Minutes of Meeting held on Monday 10 January 2011

in The Hugh Miller Institute

Present:

Community Councillors: Ronald Young (Chair), Julie Penwright, Helen Elliott, Vanessa Halhead, John Wood, Anne Short, Vivienne Griffiths

Youth Representatives: None present

Highland Councillors: Cllr David Alston and Di Agnew, BI Ward Manager

Northern Constabulary: PC Williams

Community Council Secretary: Estelle Ellwood

Item / Details / Action
1 /

Chairman’s Welcome

Ronald welcomed the Councillors and Di Agnew to the first meeting of the year.
The Councillors recorded their deepest sympathy to the family of Douglas McPhee who passed away last week. He had been a Community Councillor for about 9 years and will be sadly missed by the Councillors and staff, pupils and parents at the Cromarty Primary School.

Apologies

Cllr Craig Fraser, Bob Cameron, Lynne Sproull
2 /

Approval of previous minutes

Amendment: Item 6 Delete “Donald” – insert Duncan”
Proposed: Julie Penwright Seconded: Helen Elliott
3 /

Youth Issues

3.1 / Grit at the Primary School
Ronald asked if the policy had changed over the provision of grit to the school as they have been asked to pay for the grit bin to be filled. Di will check if the school has to meet this cost from their budget. / Di A
4 / Police Report
PC Williams said there had been 55 incidents from 1 December to date:-
-attempted break in at the shop
-a couple of drink/drive incidents
-damage to a car in Bayview Crescent.
He asked drivers to take extra care during bad weather as some roads do not appear to have been gritted e.g. Dingwall to Cromarty.
Following the recent meeting with Chief Inspector Mike Coates, he has heard nothing further about his own situation.
Julie has contacted other local community councils to try to get them to write to MPs and MSPs about the plans for a single police force and also the changes to local policing. She has received one reply from Fortrose who advised that they would not be writing a letter.
Julie will write the letters on behalf of this Council. / JP
5 / Bob Cameron (Highland Council) Bright Spark Development
Di advised that Bob was unable to attend the meeting.
She said that the Councillors needed to decide if they wanted to deal with the negotiations for this development themselves, appoint the Highland Council to act on their behalf or appoint another party. It had already been agreed that the Council would prefer the Highland Council to handle negotiations, which is why Bob Cameron had been invited to the meeting.
Di suggested that the next stage would be for a couple of representatives from the Community Council to meet with Bob and the developers to discuss the way forward. Anne and Ronald offered to take on this role. As these individuals cannot then be involved in any planning aspects, it was agreed that Lynne and Julie would take on this responsibility.
Ronald said that Duncan Cameron of Bright Spark is just waiting for a radar report from Dalcross, then he will be in a position to run the public consultation meeting. It was suggested that this should take place early/mid February, after the above meeting has taken place.
Ronald asked about the cost implications to the community council. Di said that there would be not charge for Bob Cameron’s time but that the Community Council may have to pay for a Solicitor.
David asked if the Councillors would like to follow this format when dealing with the negotiations for the Nigg Wind Farm Development. The Councillors agreed that this seemed a sensible way forward.
David said that payments from wind farms have been in the region of £3k, the Highland Council has now suggested that these payments should be in the region of £4-5k.
6 / Matters arising from previous meeting
6.1 / 10 Sea Defences - Ronald
Ronald has spoken to John Porteous and will meet with him when the weather has improved to discuss sea defence issues and possible costings to resolve the issues.
6.2 / Dog Fouling - Julie
Julie ran the competition for a poster at the primary school. The winner was Sally Carpenter. Her poster has been printed and displayed around Cromarty. The Councillors were very pleased with the poster and thanked Julie for her time in dealing with this matter.
6.3 / 14.2 Bobby’s Tractor
Ian Hay has advised Ronald that it may be possible to provide a tractor for about £23k.This will be similar to the one previously held in Cromarty. There are concerns about the maintenance agreement for the tractor but Ian Hay is trying to resolve the issues. There are also concerns about the VAT implications but Di will look into this matter.
Cllr Craig Fraser had provided details of a similar tractor from an alternative supplier. It was agreed to pursue the Highland Council option if the maintenance issues can be resolved.
The Councillors discussed funding for the tractor. They will submit an application to the Common Good Capital Fund; this has to be less than £10k. Vivienne will write to Mr Nightingale to suggest that the £2k from the Cromarty Trust Fund could be put towards this purchase. The Councillors suggested that this would be a good use of money from the Dr Forth Bequest. This will be listed as an option for the Bequest at the Public Meeting to be held on Monday 24 January. / Di A
VG
6.4 / 14.4 HMI Meeting Room
David had nothing further to report on this matter. Anne said that she is advising anyone who books the room now that a fee maybe raised in the future.
6.5 / 15.1 Highland Wide Local Development Plan
Lynne submitted all the comments by the deadline date.
6.6 / 15.4 Mr Nick Symonds
All actions completed by Estelle.
Lynne advised by email that she has not heard anything back from Erica McArthur regarding this application. Planning were awaiting a report from the Highland Council forestry officer before they put together the case planning report.
7 / Review of Black Isle Local Area Plan for LEADER funding
Estelle had previously emailed the correspondence from Bill Taylor to the Councillors on this matter.
David explained that Black Isle Local Area Partnership was redeveloped in order to deal with the development of local community projects and to consider and process applications for funding under the LEADER Programme. LAPs are made up of representatives from Community Councils, community groups and members of the public. Cromarty is well represented on the Black Isle Local Area Partnership but there are currently 2 vacancies. The biggest spend in this area has been on energy projects for community halls.
Bill Taylor has been contracted by the Highland Council to review the Black Isle Local Area Plan for LEADER funding as it has been suggested that there is a need for a full local development plan rather than just the current plan which is focussed on LEADER funding.
The Councillors discussed the questions asked by Bill Taylor and agreed as follows:-
1. Do you consider the Headline Development Priorities still relevant for the LEADER Local Area Plan up to 2013?
-Yes – the priorities still appear to be relevant
2. Do you consider there is any value in only identifying those priorities that are relevant to LEADER funding?
No – the idea of having a broader plan in principle sounds like a good idea
3. Can you identify any additional priorities that should be included?
Yes – there definitely needs to be inclusion of environmental aspects
4. Would you be supportive of the development of a guidance document that addressed the needs of the Black Isle that could be met through a wider range of funding opportunities?
Yes definitely.
Estelle will email this response to Bill Taylor. Any Councillors who wish to submit additional comments should email Bill Taylor directly at
/ EE
8 / Gaelic Chapel (Item to be retained on the agenda.)
Cllr Craig Fraser had submitted a document to be distributed to Councillors at the meeting in his absence. (See Appendix A)
The following comments were made which Estelle will pass back to Craig:-
-Overall the Councillors were impressed with the work/ thought Craig had put into this matter
-Trustees – it was not deemed necessary to have a Community Councillor on the Trust – but there had to be a person appointed by the Community Councillor - so Janice Cooper and Callum Davidson were asked to join the Trust by Anne Short
-obviously it won’t possible to apply for funding until a constitution is in place/ and transfer of ownership/ lease has taken place
-John Wood said that the Chapel was also used during the war by Polish troops who were based on the Links so this is an important part of its history too which should not be forgotten- and may provide an opportunity for funding too?
9 / Community Councillors’ Portfolios
Leaflets - Vivienne
Vivienne will carry out a stock check of all the leaflets/ guidebooks ready for spring promotion.
Allotments – John Wood
John said that the Cromarty Allotments & Gardens Society are still trying to move forward with the provision of allotments in Cromarty.
Portfolio Update
It was agreed that:-
-Helen will take responsibility for Local Transport Issues
-Ronald will take responsibility for Litter on Links/ Beaches
-Anne will take support responsibility for Improvement to Road Surfaces
Beach Clean - Ronald
It was suggested that the Hendersons should be asked to take responsibility for a beach clean in front of The Royal. This needs to be done by the Easter holidays. Ronald will speak to John Henderson about this.
Vanessa said that funding is available from the Moray Firth Partnership for this type of activity. She will investigate further. / RY
VH
10 /

Victoria Hall

Vivienne read through the report as attached at Appendix B.
11 / Dr Forth’s Bequest
The Public Meeting is planned for 24 January from 7pm – 9pm. Estelle has booked the hall. It was agreed that Anne, Vivienne, Julie and Ronald would form a sub-committee to plan and prepare for the public meeting. They will meet at Anne’s on Friday 14 January at 2pm. They will need to decide what the main objectives of the meeting are, how the meeting will be managed and how it will be publicised.
It is essential that a decision is made at the public meeting on how the bequest should be spent. The main options for the bequest are:-
-provision of tennis courts
-provision of a tractor for snow clearing and gritting
-improvements to acoustics in Victoria Hall
-provision of allotments/ gardens/ trees
-provision of swings/ play equipment
-provision of benches
It also has to be discussed and agreed how to move each project forward and who will manage each project etc.
12
12.1
12.2
12.3 /

Treasurer’s Report

Period: 29 November 2010 to 10 January 2011

Income

Guide Book Sales: £47.00
Cromarty Film Society – Repayment of loan £650.00
Highland Council – Benevolent Fund £54.00
Total income: £751.00
Expenditure:
Secretarial expenses: Jan £50.00
Storage rental - 6 months £65.00
Blachere Illumination – Spare Xmas lights £189.17
Cromarty Primary School - Poster competition £50.00
Cromarty Primary School – prize vouchers £25.00
Michael Shaw – retirement Card & Gift £52.00
Cromarty Benevolent Society £54.00

Total expenditure: £485.17

Accounts Receivable: Nil
Accounts Payable balance: Nil

Bank & Cash in hand balances at 10.01.2011 £38,478.74

13
13.1
13.2
13.3 /

Highland Councillors’ Reports

Michael Shaw Retirement
David made the retirement presentation to Michael on behalf of the Community Council and also he presented the cards and gifts from the people of Cromarty.
Streetlights
David advised that there are plans to turn off some streetlights in the Highlands from 12am – 6am. Investigationsare being made into the possibility of turning off alternate lights in some areas. Both these actions will save on costs and also reduce light pollution. It has been suggested that all lights could be turned off in Davidston from 12am – 6am but all residents need to be consulted.
David asked the Councillors to consider and identify areas in Cromarty where these changes could be made.
Item to be included on Agenda for next meeting.
Grit Bins
Cllr Craig Fraser had submitted a suggestion via email that the grit bins could be stored away during the summer months. The Councillors agreed that this was a good idea.
Ronald said that this did used to happen in the past and he suggested that Craig could speak to Ian Hay about this idea.
13.4 / Hugh Miller Trail
Cllr Craig Fraser had submitted another suggestion via email about developing a Hugh Miller Trail. He advised that in Fortrose they are considering a "Dolphin Trail" basically attaching a dolphin symbol to various buildings and having visitors find the dolphins.
He suggested that something similar could be done in Cromarty along the lines of a Hugh Miller trail with a head shot of Hugh Miller attached to various places of interest. e.g. Old Brewery, East Church St Anne’s, Bellevue House, Hugh Miller cottage, Courthouse, etc, All this would add to the "Cromarty Experience"
Generally the Councillors were not in favour of this suggestion. Some felt it would be intrusive and a bit gimmicky.It was felt that there are already enough signs in the town – noting that recently an audit was carried out to remove surplus signs
It would not be possible to put signs on some of the buildings suggested.
14
14.1 / Planning
Highland Councillors do not participate in planning related discussions and are not present for this Agenda item.
Lynne advised by email that no planning applications had been submitted during the month.
15 /

Correspondence

15.1 / Jeremy Price – Clunes House
Mr Price has written to express concerns about the state of Sutor Path. He has personally carried out repairs in front of his cottage as a lady fell there last year.
He has asked for the path to be surveyed and for consideration to be given to the installation of supporting gabions in the near future.
Vivienne and Jane Clunas submitted an application to the LEADER grants for Core Paths last year. or £10k for the Sutor Path. They were advised that this had been successful in September but Vivienne has heard nothing further.
Di will ask Philip Waite, who has responsibility for Core Paths, to contact Vivienne about this funding and the next stages.
Vivienne will respond to Mr Price.
It was also noted that Jane Clunas dealt with all Core Paths issues in the past, but it was only listed on the Councillors’ Portfolio as a responsibility for Core Path Leaflets. / Di A
VG
15.2 / Archie McTaggart
Vivienne has received a letter from Mr McTaggart to say that, due to other commitments, he will no longer be able to carry out the annual audit of the Community Council ‘s Accounts.
It was suggested that Jackie Ross could be asked to take on this role as she teaches Business Management at the Academy. Ronald will speak to her. / RY
15.3 / Georgia Macleod
Georgia has written to Vivienne to advise that the “Cromarty 2007” organisation would like to disband. This organisation does however organise the annual “Splash & Dash” which is proving to be a popular event and gains much publicity.
Georgia advised that she, Torquil and Pete Clunas are still willing to continue organising this activity but do not wish to set up as a separate organisation to do so as this will require a committee, constitution, bank accounts etc.
She has therefore suggested that the event could run under the umbrella of the Community Council whereby the existing funds would be transferred to the Community Council to be ring-fenced for future events and Georgia, Torquil and Pete Clunas would still organise the event, apply for funding and sponsorship and run the website etc.
Vivienne said that it should be quite straightforward to manage this transfer and the so the Councillors agreed to this proposal.
Ronald will advise Georgia accordingly. / RY
16 / A.O.B.
16.1 / Transition Black Isle
John advised that the recent Local Food Event was very successful and some of the stallholders have asked if they could to run this event on a regular basis, it would be like indoor farmers’ market. The Councillors agreed that they would be happy for this to go ahead.
16.2 / Mains Gas
John has been contacted about the possibility of mains gas provision to Cromarty. He has been told that if in excess of 50 households in the town declare an interest in having a gas supply, then the gas suppliers have to look into providing a supply.
Ronald said that the gas providers would only consider this if the town is within a certain distance from the nearest gas pipe. Ronald added that the nearest gas supply is to Culbokie and he thinks that is beyond the distance required. He added that there would be no possibility of gas provision across the Cromarty Firth.
16.3 / Lights in Trees in Victoria Park
Helen said that the strings of lights are now hanging loose from the trees and need to be resited. Vivienne will ask Ian Robertson if he would do this.
It was noted that Garry Thompson came out with his tractor at short notice to put up the Christmas tree when it fell down in high winds. Vivienne will write a letter of thanks. Ronald will take down the Christmas Tree this week. / VG
Ronald thanked everyone for attending and for their input.
Date of Next Meeting
Monday 28 February 2011
at 7.30pm
in the Hugh Miller Institute

APPENDIX A