MINUTES OF MEETING OF
THE ROYAL BURGH OF LOCHMABEN & DISTRICT COMMUNITY COUNCIL
HELD IN THE TOWN HALL
Monday 5th December 2016
Present
Pam Linton (PL)Chair
Tony Hancock (TH)Vice Chair
Dug Pettigrew (DP)Treasurer
Anne Wyllie (AW)Member, Secretary
Ian Vidler (IV)Member
Jim Davidson (JD)Member
Charles McKerrel (CMck)Member
May McKerrel (MMck)Member
Bob Murray (BM)Co-Opted Member
Stephen Thompson (ST)D&G Councillor
Peter Diggle (PD)D&G Councillor
Eileen Somerville (ES)Local Resident
Elaine Kinmont (EK)Local Resident
Apologies Josh Busley (JB) Deputy Head Boy , Lockerbie
Academy
Edna Allbrooke, Member
Minutes of the Previous Meeting 1st November 2016
Accepted by JD seconded by IV
Matters arising
Cemetery Sign
Cost of installing a single sided sign on the street light using an offset bracket has increased the cost to £225.37p + VAT = £270.44p (a double sided sign would cost £540.00) CC members agreed to go ahead with the single sided version.
Cleaning the King Bruce Statue
D&GC have advised that the cost of cleaning the King Bruce statue will be £5000, the main costs being the need to erect scaffolding/tower platforms. It has also been suggested by the sculptor that there would be very little improvement to the statue when it had been cleaned. The view from D&GC is that spending that kind of money for such a small difference would be pointless. Discussion by CC members suggested that using a 'cherry picker' instead of scaffolding may reduce the cost, would it be possible to clean a small area of the statue to see how effective it would be? although the cost appears to be high , as the statue only gets cleaned approx every 15 years it amounts to less than £1 a day. TH to email D&GC,
Computer Mentoring - Report from Lochmaben Community Initiative
1.Lockerbie Academy in favour of the project
2.One evening a week for 6 months , 2 hours per evening
3.Needs to be publicized - also look at insurance details
4.Aimed mainly at I Pads etc, may need to supply equipment
5.Need to have a Disclosure of Scotland qualified person on hand
6.Need to find a suitable venue
Scheme for the Establishment of Community Councils - Review
Now officially launched - 24th November 2016. There will be a series of workshops to be held across the region to support the review - details of dates and venues to be advised.
No 30 Lochmaben High Sreet.
Relating to the cavity in the road outside No 30 - this issue has been reported to D&GC using CCES, a response was received as follows:
The issue has been fully investigated and the outcome of the issue is : No Action Required - Not a Safety Issue at this time but will continue to monitor.
Currently with very tight budgets the Council has to strictly prioritise repairs to the worst hazardous defects: we will monitor this situation and if there is an opportunity in future we may look to carry out remedial workshowever with being full and frank it is unlikely in the foreseeable future we will be able to carry out a repair here.
A copy of the email was forwarded onto Councillor Stephen Thompson who contacted D&GC engineering dept to pursue the matter, a response was received the main points of which were:
It would appear that the cavity in the road was caused by work carried out by Scottish Power, as the resulting defect is outside the warranty timescale the responsibility now falls upon D&GC , who because of budget restraints are unable to carry out repairs in the foreseeable future.
The engineer who visited to site to investigate made the following statement:
In locating the patch in question I observed/heard an un-laden wagon hitting this and can fully appreciate the validity of the complaint. To be pursued.
Police Report
Meeting attended by PC John Cowan
Crime Update
Between 30/09 and 17/11 seven thefts of lead reported by staff at Lochmaben Primary School. Police continue to appeal for information to identify the person(s) responsible.
Several thefts of quad bikes, scrap metal, batteries and lead have been reported in the Annandale area.
Significant Incidents/Occurrences
The Festive Drink/Drive Drug Campaign 2016 will commence on 0700 hours on Friday 2 December 2016, and will run for a four week period finishing on 0700 hours Monday 2 January 2017.
Community Issues
New Policing Structure is bedding in. The community department has been maintained in Annandale and Eskdale with Officers based in Moffat, Lockerbie, Annan, Gretna and Langholm. They continue to offer support to Operational Policing and are in your local area to assist with advice and events. We also have a Crime Reduction Officer and full time in Annandale and Eskdale and can facilitate talks to community groups urban and rural. All community Officers now come under line management from a Sgt at Annan Police Station and some work is being done of formalising community officer attendance at Community Council meetings to ensure a higher attendance rate.
Thera - Operation Thera - Anti Social Behaviour/Violence campaign - Staff from V Division have been carrying out anti-social behaviour patrols in identified areas within Dumfries and Annandale and Eskdale. Officers have been out since mid-October carrying out these patrols and they will continue until mid- January, incorporating events (bonfire Night, black eye Friday, New Year)
Winter Road Safety - Community and Road Policing Officers carried out winter checks for car owners/drivers over set days to provide advice in relation to dark night's drawing in and the change in weather conditions. Over 160 cars checked in Annan 14/11/2016 and Lockerbie and Moffat hold events subsequently.
Treasurers Report
Report from Treasurer DP as follows:
Christmas Lights fund£2160.65p
Community Council Fund£10,261.70
D&G Council Issues
Cars for Sale
Consulted with the Council's Trading Standard's Manager who advised that she is happy to investigate this but unlikely that they will have an impact on the problem as , in their experience, car dealers who are trying to avoid trading legitimately will easily avoid detection by using different mobile numbers for each car and advertising as if a private individual. Private individuals will also take to placing their cars in known car selling lay-bys and car parks because that's where locals learn to look for cars. Almost impossible to therefore to weed out the illegitimate car dealers. Enforcement officers have been asked to take details of any cars parked in the area when they are passing and then will pass the vehicle registrations and phone numbers and any other relevant details to colleagues in Licensing. Second hand car dealers require to be licensed and it is usual practice. inthe first instance, to advise Licensing of anyone who is believed to be dealing in cars unlicensed. Trading Standards remit would be to deal with safety (of the car) and fair trading issues when a car is sold of offered for sale by a trader. This has also been passed to Police Scotland for them to consider and take action on any road safety issues.
Move Planter
If the CC let DGC know where they would like to put the planter we will check suitability and can arrange to move. Contact Nicola Simpson.
3 dropped drains on Dumfries Road
These have been passed to the local office to investigate and arrange a repair as necessary.
Play Park
DGC have been out to the play park and agree that the play surface is unsafe and would be very easy for someone to slip on it. The play inspector will pressure-wash the surface to remove the slime. It would help if the trees were cut back as this is a significant cause of the slime build up. The grass/hedge area is owned by DGHP who have been contacted. DGHP have confirmed they own the trees and hedge around the play park and intend on carrying out works to trim branches back towards the fence line. As this park in often in shade and the fact the trees grow on the boundary the problem of the play surface becoming slippy will often reoccur. With this in mind we have decided to lift the rubber matting and replace it with wood back as this will be a permanent solution to the problem.
Tree Felling - The Old Dairy
The CC has been contacted by the Forestry Commission of Scotland regarding an Application for a Licence to fell growing trees.
The 12 Beech trees in question are situated at The Old Dairy, Lochmaben. The application for felling is based upon the trees being too close to the power line.
Some CC members have already visited the site and expressed the opinion that the claim is unjustified and that annual pruning would be a more suitable solution.
CC members who had not visited the site will arrange to do so before the 20th December , by when an answer from the CC is required by the Forestry Commission.
Residents Issues
McCalls Coaches
The CC has received complaints from residents of the Barras area with regard to the operation of McCall's Coaches as follows:
- The licence states that 4 vehicles should be operating from this premises, local residents suggest that the figure is more like 8-12
- Coaches are being cleaned and valeted in the road outside residential homes.
- Coaches are parked for long periods on the road, restricting traffic access.
- Coaches arriving back at late hours, with the resulting noises of premises being opened and closed and vehicles being parked , resulting in excessive engine noise.
The CC contacted the office of the Traffic Commissioner and passed on details of the local residents concerns, following are details of the response from the Traffic Commissioner, which were conveyed to CC members:
"The traffic Commissioner has met with the Directors of the McCall's Coaches and they have given her assurances that they wish to operate compliantly and with regard to their neighbours.
The Traffic Commissioner is satisfied that this company is operating within the terms of its operator's licence and that if provides to Dumfries and Galloway a public service vehicle operation which can meet the requirements of the operator's licence and should be a valuable contribution to passenger travel in the Dumfries and Galloway area.
The operator has an authorisation of 12 vehicles and operating centres at Lochmaben, Lockerbie and Dumfries. A maximum of 4 vehicles can be kept at Lochmaben. However that does not prevent other vehicles in the fleet being brought to the Lochmaben workshop for inspection, maintenance and repair, the facility at Lochmaben being undercover, well lit and with an extended pit - the Commissioners views this as a good facility for the operator to have. The workshop mechanic works normal hours finishing at 5pm so routine vehicle maintenance is a day time matter and is acceptable. The premises are long established commercial garage premises for parking though most vehicles are in the workshop or access courtyard.
The operator will not permit the washing or inspection of vehicles on the public road nor will vehicles be parked on the public road. It will be within local knowledge that premises on this side of Barras in Lochmaben extend to include a private strip of land lying along the front of the premises: that some properties such as the former public house premises have enclosed such strip: but that other householders keep the strip open and use it for private parking. McCall's Coaches use this strip of their private land immediately alongside their premises for parking though most vehicles are in the workshop or access courtyard.
The operator has given instructions to drivers to be as quiet as possible of a morning and to minimise the time when the headlight beams are on and not to use reverse beepers at anti social times. Most vehicle movements will be within the hours of 6.15am to 20.15pm which are reasonable times for a bus operation service a rural community.
The Traffic Commissioner has noted from her own scrutiny of the locality that McCall's Coaches are not the only commercial vehicles moving to, from and within Lochmaben and the Traffic Commissioner's long experience has led her to know that care must be taken not to attribute all noise and disturbance to one source especially if such noise is heard and the source is not seen.
The Traffic Commissioner hopes that her constructive engagement in meeting the Directors of this company will serve to eliminate complaints but please let us know if there are any further problems. The Traffic Commissioner would need detail however to be sure that the source of complaints is the operator and dates and times."
The CC meeting was attended by local residents affected by the operation at McCall's Coaches premises:
Eileen Somerville who lives opposite the bus depot revealed that McCall's staff regularly leave their vehicles running with the lights shining brightly for over 20 minutes from 6.15 am in the morning. They come in and switch the buses on and leave them running for about 20 minutes, before they move off at around 6.40am, all of which time the lights have been shining into her bedroom, which means that's her up for the day. Mrs Somerville further claimed that some days there are buses left with their engines running for hours on end and the roadside is regularly used for storing, inspecting, cleaning and fixing vehicles , Mrs Somerville has lived in the same house for 40 years and has never experienced problems like this before. Elaine Kinmont who has a home next door to the depot says she had problems with fumes from the buses when using her garden and is frustrated with the number of vehicles parked along the road outside the front of her house.
TH to respond to the Traffic Commissioners office suggesting that a meeting be arranged to enable local residents to put forward their side of the situation, CC to host the meeting at the Town Hall.
Annandale Ward - Ward visit
PL and TH attended a meeting on the 9th November at Johnstonebridge Hub, the meeting was hosted by Derek Chrichton - Director of Communities, issues discussed:
Review of 'The Scheme'
TH raised details of the suggestion in the draft review under section 11, that CC's would be unable to have direct contact with DGC, but instead would operate via a Liaison Officer. Derek Chrichton gave assurances that this was not the case, there is no Liaison Officer at DGC, the last one was Shelia Dressler. CC's will continue to have direct contact with DGC as is at present.
Ward Workers
Will start to operate in the New Year , the Ward Worker allocated to Lochmaben is Steven Wylie
CCES
Derek Chrichton emphasized the importance of using the CCES system when contacting DGC with details of local complaints.
Town Hall - Stained Glass window lighting
TH advised the CC that a costing has now been received from Louise Matheson who advises the following:
DGC had looked at altering the existing light system, However, this is not possible to do, as this is sensor controlled - it detects motion and light and could not be adapted to stay on during hours of darkness .
DGC then look at installing new LED strip lighting to the windows. This would involve 4 strips at each end to provide adequate lighting for the windows to be seen from the outside.
Cost - £1549.22 + VAT approx £1860.
TH contacted Councillor Peter Diggle to enquire if there was any possibility an allocation of funding from the £1500 recently discussed. Councillor has responded and advised that he is willing to allocate the £1500 to this project and will investigate the possibility of further funding from other ward councillors.
PL thanked Councillor Diggle on behalf of the CC .
Project 2017
TH advised CC members that there was Landfill Funding available of between £2000 -£50,000 to be used for the improvement/development of local outdoor facilities and suggested that a possible candidate could be the old paddling pool at Nethermill Road i.e to landscape the area into a more attractive venue.
There is some doubt regarding who owns the land, i.e. is it owned by the Community or DGC - TH to investigate and report back.
Lochmaben Community Initiative Report
TH attended the Lochmaben Initiative meeting on 2 November 2016, details as follows:
- Day of the Region raised £150.00, which has been distributed as follows - Castle Loch £70.00, Blood Bikers £40 and MS Trust £40.
- Outdoor Gym Project - 75 positive responses gathered at the DOR, requires further consultation, possibility of a public meeting. The project will also include the "Skate Park" . Chairman of The Initiative - Howard Baisden has met with Robbie Hyslop to discuss. It was also suggested that a local steering committee be set up to carry this project forward.
- Litter Pick - 10 volunteers - 11 bags of litter, there is evidence that the introduction of the litter picks is having an effect as the Town appears to be less littered.
Senior Citizens Christmas Party
Everything on schedule, volunteers needed to sort plates, cutlery at the Community Centre on Tuesday afternoon plus helping set up the Hall on Wednesday afternoon 1pm.
Date of next CC meeting Tuesday 10th January 2017