Present:
Community Councillors: Angus MacFadyen (Chairman), Colin Clark (Vice-chairman), Neil Manchester (Secretary), Jayne Brown (Treasurer), Dorothy Carmichael,Also in attendance were Argyll and Bute Councillors Alan Macaskill and Duncan MacIntyre, and 16 members of the public.
1 Apologies:
Apologies were received from Stuart Cannon, Jamie Mellor, Robin & Anne Grey2 Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 11th April 2003 were approved and signed.
3 Matters Arising:
Inverliever Wind Farm: Cllr Macaskill advised that consultations were ongoing, and that a decision was likely in September.
Melfort Pier & Harbour: The secretary advised that the chairman had written to John Christlieb of Melfort Pier requesting that an immediate letter of apology should be sent to the secretary, retracting the threats, accusations and insults contained within previously reported correspondence. The secretary reported that no such letter had been received. The chairman said that he had spoken personally to Mr Christlieb, and that no word of apology had been offered. Mr Christlieb stated that he stood by his right to voice his opinions, and advised that he would not retract his letters. Mrs Christlieb stated that it was history that had driven them to write the letters in the tone that they did. The chairman noted that the demand for an apology was based on the personal attack on the secretary, and did not refer to any planning applications. Deirdre Campbell-Gibson felt that the letters had been offensive and insulting, and were unacceptable. John Rentoul felt that personal attacks on members of the community council should not be tolerated. Georgina Dalton asked that it be noted that the community was unhappy over the whole affair, and the lack of a resolution to it. The secretary then stated that he was unhappy at the treatment that he had received from Mr Christlieb, and that the position of secretary was untenable if such actions were permitted. The secretary requested that representatives from Melfort Pier be barred from all further meetings until a formal apology was offered. The chairman agreed to consider this action.
Celtic Seafoods Access at Arduaine: Judith Stannard advised that the new access for the mussel farm at Arduaine did not have adequate visibility and was a potential danger to road users. Cllr Macaskill advised that the entrance had been approved under the normal process, and that it was understood that the sightlines were to be kept clear. Cllr Macaskill agreed to check this. Fiona Wyllie felt it was a pity that the original application had been missed. The secretary advised that this was one of the reasons that the current procedure had been developed.
Road Safety at Kilninver School: Cllr Macaskill advised that the police were enforcing speed limits currently. Cllr Macaskill also confirmed that the speed limit would apply at any time of year, regardless of whether the school was in use.
Blaran Road End: Cllr Macaskill advised that the structure at the roadside was an ice detector, and was owned by Argyll and Bute Council, and that there had been no developments on the removal of the roadside telegraph poles, since BT are still refusing to admit liability.
Whelk+ Leader Programme: The secretary advised that the project organiser, Ailsa Clark needed more information. It was agreed that the project should be allocated as follows:
The secretary advised that he would copy all necessary details to the project leaders named above, and it was agreed that they would report back at the next meeting.
Community Council Notice Board: Colin Clark reported that the notice board should have been completed by now, but he would look into this and report at the next meeting.
Future Health services in Argyll and Bute: Kate Robertson advised that she had attended a meeting on 21st June on the West Highland Hospital project, and had submitted a summary report to the chairman. Cllr MacIntyre suggested that a meeting be held to discuss the impact to the community. It was agreed that this would be on the agenda at the next meeting, and that the leader of the project, Gavin Brown, be invited to speak at the meeting. Cllr MacIntyre agreed to contact Dr Hannah on this issue. Kate Robertson suggested that questions be submitted in advance to the secretary, to be forwarded to whichever speaker to allow adequate preparation.
4 Planning Applications
Dorothy Carmichael reported the following planning applications:
Celtic Seafoods- minor variation to existing consent. There were no objections raised to this application.
M&K Macleod- application for five houses on The Glebe, Kilmelford. It was noted that this was an area previously earmarked for development, since the original plans were for an initial 17 houses (now completed) with an option for a further 26. Georgina Dalton asked that consideration be given to the impact on Kilninver School if there was a large influx of children into the community. Fiona Wyllie asked whether the planning consent might stipulate a swifter tidying of the site that had originally been the case. It was agreed that the secretary would write to the planning department with constructive comments regarding site tidiness during the construction phase. There were no objections raised to this application.
Manor Kingdom- application for three dwelling houses on the old campsite at Arduaine. The chairman advised that the community council’s stance on this application had not changed, and as such no further action was being considered. There were no objections raised to this application.
M&K Macleod- application for one dwelling house on land south west of Lagganmore, Scammadale. This was a recent application and little was known of it, although the secretary tabled the detailed plans at the meeting. The chairman raised concern over access to the main road if further developments were to be permitted. The chairman also advised that Lagganmore was for sale. Kate Robertson said that no-one in the Glen was aware of this application. Cllr MacIntyre advised that the application would be advertised in the Oban Times next week. As the application had only just been received, no objections were raised. However, it was agreed that the application would be reviewed by council members outwith the meeting, and any necessary action taken.
J Norman- extension to dwelling house at Traighuaine. There were no objections raised to this application.
M r& Mrs Milton- application for detailed consent for dwelling house south east of Melfort Farm. There were no objections raised to this application.
5 Correspondence
The secretary drew attention to a range of documents, leaflets, various minutes and agendas available for public review. In addition the secretary reported the following correspondence:6 Any Other Business
Cllr Macaskill reported that £600 was available to the community council to spend on various community improvement projects, and that suitable suggestions should be discussed as soon as possible. It was agreed that projects should be submitted, with an outline of the scheme and likely costs, to Iain Welsh, Amenity Services Manager, Argyll & Bute Council. Various ideas were discussed, and it was agreed that Etonella Christlieb would look into rubbish bins in the community, while Cath Manchester would investigate the location of flower tubs at the entrances to the villages. Cllr Macaskill advised that there was no time limit, but sensible suggestions this year will help decide if annual budgets are allocated to community councils in the future. It was agreed that further ideas would be discussed at the next meeting.
Cllr MacIntyre advised that the cattle grid replacement at Scammadale had been approved.
Fiona Wyllie advised that the newsletter committee had been awarded a grant of £2,568 for computer, printer and software.
Peter Menzies raised the subject of Blaran Road End. Cllr MacIntyre advised that the works would be completed this year. Peter Menzies reported that the situation was affecting his business since lorries now refused to come onto his farm because of the poor access at the main road. Cllr Macaskill will investigate this with Neil Brown as a priority, and report at the next meeting.
Georgina Dalton asked about the newly conceived Hebridean Marine National Park Partnership. This will be discussed at the next meeting.
Jayne Brown asked when the repairs to Scammadale Glen road would be completed. Cllr MacIntyre said this was in hand and requested that all parties be patient. Cllr MacIntyre will check the situation with Neil Brown and report at the next meeting.
7 Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting of Kilninver and Kilmelford Community Council will be held in Kilmelford Village Hall on Tuesday 12th August 2003 at 8.00pm.
There being no further business, the chairman closed the meeting at 09.50 pm
Neil Manchester Secretary
Signed as approved: Angus MacFadyen
Date: Chairman