MINUTES OF BRAEHEAD AND DISTRICT COMMUNITY COUNCIL HELD AT BRAEHEAD PRIMARY SCHOOL ON MONDAY 28 MAY 2012

Present: Chris Kane (Chairman), James McGrory, Ann McIntyre, Ailie Millen,

Margaret Sinclair, Michael Hilarion In attendance: Matthew Williams (Community Police Officer), Sharon McGrouther

(Minute Clerk), Andy Davies (Stirling Council Community Support Officer), Councillor Steven Paterson (Stirling Councillor), Ann Rodgerson (Chair, Broomridge Community Council). and 4 members of the public.

Apologies: Margaret Rozens, Alex Elliott 1 Welcome

The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting. He asked those present for any issues they wished to be raised in AOCB at the end of the meeting. He advised that items for AOB would include Forth Valley Initiative, general state of the area, bus stops and pavements and the Provost Awards.

2 Minutes of Previous Meeting

The Minutes of the previous meeting held on 30 April 2012 were approved. Proposed Ailie Millen Seconded Ann McIntyre

3 Police Report

PC Matt Williams reported the following incidents since the last meeting in April, there were 11 crimes:- • There had been incidents of housebreakings in Linden Avenue, Burghmuir Drive,

Colquhoun Street, Almond Court and Broom Court. • There had been a theft from vehicles in Claymore Drive and Spey Court. • Vandalism was report in two locations.

PC Williams advised that there were no real issues that could be identified but did reiterate that residents could reduce opportunity for crime by locking doors, keeping windows on latches, locking car doors, keep valuables out of sight, secure bicycles, sheds and garages. He advised that he had issued more parking tickets in Colquhoun Street, which the numbers have decreased. He encouraged residents to look at the Central Scotland Police website where he reports on various news stories and any appeals for assistance if required. There was a link for residents to email him directly. PC Williams reminded that he holds his police surgery about 20 minutes before the Community Council meeting.

James McGrory asked if it were possible to have information from the Community Police Officers covering the Springkerse retail and industrial areas, along with the area bordering Braehead Community Council and Riverside. Matt Williams agreed to have this information for the next meeting. Chairman Chris Kane said that one of the issues he had noticed through being involved with the Community Garden Consultation meetings was that there was an impression among many Braehead residents that the area was less safe with more crimes than the figures reported by Central Scotland Police suggest. Matthew Williams said he was surprised by this as Braehead was undoubtedly a relatively safe area with a low crime rate. Chris Kane asked if he and Matt could arrange an additional meeting to see what could be done to address the fears being voiced by members of the community. Chris and Matt agreed to arrange that meeting. One member of the public in attendance had indicated to the Chair that he had some specific problems that he wanted addressed. The Chair felt that it would be more productive if the member of the public spoke in private with both Councillor Patterson and PC Williams, rather than have the sensitive issue discussed in the public forum of the Community Council meeting. PC Williams then took aside the member of the public for a private discussion.

4 Matters Arising

The Chair noted the following matters:- 1. Colquhoun Street Parking – PC Williams issuing parking tickets had helped with the

situation. Previously Alan Ogilvie, Stirling Council had proposed to residents the option of Resident Parking places, which had been refused. It was agreed not to call a meeting to discuss these issues as the parking tickets were showing a positive result.

2. Burghmuir Road Parking – the closing of the car park for the Waitrose development

was causing a problem. The sign informing that the car park was closed was not prominent enough as drivers were driving in and then having to reverse out of the entrance which was causing a problem and dangerous. The signage needs to be moved.

Councillor Paterson would take this forward and was looking to see if heras fencing could help solve the problem. Michael Hilarion advised that he had sent a letter regarding the issue raised on the position of the crossing. He was advised that a proposal for works in this area would be taken into account when being reviewed. Councillor Paterson advised that the plan was to reduce this to one lane. A thanks to Stirling Council was noted for cutting down the trees and a willingness to engage in discussions on the matter.

3. Linden Avenue House – Councillor Paterson advised that the Council had now managed to buy the house and it would be updated and would become a Council property.

4. Giant Hogweed. , Stirling Council had advised that the Giant Hogweed had been sprayed and the area would be monitored. Concerns were raised that the problem had been spreading and had not been dealt with properly. Other areas have also noted a similar problem..

Councillor Paterson advised that they would have been told that it had been sprayed but because it was completed during the wet weather this would be the reason why the problem still exists. He agreed to investigate this issue. He noted that Stirling, Clackmannanshire and Perth had agreed to work together to deal with this problem. Jimmy McGrory advised that the Stirling and Clackmannanshire Landfill Trust had previously surveyed the problem and found it stemmed from the River Allan and River Forth. Councillor Paterson suggested that the Community Council invited someone from Stirling Council to discuss this problem at a future meeting. This was agreed, Councillor Paterson, Jimmy McGrory and Margaret Sinclair to arrange.

5 Community Garden Update

The Chair updated Members on the current situation and made recommendations following the initial community consultation phase of the project. The Chair’s full statement and recommendations were included as Appendix A to these minutes. Ailie Millen proposed that the statement be read into the minutes and the recommendations be passed as resolutions by the Community Council. This was seconded by Margaret Sinclair and passed unanimously by those present.

6 Treasurer’s Report

The Treasurer gave a full report of the funding available and a breakdown of funds. The Treasurer advised that there would be a petty cash of £60 available for Members to claim for Community Council business eg postage, posters etc. Proposed by Chris Kane Seconded by Michael Hilarion Unanimous vote. The address for bank statements to be received by the Treasurer was still to be updated.

7 Planning Report

Ailie Millen advised that she was still not receiving the Planning Schedule after contacting Stirling Council with change of address. Waitrose Development update – Scottish Power were having to re-route the electrical cable, which would cause major problems on the Craigs roundabout in the near future. Councillor Paterson did not have an update but at the Council meeting last week this had been requested. He would inform the Community Council once a response had been received and available depending on the legal expiry dates.

8 General Correspondence

The Chair advised on the following issues:- • Provost Civic Awards – a letter had been received inviting nominations for these

awards. The Chair noted the criteria for nominations. He requested that all present think of suitable candidates from Braehead to nominate for an award and to fill in a nomination form, which was available both from Stirling Council and www.braehead.org.

9 Communication

The Chair advised that the website was up and running and if anything needs to be added to contact the Chair. He noted that there was a few teething problems but they were being dealt with. It was asked if businesses could advertised on the website. It was suggested that this would not be a problem and that a minimal fee be charged for this service.

10 Future Direction for Council The Chair noted that a fund of £2,000 was available for the Community Council to prepare a 5 year Community Plan. This plan would show the priorities within the Braehead area, which could have a big impact on Stirling Council’s service delivery. The Community Council had completed a Plan in 2005 but this was out of date now. It was agreed to start again and consult residents and put a survey on the website to find out the major issues relating to the Braehead area now as some of the issues could have changed in the last 7 years. It was suggested that this consultation take place in September after the community garden project had been completed. It was also suggested to invite Stirling Council’s departments and have a meeting to discuss issues. Jimmy McGrory and Michael Hilarion to take this project forward on behalf of the Community Council but that Stirling Council would require written assurances that the project could be completed by 31 March 2013 in order for the funding to be retained. It was suggested to look at Killin Community Council’s Community Plan, as this was a good model to look at.

11 Any other Business

The following issues were raised:- (a) Linden Avenue – Resident, Alison Colvin, who was registered blind raised issues

about the pavements being diabolical, broken and uneven. The bus stop was not marked off as bus stops and the camber of the road was causing problems getting on and off the buses. There was no litterbin and no shelter at this bus stop, which caused problems to pedestrian in wet weather.

Councillor Paterson agreed to investigate this issue. Roads and pavement were dealt with by priority and he would ask them to look at the bus stop in the area and compare to similar areas.

(b) How could Stirling Council with fewer resources be able to prioritise differently.

The Community Council would need to make more effort to influence the Council on all the major aspects affecting the Braehead area. Maybe the production of the Community Plan could help with these matters.

(c) Linden Avenue and Valleyfield a drain had never been cleaned out. When it rains this was still causing a problem in the area?

Councillor Paterson agreed to investigate this issue.

(d) The Chair advised that Community Councillor Margaret Rozen’s husband had passed way. The Community Council had sent flowers with their condolences at this sad time.

(e) The Chair requested that a letter be sent to the former Councillor Ian Brown

thanking him for all his hard work during his term as Councillor.

(f) Jimmy McGrory advised of a seminar, which took place to discuss the River Forth. Only Braehead Community Council and Buchlyvie Community Council attended the seminar. The survey was on the habitat of the River Forth but the area of concern did not affect most sections within the Stirling areas.

(g) Ann Rogerson noted that a walkabout with Annabel Ewan regarding the issue

relating to the Railway problem would be taking place.

(h) The swing park at Afton Court. The fence had been removed and not replaced which was causing problem with dog fouling in the area. It was also noted that the grids should be replaced with swing gates to prevent stray dogs entering the park.

Councillor Paterson to investigate this issue.

12 Councillor’s Report

Councillor Paterson advised he had been busy during the Election period of 13 March to 3 May and the sorting out of the Administration of Stirling Council. He was happy to have returned. There were no concerns raised.

13 Date of Next Meeting

The Chairman thanked everybody for their attendance. The next meeting of the Community Council would be on Monday 18 June 2012 at 7pm held in Braehead Primary School. It was agreed that the following meeting on 30 July would take place in the Crawford Hall.

Meeting closed as 9.00 pm

APPENDIX A

CHAIR’S COMMUNITY GARDEN UPDATE MAY 2012 Since the end of April we have completed four community consultation events for the project: a community council meeting in April, a consultation event for residents who overlook the proposed site and two meetings open to the public. In all around 60 people have attended an event and given comment on the plans. We asked the Community Justice Department of Stirling Council to assist with the delivery of two thousand leaflets to all homes in Braehead, Broomridge, Wallace Park and parts of the town centre. There have been problems with this in that not all homes received a letter; we are working with Community Justice to find out what when wrong. In addition to this we have had a survey hosted on www.braehead.org which has been completed by thirty people since going live on the 14 May 2012. Around 25 people have completed the survey on the leaflet posted through their doors and handed it into the Post Office in Springfield Road. We had a half page article in the Stirling Observer last Wednesday and Friday, which included a photo of the proposed design. We had extensive mentions on Central FM's news bulletins (including clips of an interview with Chris Kane) on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 May, prompting people to attend the consultation meeting on Saturday 26 May 2012. The plans have been available to view on the community noticeboard on Springfield Road and have their own prominent section on the website www.braehead.org. We have had approximately 120 responses to the plans over all of the collecting vehicles open to the public. Responses • We have had 3 people at the consultation meetings say they do not support the plan.

Two people who have completed the online survey do not support it. • One person who has returned questionnaire does not support it. • Worst response on questionnaires: "Bad Idea" • Best response on questionnaires: "Brilliant idea - encourages people to participate in

outdoor activities. Worst response on website: "I want the money spent on something more relevant to normal people"

Although we're still analysing all of the responses, some of the headline points from the online survey are:- • 65% or respondents are aged 35-55, 70% are married and 50% have children. • Of those with children, 85% either agree or strongly agree with the statement "I would be

interested in growing food with my children". • 78% strongly agree with the statement "I think this could be a great focal point within the

community." Only one person disagrees. • 95% agree with the statement "I think the design looks very good." • 70% say "I would enjoy growing my own food in this space." • 90% say "I would enjoy meeting my neighbours in this space."

Concerns Real concerns have been raised regarding:- • The security of the site. Many residents, particularly those in Spey Court who overlook

the site have expressed concern that the site will be a magnet for vandalism. Many are also concerned that any fence would not look good.

• The uptake and upkeep of the site some residents have questioned whether there is enough demand to justify the site.

• Some have questioned whether the site would still be as popular in five years time. Management and running of the site Approximately 25 people have indicated they would be willing to join a steering committee to progress the project and ultimately a management committee to run it. Recommendations and next steps After having been involved extensively at all stage of the community consultation process and after lengthy conversations with the consultants, I am personally satisfied that there has been enough of a positive response from the community to satisfy the demands in this area of the Scottish government grant and therefore to move onto the next phase of the project. This calls for the establishment of a steering group, finalising of the design, an application to Stirling Council for both a lease on the site and planning permission to build the garden. The writing of a business plan, the creation of a management structure and a group constitution; identify and apply for funding; the construction of the site. I recommend that the Community Council adopt a procedure which sees the steering group be given the same status as a "sub committee" of the community council and the authority to progress the project, while reserving the following matters for consideration of the full community council:- • All applications to Stirling Council for funding applications, a lease on the land, planning

permission. • All matters regarding the structure of the eventual community group which will run the

project, including the constitution and management structure. • The authorisation of all spending above a certain limit until such times as financial

decisions are handed over to the new constituted group. I would recommend this limit be reviewed on a monthly basis at Community Council meetings and initially be set at £200.

Furthermore, I would recommend a demand placed on the sub committee that it:- • Have at least two community councillors on it at all times, one of whom should chair the

subcommittee. • Submit a written report to the community council for consideration at each monthly

meeting.