Black Mount Community Council

www.blackmount.org

MEETING MINUTES Community Council Meeting – Monday 3rd June 2019 7.30pm – Elsrickle Village Hall

1. Present

Committee Patrick Pollock (PP) – Co-opted Member (Chair) Michelle Walters (MW) – Elected Member Treasurer Nicholas Tucker (NT) - Elected Member Secretary Nicola Levy (NL) – Elected Member (Bugle) John Hoskin (JH) – Elected Member (Planning)

Members of Public Richard Bond (RB) Alistair Muirhead (AM) Anne Hutchinson (AH)

Councillors Alex Allison (AA)

2. Apologies

Sam Cassells (SC) – Elected Member (Vice Chair) David Darling (DD) – Associate Member (Website)

3. Minutes of the BMCC meeting dated 25th March 2019

Minutes approved by PP and JH.

4. Matters arising: a. Confirm BMCC Chair and Secretary office holder arrangements. Action: All to discuss at July meeting b. What and when will be the next BMCC dedicated meetings: Dedicated meetings to be set up as separate meetings to the monthly BMCC meetings. As not enough time for a dedicated meetings and the BMCC business the same evening. Health and water supply, to be the likely next meetings. Michelle reported that some Elsrickle residents have complained before to Scottish Water, but with no result. Michelle to discuss with these residents and see if they’d like to come and raise at the BMCC next meeting.

1 c. Timing of meetings Agreed we should start the BMCC meetings at 7.30pm and finish at 9.30pm and that we should have a July meeting? Action: All d. Should we put photos of BMCC office holders on the BMCC website. Agreed that BMCC Officers should if at all possible put our photos on to the Facebook and Black Mount websites. If any one wishes to they can put a short 10-15 second video saying “hello I am…” Action: All e. Update on broadband conversations around wireless broadband Two meetings held 25th April and 9th May at Town Hall discussing wireless broadband and possibilities of BMCC partnering with local provider to help deliver wireless broadband.

Present: Alex Alison (Councillor), Jon McCosh (Kings Beck Estate), Kenny Lean (SLC), David Campbell (WATIF), Nick Tucker (BMCC), Malcolm Muir (Duneaton Community Council.

• WATIF, based at neighbouring are already rolling wireless out for their area and have already started erecting the first transmitters. • Wireless transmitted performance would expected to be in the region of 20- 30Mb download 15Mb upload. • If a house has performance under 2Mb download they can get a grant of £400 towards installing broadband. However, BT have worked 'diligently' to ensure most house have just above that 2Mb. • Expected ongoing monthly fee for the service would be £30. • Expected one-off connection fee of £200-300 (could be paid back over the first year i.e. £16.67-£25 per month) • 500+ customers required to be viable. • Jon McCosh from the Kings Beck estate at Coulter is also interested in investing money and resource in order to enable his business, tenants and community to benefit.

Nick thought getting involved in this could be very beneficial for those in the BMCC area who have poor broadband. In order for WATIF to get good coverage for their area they think a transmitter on White Hill is required, as it will beam back and account for areas in the shadow of hills. This additional transmitter on White Hill could mean we could join the network to take advantage. It also helps Tarbrax, BMCC and DCC link together better, meaning potentially enough customers across all the area's to make this a viable working proposition, cost and return-wise.

It was understood that the land required on White Hill is owned by SC BMCC committee member.

Also note that BMCC committee member NT’s mother is a Trustee at WATIF.

It was agreed that we should continue our consultation with the community by releasing an online survey about local broadband. The WATIF survey to be used as a guide.

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Action: NT to send example survey questions to NC, for NC to create a survey and pass to DD to put on Facebook and Black Mount sites. f. Update on BMCC response to SLC planning Confusion between Elsrickle Townfoot development and new school houses development clarified. Action: JH to keep an eye on developments. g. Update on Elsrickle Hall as a Community Hub and shop. Application went in for May. 1st Meeting with SLC no concerns. 2nd Meetings concerns were raised about potential competition with new school hall. However the plan is for a hub and shop neither of which the new school is doing. Next step is a feasibility study. Action: AM to update at next meeting. h. Confirm if BMCC should advertising useful telephone numbers Decided that this is not required. Action: none i. Should we have community defibrillators within BMCC area. Action: MW to provide mapping of where nearby defibrillators are located. j. Update on Telecommunication bas station at Medwynbank near Garvald, EH46 7HJ New sites are being looked at after landowner of preferred site refused permission. PP raised concerns around any health risk associated with telecommunication stations and wi-fi signals. Action: None k. Missing planning application ‘P/19/0280’ from SLC planning email update Application went in in February, advertised in Gazette in March. However the application was not on planning lists sent through by SLC. SLC to be contacted as to why the application was missed off the expected weekly planning update email that SLC send out to Community Councils. Action: NT to contact SLC l. Poor state of the Elsrickle to Walston footpath at the Walston end. A plan to improve with boards and chicken wire deemed not appropriate for walkers or horse riders as would be too slippy. AA suggested extra funding using the Renewables Energy Grant would enable a better solution. BMCC agreed to support an application for £10K if this did not limit additional applications to the Renewables Energy Grant by BMCC. Action: AA to confirm whether additional applications to the Renewables Energy Grant by BMCC would not be affected.

5. Social Group

Sports day at Newbigging begins at 6.30pm Elsrickle August flower festival 31st August Action: None. 3

6. Bugle

1 New advertiser. 2 New helpers recruited by Nicola, both students aged 14/15 Action: NT to contact SLC regarding any safe guarding issues to consider.

7. Planning

BMCC views on P/19/0280 application for new house build in Elsrickle. PP declared that he had objected to the application, but the committee decided it was not necessary for PP to recuse himself. JH recused himself as it is his application. Questions were raised around traffic issues and the height of the proposed property, also the effect of a new build on the existing mains water supply. A question was also raised on the actual usage of the existing agricultural shed recently built by the planning applicant. Local objections have been raised and will follow the normal planning procedure for objections, however BMCC have no objections to this application. Action: None

John Hoskins returned to the meeting.

BMCC views on P/19/0143 application for 3 holiday cabins. A question was raised over Airbnb usage and the entranceway onto the to road. BMCC have no objections to this application. Action: None

8. Report by Local Councillor

Dealt with in conversations above. Action: None.

9. Treasurer’s Report

Account 1 (SLC) balance £0.00 £500.15 credit for grant application awaiting payment

Account 2 (BMC) balance £1101.05 Money in from Bugle advertising

Community grant of £5,000 applied for.

Action: Signatories for accounts to be Treasurer, Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary

10. A.O.B.

Question on whether a Deputy Lord Lieutenant attend at Elsrickle’s war memorials on Remembrance Sunday 2019 discussed. It would need to both memorials, so both the Sunday and 11th November. Action: NT.

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Next meeting dates: Time Location Monday 1st July 2019 7.30pm to 9.30pm Dolphinton Village Hall Monday 5th August 2019 7.30pm to 9.300pm Elsrickle Village Hall Monday 2nd September 2019 7.30 pm to 9.30pm Elsrickle Village Hall Monday 7th October 2019 7.30 pm to 9.30pm Elsrickle Village Hall Monday 4th November 2019 7.30pm to 9.30pm To be confirmed.

NB: new July meeting added. November meeting to be annual general meeting.

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