NMCC 2008-2009 (980-992)

 

PARISH OF NEW MACHAR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

 

Minutes of a Meeting of the Council held on

Thursday, 26th February 2009

 

Members:

 

Mr Mike Taylor  ( Chair 2008-9 &Sec)  [MT]     Mr Alexander Buchan                  [AB]

Mrs Fiona Duncan               (Treasurer) [FD]     Mr Martin Morley, JP                   [MM]

Prof Roy Bridges             (Minute Sec.)   [RB]     Mrs Pamela Young                        [PY]

Mr Gordon Murray                                [GM]    Mr Robert Loughridge                  [RL]

Ms Lyn Lockhart  (co-pted)                     [LL]

 

In attendance ex officio:  Councillors Dr Martin Ford [CllrMF]; Nan Culllinane [CllrNC] and Fergus Hood [CllrFH]

 

Abbreviations: AC = Aberdeenshire Council;  NMCC = Newmachar Community Council

 

Apologies were recorded for: Cllrs Cullinane and Hood; Mr Loughridge; Lynn Lockhart; PC David Calvert; MS Annette Holland

 

In attendance as visitor(s):  Mr Dave Lee.

 

Minutes

            The Minutes of the meeting of 15th January 2009 were accepted as a correct record subject          to the substitution in 972 of Ali Farquhar for ‘Ali Parker’.

 

980.     Ms Lynn Lockhart

            It was reported by PY that Lynn Lockhart had been forced by family commitments to     resign her place on the Community Council.  This decision was accepted with regret and          the Council recorded its appreciation of Lynn’s service.

 

981.     Local Development Plan (See Minute 975)

            (i) It was noted that NMCC’s general views on development possibilities had been taken             into account by AC.

            (ii) The Structure Plan had now gone on line and the statutory period for consultation   would last for eight weeks from the 27th inst.  Although there had been some changes of    detail, the basic strategy remained unchanged.  CllrMF said that his personal view was that   the Plan was good but he believed the guarantees on infrastructure could have been             stronger.

            (iii) MT reported that some of the potential developers had been getting in touch with him        with a view to explaining their plans to NMCC.  He had responded cautiously because of         the danger that developers might believe that appearing before NMCC implied           endorsement of their plans.  This was in a situation where AC was, in fact, advising             potential developers to enter a dialogue with community councils and other local groups.           Debate ensued on whether NMCC should invite developers to explain their ideas.  It was   argued that this would give NMCC a chance to influence the development plans            themselves and a chance to garner sufficient information to influence AC’s decisions on        which projects to accept or reject.

            (iv) It was finally agreed to invite developers to attend one of NMCC’s March, April or May        meetings and within half an hour present a summary of their plans and hear NMCC’s            own general views on preconditions for developments in the community area.

 

982.     Youth Project (See Minute 971)

            It was reported that Planning permission difficulties had now been sorted out.

 

983.     Community Hall (See Minute 960)

            GM reported that the Community Hall Association Committee had lost a member leaving        only three on the Committee.  It was hoped that the General Meeting on 5th March would           produce more willing to serve.

 

984.     Quarrying at Greendams (See Minute 970)

            CllrFH had reported by e-mail that no planning application related to Greendams was live.         MM and AB both thought activity was proceeding and a check needed to be made by AC.

 

985.     Notice Board  (See Minute 972)

            PY reported that the guttering above the notice board needed repair before attempts were           made to repair the notice board structure itself.

 

986.     2009 Election (See Minute 973)

            RB undertook to arrange with the Editor for nomination forms and information about the        Election to appear in the impending Spring issue of Newmachar News.  He also agreed to fix             the polling date with the Returning Officer for a day in late June.  Nomination forms          would also be made available in the Post Office, in the Library and on-line via the NMCC website.

 

987.     Aberdeenshire Council Matters

            (i) CllrMF reported that AC’s Budget did not involve any rise in Council Tax because AC          had accepted a compensatory grant from Government to make this possible.  This did   mark, it was noted, a further erosion of local responsibility.  £1.65m was available to recruit   three more planners so that the pressure on that Department would be eased.  Almost all          services which had been available in 2008-9 would continue to be          available but the longer- term outlook was less rosy with c. £7m less coming in each year in      the three years from       2010.

            (ii) The new Housing Director was Mr Richard Johnson.

            (iii) The bus service to and from Kingseat (See Minute 976 iii) remained unable to be      started because of unmade roads on the site.  Manor Kingdom had not yet responded to     representations made to them on the matter.

 

988.     Christmas Lights (See Minute 979)

            It was not clear whether the concession made by Scotia covered all lights and therefore   ended any need for garage renting.

 

 

 

989.     Traffic Matters

            It was reported that AC had undertaken a Newmachar Traffic Management Review.  As a            result a traffic order will be issued to extend the 30 mph limit west to cover the vicinity of    the football field and similarly westwards along Corseduick Road. The No Waiting area in         the centre of the village will be extended.  However, there would not be a ‘transitional’     40mph zone north of the village as several people had hoped.

 

990.     Garioch Forum  (See Minute 977)

            The Forum has been told that NMCC considers the Forum useful as a means of contact             with Aberdeenshire and other public bodies on issues which concern all community             councils and as a means of acting collectively when that is appropriate.  It has also been       told that NMCC believes more statutory powers should be given to community councils,           especially in planning matters and that more help should be given at the time of             elections or other occasions where publicity is desirable; it wishes the Forum to press these            issues.

 

991.     ‘Eco-Congregation’ Plans

            It was reported that members of Newmachar Church were organising a team of people who        would try to clean up the area by sweeping up rubbish etc until the orderly appointed by    AC began work in the Summer.

 

992.     Correspondence

            Information on Aberdeenshire Sports awards had been received and the Rural Scotland newsletter.

 

There being no further business the meeting closed at 2140.

 

The next meeting will be on Thursday, 26th March 2009.

 

 

Note

 

A report on Police matters submitted by PC David Calvert has been incorporated in the Spring issue of Newmachar News.