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Arran Community Council minutes

Minutes from the meeting held on August 26th, 2008.

Written by Alison Prince
Thursday, 2 October 2008

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Isle of Arran Community Council

Meeting held on August 26th 2008 at the Council Offices, Lamlash

Those present were: Campbell Laing, Chair, (CL), Alison Prince, Secretary (AP), Brenda Stewart, Treasurer (BS), Harry Davidson (HDn), Howard Driver (HD), John Inglis (JI), Steve Garroway (SG), Gillian Langley (GL), Neil Arthur (NA), Scott McMurray (SM), Cllr Margie Currie (MC) and Kenneth Gibson MSP (KG). Police officers John Kerr and Fiona McDonald joined the meeting later.

Apologies were received from Ian Small, Alistair Yates and Maureen Smith.

Minutes of the last meeting were read and two small amendments were made.

Correspondence

• KG’s written responses to matters raised at the previous meeting were taken item by item. He had asked Olga Clayton, Head of NAC Housing Services, if empty property could be bought through the Second Homes Fund for use as social housing. An e-mail to KG from Andy Martin (AM) of Isle of Arran Homes (IoAH) said that no specific funds are available to purchase empty properties from the Second Homes fund, though the request from IoAH may be considered as the year progresses. KG said there was a need to make a formal request for further information. AM also said that Trust Housing Association Ltd does not permit bodies such as Arran Community Council to be represented on the committee.
• KG wrote to Campbell Gemmell (CG), Chief Executive of SEPA, on untreated effluent escaping into Lamlash Bay, and has since met with Paul Maxwell of Scottish Water, who said septic tanks are to be provided to hold overflow fluids. Some discussion followed, and it was pointed out that ACC had warned Scottish Water that heavy rainfall would result in sewage overflows. KG was happy to pursue the matter.
• KG wrote to Ian Mackay, Chief Executive and Head of Legal Affairs, on the dilapidated state of St George’s Church, Lamlash. He also wrote to John Currie of NAC regarding toilet facilities on Arran, and about control of Japanese Knotweed. On the latter, Scottish Parliament standard information had been received.
• KG had written to the Rt Hon John Hutton MSP, Secretary of State, about the danger to local Post Offices if the Card Account service contract should be lost.

Further matters

• HD said Kildonan coastguard tower has to be demolished, as it is unsafe, and contended that this should be done at the owner’s expense, as the Council had stipulated that the tower should be either made safe or demolished.
• On the Youth Centre at the High School, Jim Leckie of NAC had said a new portable building should be in place by October.
• KG reported that an Environmental Panel met at Brodick Castle last week and seeks to become an umbrella organisation for all like-minded groups.
• KG stressed the importance and usefulness of the Planning Aid meeting on Friday 12 September, which aims to provide insight into the mechanisms of planning during an all-day free workshop.

Health

• It is proposed to modernise the Lochranza GP premises, which have been purchased for upgrading.
• The hoped-for new hospital building is now in the capital programme, at an estimated cost of £12.6m, with a possible start date of 2013.

Planning

• HD questioned the NAC rejection of two Shiskine applications and pointed to the rigidity of attitude regarding business and industrial provision. MC confirmed that there was a need for this and said the matter should be considered in the local plan. It was pointed out that 3 years wait for the local plan is too long, and at present people are taking existing buildings into industrial or storage use while ‘looking over their shoulders’ in case they are contravening rules.
• HD raised the question of the Whiting Bay Middle Road application for 10 houses. Plans show bollards across the road above the Heather Hill chalets, and this would deny access to local people who commonly use the road. Proposed access to the new houses would be from the Golf Course road, but this area had already been turned down as a proposed development site because of the narrowness of the road. MC agreed that the plan was not straightforward, and said she would follow it up.

ACC Elections

• Nominations for the coming ACC elections must be in by noon on Friday 5th September. The original stipulation set a date a week earlier, which was impossible, but CL negotiated a change. In cases of more than one nomination, a public meeting must be held at which attendees choose the preferred candidate by voting. Nomination forms are to be obtained from Paul Shiach of NAC.

Expenses

• BS asked all Community Councillors to let her have their expenses list for the year, as a matter of urgency.

AOCB

• A Young People’s group proposes to establish a drop-in centre in Brodick, behind the bowling green, but will first need planning permission.
• GL had been told of a house let by its owner, who claimed he had paid little Council Tax last year and none in the current one. MC said this was not possible.
• The question of publication of the minutes was again raised, and it was questioned whether it was desirable for a member of the ACC to be minutes secretary while also needing to take part in the debate. At present, the constitution does not permit minutes to be taken by a non-member. CL proposed that a change to the constitution on this point should be considered at the next meeting. This was seconded by HDn and carried unanimously.

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