A meeting of the above Council was held on Tuesday 14th October 2003 at Kilmelford Village Hall.
Present: Community Councillors: Angus MacFadyen (Chairman), Colin Clark (Vice-chairman), Neil Manchester (Secretary), Dorothy Carmichael, Jayne Brown, Stuart Cannon
Also in attendance were Argyll and Bute Councillor Alan Macaskill and 16 members of the public.
1 Apologies:
Apologies were received from Jamie Mellor, Cllr Duncan MacIntyre, Constable Kevin Moffat, Robin and Elisabeth Asbury
2 Minutes:
The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 12th August 2003 were approved and signed.
3 Matters Arising:
Inverliever Wind Farm: Cllr Macaskill advised that there was still no date set for the Area Committee meeting.
Melfort Pier & Harbour: the secretary advised that he had still not received a letter of apology from John Christlieb of Melfort Pier and Harbour. The chairman advised that he had written to Mr Christlieb as discussed at the last meeting.
Celtic Seafoods Access at Arduaine: Cllr Macaskill stated that the access was in the correct place. Cllr Macaskill admitted that the visibility splays had not been cleared when the matter was first raised, but work had now been carried out to rectify this to the North. Cllr Macaskill noted that the visibility splays to the south had not been checked, and that further works on the bellmouth was planned. It was agreed that this would be reviewed at the next meeting.
Blaran Road End: the secretary reported a letter from Cllr Duncan Macintyre stating that £2,500 had been authorised for access improvements, with work starting tomorrow. The letter also stated that the school access issues had been satisfactorily resolved. Peter Menzies disagreed with this point, as pupils were now picked up at Glengallen lay-by, and dropped off at Blaran. Cllr Macaskill advised that there was no development regarding the telegraph poles, and that since this couldgo on for years, it should be removed from meeting agendas. Peter Menzies said that this was a poor response to a serious issue. Stuart Cannon suggested writing to British Telecom, and copied to the Oban Times. It was agreed that the secretary should write to BT.
Whelk+ Leader Programme:
Community Council Notice Board: Colin Clark reported that there was no news on construction.
Future Health services in Argyll and Bute:It was agreed that a presentation be arranged for the next community council meeting.
Hebridean Marine National Park Partnership: Stuart Cannon reported on the current status, and voiced support in principle.
Oude Dam Brush Cutting: The secretary reported the letter from Cllr MacIntyre, stating that the works would be completed during October.
Planning Issues: Fiona Wyllie noted that previous questions remained unanswered, and it was agreed that the secretary should contact Angus Gilmour.
4 Planning Applications
Dorothy Carmichael reported the following applications:
5 The West Highland Project
A presentation was given by Gavin Brown, leader of the West Highland Project, Dr Alan Henderson and Ms Judy Howitt.
The presentation outlined the various options under consideration regarding the hospitals in Oban and Fort William, and also the process under which decisions would be reached. Gavin Brown highlighted that the aim was to deal with national pressures facing the NHS, and to improve the health service provision in Argyll and Bute. Questions from the floor followed the presentations, during which Cllr Macaskill noted that since the Argyll and Clyde Health Board were currently some 30 million pounds overdrawn, so financial issues were very high on the agenda meaning that survival of both Oban and Fort William hospital services as they stand was unlikely to be an option.
The chairman thanked Gavin Brown for his presentation, and also Ms Howitt and Dr Henderson for their contributions to discussions afterwards.
6 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:
Douglas Trigg, Association of Argyll and Bute Community Councils, advising that constitutions would be changed to accommodate community council elections in 2005, not 2004 as originally expected.
7 Any Other Business
Dorothy Carmichael noted that Kilninver residents were complaining of incorrect usage of the School car park. Peter Menzies felt that there was inadequate parking space. The secretary advised that the residents side could be signposted, but the school side was general public use. Jayne Brown agreed to review the signage.
8 Date of Next Meeting
The next meeting of Kilninver and Kilmelford Community Council will be held in Kilmelford Village Hall on Tuesday 9th December 2003 at 8.00pm.
There being no further business, the chairman closed the meeting at 9.30 pm
Neil Manchester Secretary
Signed as approved: Angus MacFadyen
Date: Chairman