FOVERAN COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER December 2014. Issue 139 Congratulations to Foveran School Football Team – winners of the Strathythan “B” League. 2 FOVERAN COMMUNITY COUNCIL Let me introduce myself, my name is Glen Douglas, and this is my second stint as Secretary of Foveran Community Council, the first being around 1985, when I also looked after the newsletter advertising, and yes I am doing it again as well. I have taken over from the previous secretary Duncan Milne who moved to Glasgow and Margot Wright who has retired as advertising secretary. If you want to place an advert in future editions of the newsletter which is published three times a year then please contact me. Foveran Community Council looks after the interest of the residents of Newburgh, Foveran, Udny Station and Cultercullen, and everything in between. We act as a focal point where you can bring to our attention matters that may concern you. Elected councillors from Aberdeenshire Council normally also attend our meetings which are open to all. Agenda’s for the meetings and minutes of the meetings are available on line at www.formartinecommunitycouncils.co.uk A list of community councillors and scheduled meeting dates is on the back page This newsletter would not be possible without the support of the companies who advertise in it, so please consider them when thinking of making a purchase. There are three subjects that come up at every meeting we have, and these in no particular order are: Dog Fouling Litter Speeding All of the above are under the control of you the reader, and we would urge you to: Pick up your dog mess, and deposit in a litter bin or take it home with you. Please do not bag it then throw the bag away! Do not litter our beautiful countryside and beaches with cigarette packets and “fast food take away” litter. Drive sensibly through our villages, sometimes even 30 mph is too fast if children are playing. Newburgh The Christmas lights would not be possible without the generosity of the residents and groups who contribute for new lights and the upkeep of the older ones, I do not intend to name names, but you know who you are and we thank you. The lights were electrically PAT tested by Tony Tortolano of TT Electrical Services, and were erected by Keith Watson of K.F. Watson Electrical and Martin McKenzie of Romar. The Christmas tree this year was funded by donations from Nicer Newburgh Group , Corner Café, Foveran Church, and the Newburgh Gala Committee. The switching on off the Christmas tree lights will be at 16.00 (4pm) on Sunday 30th November with a choir from Newburgh Mathers School in support. Major projects in the last 12 months have seen the replacement of the Butchers Bridge, and the opening of the Foveran Community Sports Hub at Gallowshill. Foveran New 5 a side goals are on order, the nets have been supplied free by Aberdeen Football Club. The flooding at the A90 cannot be rectified at present due to the unsafe condition of the embankment. Cultercullen Liz Hancock has volunteered to join the Community Council to ensue the needs of Cultercullen are taken into account. She will be officially co-opted on to the Council at our next meeting on 26th November. She can be contacted on 01651 842813 Udny Station The Udny Station lights will be switched on 23rd November at 6PM by Santa, who will be helped by Jamie Tuckwell who won the Christmas Card Design Competition. The Muffin and Crumpet Site has been visited by inspectors from Aberdeenshire Council, but it is not considered dangerous, however we would urge parents not to let there children play in the site. General Formartine Partnership run a Formartine Beginning to Blossom competition for Schools in the area, and we would urge primary schools to enter this competition. Formartine Football Club at Pitmedden have a bus which is available for use by groups with a suitable driver, when they are not using it. Glen Douglas EDITOR’S NOTE Thank you everyone for your contributions. If you’d like to write something for the April edition, please may I have it by the 9th of March 2015. You can email it to me, send it by post or ring and tell me what you want to say. If you get the Ansafone, please leave your name and number and I’ll get back to you. [email protected] Mrs Janet Jones, South Minnes, Newburgh. Ellon. AB41 6BB. 01358 742304 If you would like to place an advertisement, please contact: Glen Douglas, 23 Eider Road, Newburgh. AB41 6FD. Tel: 01368 789761 [email protected] The rates for the last edition in 2014 and two issues in 2015 are: £60 for a full page, £30 for a ½ page, £15 for a ¼ page and £7.50p for 1/8th of a page. Please remember to include your name, full postal address and phone number when submitting an advertisement and let us know in how many issues you’d like it to appear. There are three newsletters a year. If changes to an existing advertisement are needed, let us know by the end of February 2015. You will receive one invoice and payment in full is required before publication. It can be in cash, by cheque or bank transfer. If by bank transfer, please ring Glen or email him when the transfer is completed. Tips: If possible, compose an advertisement without any colour in it and, ideally, in Word. I don’t have lots of posh programmes on my computer and converting some of the more complicated ones to make them compatible with the Newsletter can be difficult so keep it simple – please. Also, if you want a ¼ page advert, make it ‘portrait’ and not ‘landscape’ as one in ‘landscape’ is difficult to fit into the page. Notes from Councillor Richard Thomson A Farewell To The Chief Executive The recruitment process is underway to find a new Chief Executive for Aberdeenshire Council following the announcement by the current Chief Executive, Colin Mackenzie, that he is to retire at the end of the year. Colin, who has spent almost 42 years in public service, was appointed Chief Executive in 2008 from his former role as the council’s Director of Housing and Social Work. Since my election in 2012, I’ve always found Colin to be enormously effective and in complete command of his position as Chief Executive. I’ve had reason to be grateful to him on a few occasions for the support he’s been able to offer me in my duties as a councillor. There’s no doubt in my mind that he leaves a very big pair of shoes to fill. I’m sure that all the local councillors would want to join me in wishing Colin and his family well for the future. The next few years are going to be challenging ones for councils across Scotland, with Aberdeenshire alone needing to find several million pounds worth of budget savings. Inevitably, that’s going to involve trying to do more with less and taking a look at new ways of delivering existing services, while preserving the public sector ethos in all that we do. That’s going to require strong leadership and decision making from councillors, as well as effective implementation from council officials. As one of the councillors involved in the recruitment process for a new Chief Executive, I am looking forward to hearing from our applicants how they plan to help deliver on our vision to make Aberdeenshire the very best it can be. Housing Development As most people will now no doubt be aware, the Formartine Area Committee decided at its September meeting to reject an application to build 49 houses in Newburgh just off Knockhall Road. Having been in support of the earlier ‘masterplan’ for the site which set out the general principles of development, I had expected to be able to support the plans which would eventually come forward. However, although I found the measures being proposed and the conditions from planners to help reduce the risk of future flooding reassuring, in the end I wasn’t satisfied that the proposed road access arrangements were good enough. Anyone who knows Newburgh will understand that Main Street is a difficult enough road to drive or walk along at the best of times. Having a direct access from any new development on this site onto School Road as well as Knockhall Road is in my view a must. Although the matter can still go through the appeals process to the Scottish Government Reporter, I would hope very much that the concerns expressed by councillors on the day will be taken on board by the applicant and reflected in any future application. New Bridge I was very pleased to see the new ‘Butchers Bridge’ being put into place over the summer. The previous bridge had reached a state of such dilapidation that it really was beyond repair. Although there were delays in getting the bridge in place, it’s there now and that’s what matters. I hope that it is able to serve the people of Newburgh and beyond for many years to come in helping to enjoy the local environment. The new Butcher’s Bridge was opened on the 5th of November by Jill Webster, Lord Provost of Aberdeenshire. L-R: Donald McPherson (Structures Manager), Jill Webster (Provost), Isobel Davidson (Councillor), Gillian Owen (Councillor), Bob Merson (Councillor), Elaine Brown (Area Manager Formartine), Richard Thomson (Councillor), Mark Mitchell (Area Project Office) Phil Anderson Financial Services has been voted one of the Top Rated Independent Financial Advisers (IFAs) in the UK on consumer ratings site VouchedFor.