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MULL COMMUNITY COUNCIL - MINUTES OF MEETING, 13th
APRIL 2010
1.00 Present: Steve
Willis (Vice-Chairman), Fiona Brown, Susan Campbell, David
Greenhalgh, Bert Leitch, Ronnie Campbell, Stewart MacDougall, Rory
Forrester, John Clare
(outgoing Secretary), Jenny Reddaway (incoming Secretary). Stuart
Maidment (present
by
invitation).
Apologies: James Heggie (Chairman), David
Graham, Tony Proud (Treasurer), Jim
Corbett, Cllr. Mary-Jean Devon, PC Donald MacCuish, James Hilder,
Cllr Gordon
Chalmers.
Vice-Chairman opened the meeting and welcomed Susan Campbell from
Lochdon.
He
also welcomed Stuart Maidment, who had come to give a presentation
on the
development of Aros Park, and Jenny Reddaway, the incoming
Secretary.
Action
2.00 Police Matters
– No report.
3.00 Minutes of 9th
March Meeting
3.01
Corrections/Approval.
Proposed by Rory Forrester and seconded by Stewart MacDougall.
Vice-Chairman
expressed thanks to John Clare for producing such clear Minutes from
the
discussion.
3.02
Action Points.
Royal Mail – Tony Proud not present.
Water infrastructure. Fiona Brown reported that she had received
emails and had
been
assured that the water situation was being attended to; theVice-Chairman
had
been
copied on correspondence. It was noted that over 90 houses were
awaiting
planning permission. Vice-Chairman had learned of 5 more in Salen
and at Baliscate
another 29 were to be added to the existing 26.
No
Parking Signs – Police not present.
Weight Limit Meeting – Cllr Devon not present.
Bunessan Bus – Vice-Chairman to raise later.
Mull
Rally – down as an Agenda item.
Calmac – Ronnie Campbell advised he had not been to anything since
the previous
meeting but had written to Cllr MacIntyre.
Secretary reported that no action had been taken regarding
involvement of local and
national press being a response.
Roads & Transport – Rory Forrester reported that he had been
co-opted as Chairman
onto
Keep Mull Moving He had been unsuccessful in contacting Sandy
McTaggart as
yet
to arrange meeting which he, Vice-Chairman and Jim Corbett would
attend.
Answers were required on structure, budget, timetable but most of
all the weight limits.
Tar
Plant – Vice-Chairman reported a letter had been sent but no reply
received as yet.
Community Support Network – Vice-Chairman would report later.
Letter to Scottish Hydro Electric thanking staff for support during
bad weather –
Vice-Chairman advised this had been done.
AROS PARK DEVELOPMENT IDEAS.
Stuart Maidment advised that the Forestry Commission had been
looking at ways of
developing Aros Park as a resource for the community for some years
and had presented
plans to a well-attended (over 40 people) meeting in the Tobermory
Harbour Association
building with a view to obtaining people’s opinions and ideas. He
has received some
20-30 additional suggestions as a result of the consultation.
The
park has been zoned for different opportunities. The old south drive
by the theatre
had
been identified as being able to take more development and there is
currently
interest for the Gaelic Centre and from Wings over Mull, who could
have a visitor
centre, hospital and do flying displays. The other zone for
development is by the old
pier
and slip where the sawmill is situated. Tobermory Endeavour had
expressed
interest in the latter for a playgym for the elderly and young
children. The fish farm
lease offshore has not been renewed. There is the opportunity for a
water taxi service
not
solely to reach the park but also for the Theatre. The Play Trail is
in place and a
new
toilet block near the Walled Garden is going to open shortly. The
headland to the
north-east of the old pier is presently used for grazing so there
might be an issue if
Wings over Mull want to do flying displays unless an alternative can
be found; there is
an
area, at present land-locked, near Beadoun. If access could be
obtained through
Shillinghill, then this could be used for grazing or by the pony
club. The trout farm in
the
loch has been taken over but the buildings are not being used.
Friends of Aros Park
are
restoring the old kennels that date from the 1800s. There was an
attempt to purchase
the
walled garden but the offer was insufficient. If Tobermory
Endeavour could match
fund, it might be possible to purchase this for community
allotments.
The
Vice-Chairman asked why the Forestry Commission hadn’t had wider
consultation
to
which Mr Maidment responded that it had been thought Tobermory,
being local to
the
park would be best place to begin, but there was no reason why a
presentation could
not
be made elsewhere.
Rory
Forrester asked about funding. Mr Maidment advised that they have
resources for
maintenance and rhododendron control but did not have the intention
of making the
Park
pay. He explained that the Forestry Commission had started in 1919
to create a
Strategic reserve in times of war, hence vast areas of land given
over to planting. After
1985, questions were asked about the environment and the FC took on
certificated
renewable timber operations. On Mull, the rotation is coming to
harvesting and Aros
Park
is seen as a resource for mixed and native woodland and broadleaves,
plus open
space.
There would also be employment opportunities for the play gym, water
taxi service, any
Visitor Centre Wings over Mull might have and at the Gaelic Centre.
The
Vice-Chairman suggested it would be a good location for an
observatory and Ronnie
Campbell mentioned the old Observer Corps lookout. Although closed
ten years ago, more
information should be sought. The Vice-Chairman asked Mr Maidment
to give the
Community Council six monthly updates and this he agreed to do.
SM/
The Vice-Chairman
thanked Mr Maidment for his
presentation.
Sec
(At this point, Mr Maidment left the meeting.)
4.00 Mull Rally.
Stewart MacDougall advise that the public meeting on 15th
March had been well attended
and
had voted positively for a rally in October. The Steering group then
went to the Isle
of
Mull Hotel where they reviewed the proposals from two Car Clubs. It
was decided
that
they would appoint Steve Davies from Dervaig, a Clerk of the Course,
to run the rally
working with Mull Car Club and others. A core committee has now been
formed and
several meetings have taken place, including with 2300 Club. A
formal letter has been sent
to
the Molyneux family and there appears to be no major hold-ups.
Responding to a query
from
Fiona Brown, Stewart MacDougall advised that a website is being
set-up. Entry forms
and
regulations will appear on this between agreed opening/closing
dates. The organisers
intended going for the maximum entry permitted of 150 cars. Rory
Forrester asked about
liaison with farmers. Stewart MacDougall advised James MacGillivray,
supported by two
others, would be handling this aspect. For others, there may be a
section on the website to
post
comments and concerns. In response to Fiona Brown’s query about the
Tour of Mull
last
year running at a loss, Stewart MacDougall advised that a lot of the
loss related to the
various different adjunct events; an offer from a Mull business
person to fund the fireworks
at
circa £2000 had come in. Tunnocks has been contacted and are
awaiting an updated
business plan. Stewart MacDougall explained that there had been
other interest including
sponsorship of stages, a system that Mull Car Club used for its
January Forest Stages Rally.
With
fifteen stages, this has income potential. Circa £4 – 5000 already
pledged and there
are
five teams out getting support. Approximately £20000 was needed by
mid July to move
forward. The Vice-Chairman asked if there was any contingency plan
should there be a
shortfall. Stewart MacDougall replied that a Council grant might be
available. Calmac had
said
they would not sponsor but Cllr Devon was going to approach them at
a very senior level.
Money has been pledged to cover the costs of the nine doctors,
rescue and recovery crews
at
circa £1300 each set.
5.00 Mail and Newspaper
Deliveries – No report.
6.00 Housing &
Development
Agreed that there was nothing of concern regarding planning
applications received but the
water situation remained a major problem.
7.00 Calmac
Ronnie Campbell reported that the next meeting would be on 15th
May.
RC
8.00 MICT Report
(via email from James Hilder)
Staffing: Sue Dewar
(formerly Wings over Mull) will again be our Seasonal Countryside
Ranger helping to run the Eagle Hide at Loch Frisa, alongside RSPB
Warden, Debbie
Thorne. Ms Abi Wylde will begin work in May as the new Ranger for
the Ross of Mull &
Iona, working in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland.
Abi has a lot of
experience as a ranger, formerly working at the Glencoe visitor
centre and working in
communities. This is a year long post which if successful may be
extended.
Mull & Iona Wild Isles Week
- This will run from the 8-14th May with a full programme
of
special events. New leaflets have been printed listing all the
islands wildlife tour
operators and are available from the Tourist Information Centre at
Craignure - or see
www.wildisles.co.uk for listings.
MESS - This year MESS
helped divert almost 76 tonnes from landfill and both charity
shops increased sales on the previous year. As reported at the last
meeting we are now
seeking applications from Community Groups for up to £500 each from
the MESS project.
New Business Centre -
Building work should start in May, and the large wooden shed
currently on site at Craignure Castaways will be moved up to the
Gantry Site at the south
end
of Craignure.
Community Minibus for Ross of Mull & Iona
- Since our application for an electric
powered minibus was submitted to the Climate Challenge Fund
(previously a very
promising source of funds), we have been informed that they no
longer wish to fund
electric vehicles and so our application for funds was unsuccessful.
We have however
been
awarded over £10,000 from Argyll & Bute Council for running costs so
we are
now
seeking funds from other sources for a conventional vehicle.
Passenger Ferry Service across the Sound of Mull to
Drimnin and Loch Sunart –
We
have secured £20,000 for this year to continue helping to run this
useful passenger
service for residents of Drimnin and Loch Sunart, which allows
people to shop on Mull
instead of a long round trip to Fort William.
Mull & Iona Chamber of Commerce Development Officer
- The Trust is now
working in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce to help bring
more support to the
islands business community and Sian Scott will be working part time
as the Development
Officer to help roll out the new membership package which will help
save small businesses
money in these straightened times. See
www.mullchamber.org
Finally - at the last meeting I agreed to look at a survey being
conducted by the Council
under its Fairer Oban Lorn and the Isles Working Group - they were
offering a £500 payment.
When
I received the information it became evident that there was
insufficient time to consult
on
such a significant piece of work, and I now understand that there is
to be a meeting in
Oban on 15th May
at which input can be added.
The Vice-Chairman reported that there
was
circa £10000 awaiting bids from community groups. Regarding the
re-cycling bins at
Salen, the Vice-Chairman had written to Derek Crooks who had passed
this on to Colum
Black; no reply yet
received.
Vice-
Chairman
9.00 Roads and
Transport
Rory
Forrester considered the most important issue was to have the
meeting with Sandy
McTaggart. Once some idea of the infrastructure, budget and
timescale was obtained, RF
the
matter could be drawn to the attention of the press. It was noted
that the Vice-
Chairman had a contact at the Press & Journal who would be
interested. Bert Leitch
advised that the pothole repairs were not being squared off and
filled correctly and asked
why
this was. Ditching was also not being carried out adequately. He
also asked if we
could contact a roads engineer to find out whether fewer journeys by
a larger lorry
would cause less damage than several more with a smaller one. Rory
Forrester suggested
that
there was an argument for derogation in the interim such as the
Council has for the
refuse lorries and tar lorries.
10.00 Correspondence
Received.
Community Support. Following on from
correspondence regarding possible closure of the
Lunch Club the Vice-Chairman and Jenny Reddaway had met the
Community Support
Team
in Oban on 9th April. (Report circulated). Audrey
Bremner and other staff had been
employed under the Better Communities Initiative offering £3million
for the Islands and Campbeltown for the period 2002 to 2005. Argyll
& Bute Council had attempted to keep
the
service going once funding had ceased but it was no longer able to
do so. The Council
was
now operating a prioritisation of needs system whereby the most
needy would take
priority with some services (shopping, for example) being subject to
a charge.
Bunessan School Bus. The Vice-Chairman
reported that Alan Reid had written and Argyll
&
Bute had responded to the effect that they could not provide
dedicated transport and
suggested the use of the Salen bus. This was agreed to be
impractical given the journey
times involved. Argyll & Bute will be providing £10,000 towards the
running costs. The
Vice-Chairman’s letter to Argyll & Bute had been copied to Alan Reid
and to Education
Minister, Mike Russel. It was suggested that we write to the
Scottish Executive and copy
Alan
Reid, Jim Mather. The Vice-Chairman would contact James Hilder about
options. Vice Chair
11.00 Councillors’ Report
– No report.
12.00 Treasurer’s Report
– No report.
13.00 Any Other Business
(inc. Area Reports)
The
Vice-Chairman advised that Argyll & Bute were carrying out a full
assessment of
their transportation requirements.
The
Vice-Chairman advised that James Hilder was looking at funding
sources to assess
the
demand for a shopping/hospital visits service for the elderly. This
could be run by a
private company and paid for by the clientele.
All
Council Members from Pennyghael and the Ross of Mull were vociferous
about the
appalling state of the roads. Fiona Brown reported that the section
from Willow Bank to
Pennyghael Hotel had no surface remaining with deep drop-offs.
Ardtun is down to the
bedding and mesh is showing through; David Greenhalgh reported no
tar in places.
Ronnie Campbell raised the problems with water and raw sewage from
the Mill Brae
septic tank leaking out. This septic tank is some 50 years old and
is serving more
properties than intended and needs replacing. Ronnie Campbell was
meeting to discuss
it
on Monday. It was agreed that a letter should be sent and the
Secretary would liase
with
Ronnie Campbell regarding this. A copy should be sent to the
Minister. RC/Sec
Stewart MacDougall raised the question of screening the recycling
bins at Bunessan.
John
Clare reported that there was some question of land ownership and
Ronnie
Campbell advised it was owned by some people in Devon. It was
suggested that the
Hall
Committee might wish to apply to MESS for a grant of £500 towards
screening a
nd
the Vice-Chairman agreed to contact James Hilder regarding
this. Vice
Chair
Bert
Leitch complained of very high fuel prices; he was currently paying
£1.33 a litre.
Rory
Forrester had discovered that it costs Gleaner 1.5p per litre to get
fuel to the island
and
felt we should make an issue of this. Fiona Brown asked those
present to sign
George Lyon’s petition. It was agreed that enquiries should be made
of Gleaners and
Brogan’s as to the costs. The Community Council would liase with
Keep Mull Moving Sec
on
this.
RF
Fiona Brown expressed thanks to Ronnie Campbell for handling
Pennyghael’s auction;
£1,144.00 was raised. She also thanked MESS for their donations and
for taking back
unsold items.
The
Vice-Chairman thanked John Clare for his hard work over the last two
years; this
was
echoed by Members present.
The
meeting closed at 9.40pm.
Date of Next Meeting:
Tuesday 11th May 2010 at 8.00pm
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