden sign – Seaforth Place – this has been reported to Stirling Council

       

      The issues with nesting seagulls and gritting bins have been rescheduled for discussion at the
      appropriate times.

       

      Stephenson Bridge – we have had assurances that no work is scheduled until at least April 2022.
      Riverside Community Council has continued to impress the importance of clear communication
      regarding Lovers Walk and any work undertaken that would cause and disruption to the
      community.

       

      Stirling Council is improving community engagement by changing how they deliver services and
      support communities. Stephen Bly has been appointed as the Community Council Enquiries Co-
      ordinator.

       

      Stirling Council has launched a new awareness “For Kids’ Sake” campaign to help identify and
      support vulnerable children over the summer who may be in need of extra support. People are
      urged to contact Stirling Council’s Social Work team to discuss any concerns they may have.

   3. Treasurer

      Emily McLaughlin gave the Treasurer’s report.

      There has been very little activity this month with the only expenditure being the Zoom
      subscription.

       

   4. Planning

       

      Joan Murphy has been in touch with Alison Allyson regarding Bellwood Hall for an update. There is
      nothing new to report.

       

6. Sub-Groups

    

   1. Active Travel and Sustainable Transport

      The final draft of the Active Travel Survey is being completed by Forth Environment Link with a last
      chance to change any details needed.

      The remainder of the budget needs to be spent by the end of July – this will be split between the
      Disability Access Survey, hospitality and stationery costs.

      Disability access survey –A walk round Riverside, including a consultant from NFP Planning and
      local residents with different abilities and needs, has been arranged for July to ask questions about
      the issues facing people with disabilities in navigating safely around Riverside.

       

   2. Community Resilience Plan

       

      Nothing to report

       

   3. Defibrillators

       

      Nothing to report

       

   4. Environment

       

      There will be a Litter Picking Event first weekend in August, details to be decided.

       

      Plant a tree for the Jubilee – David Sherman, Emily McLaughlin, Riverside Naturally and Treelink are
      meeting to discuss the feasibility of applying for the Woodland Trust’s free tree packs in celebration
      of the Queen’s Platinum jubilee next year.

       

      1. Parking

          

         There was a sub-group meeting which 13 people attended including a representative of Riverside
         Primary School.

          

         It was a positive and constructive discussion which included the active travel feedback which has
         been gathered over 2 years, with some focus on the difficulties faced around the school pick up
         times.

          

         A list of problems and solutions was created.

          

         There is a meeting with Stirling Council representatives on the 13th July 2021.

      2. Riverside Gateway

          

         A sub-group including members of Riverside Naturally and Riverside Community Council members
         are investigating options to improve the green areas at the entrance to Riverside – the junction of
         Seaforth Place, Forth Place, Forthview, Forth Street and Forth Crescent from Stirling town centre.

          

         The key concepts are: to improve accessibility; make the space a nice place to pause when walking
         around Riverside or to the city centre; animate the area with playful features for all ages; improve
         biodiversity and sensory experience; create a safe area that is people-friendly; create a sense of
         arrival into Riverside.

          

         The group met with a landscape architect who will develop a concept proposal, arrange a survey
         and run a public consultation.

          

         It was agreed that the group will apply for funding to cover this expenditure, approximately £1800.

          

      3. Well-being Walks

      No groups that have been approached have been interested in supporting this endeavour. It will be
      revisited after the summer.

       

7. Local Groups

Riverside Naturally has had a website upgrade and will be working through the summer to maintain
the green spaces and work to eradicate the Himalayan Balsam along the banks. Next maintenance
session is on the Saturday 31st July 2021 at 9.30

Treelink has been working on clearing the Himalayan Balsam from the Old Harbour Forest and has
another session on Saturday 10th July 2021 between 10am and 4pm

Riverbank Centre is opening up with a few more service users attending but for less days. The
service users filled the community planters which will bloom throughout the summer.

There is a review being undertaken to identify the best use of the facilities within the Riverbank
Centre and it is hoped there will be more opportunity for community involvement.

1. A.O.B

    

   Summer Jubilee Celebration

    

   David Sherman has proposed a four day celebration for the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebration on
   the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th June 2022.

    

   We are planning to engage the whole community and all local groups, including Riverside Primary
   School, Riverside Rowing Club, Riverside Bowling Club, Riverbank Centre. A group of volunteers to
   be at the forefront of this activity will be recruited over the next few months.

    

2. Date of Next Meeting

25th August 2021 7pm Hosted using Zoom

All previous minutes, policies and consultation comments can be found on our website
and available on request.