NMCC 2005 (495-509)

 

PARISH OF NEW MACHAR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

 

Minutes of a Meeting of the Council held on

Thursday 27th January 2005

 

Members:

 

Mr Fergus Hood                 (Chairman) [FH]     Mr Alexander Buchan                   [AB]

Mr Mike Taylor                   (Secretary)  [MT]     Mr Robert Loughridge                  [RL]

Mrs Fiona Duncan               (Treasurer) [FD]     Mrs Moira Lee                              [ML]

Prof Roy Bridges            (Minute Sec.)  [RB]      Mr Graham Geddes                   [GraG]

Mr Gordon Murray                               [GM]

 

In attendance ex officio:  Councillor Dr Martin Ford [CllrF]

 

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

 

Apologies were recorded for: Mr Gordon Murray

 

In attendance as visitor(s): Mr Richard Page

 

Minutes

      The Minutes of the meeting held on 25th November 2004 were accepted as a correct record.

 

495. Youth Project (See Minute 489)

              (i) In view of Mr Ewan Smith’s continued indisposition, Ms Amanda Hampton had taken responsibility for Community Education’s youth work in Newmachar

              ii) The portacabin due to be erected had been accidentally destroyed by RB Farquhar             Ltd but an alternative wou8ld be provided.  £10,000 needed to be spent on the       project before the end of March or the funding would be lost.

 

496.    Road Gritting (See Minute 492 viii)

              Mr Tom Mitchell had written on the possibility of employing local farmers to keep             unclassified rural roads open.  AB would respond giving NMCC’s views

 

497.    Library Hours  (See Minute 492 vii)

              Mr Gerald Moore of AC had responded to NMCC’s request for restoration of the         Library hours by saying funding problems made this impossible.  NMCC resolved to            keep this matter alive and CllrF promised to find out about the possibilities of a later             review.

 

498.    Police Matters

            FH reported that he had consulted Inspector Pratt about a spate of window breaking          and damage to the Christmas decorations.  More patrols were promised on Friday        and       Saturday nights and a continued clamp down on under-age drinkers and troublesome             under 12s.

 

499.    Community Hall  (See Minute 488)

              (i) Note was taken of the record made by ML at the meeting of 29 user groups. (Copy      attached to the principal copy of these minutes.)

              (ii) GraG reported that an architect had been helping with the planning of a possible               new community hall but it was unreasonable to expect the investment of great time   and effort unless it were certain that the project would go ahead.

              (iii)  FH and GraG pointed out that the alternative Community School option could    not be delivered at best until five years had passed; that it would probably not be able     to deliver the possibility of three or four uses going on contemporaneously; and that           it could not deliver all that the user groups had pointed out as being desirable from              their various points of view.

              (iv) NMCC noted that AC’s Twenty-First Century Schools Improvement programme       allocated £9.2m to New Machar School and mentioned seven possible options.[1]  But         it was a ‘Level One’ type project with no possibility of its being started within the next            twelve months.  RL wondered whether the options were all real ones given the               constraints imposed by the available land.

              (v) It was reported that a ‘stakeholder’ consultation on the School would be held in           February; AC would then write to everyone and circulate the forms for an indicative   ballot.  Subsequently, a new consultative meeting would be held.

              (vi) On connected planning gain issues, see Minute 503 (ii), below.

 

500.    Garioch Area Plan 2004-2007

              NMCC noted the Plan and the invitation from the Area Manager to offer comments             and additions.  It was agreed to mention Monykebbock Burial Ground, the Straloch    Mausoleum, business facilities at Kingseat, the extension of health care facilities and            sites for the School all as detailed in the reponse reproduced as the Addendum to this               Minute, below.

 

501.    Garioch Forum  (See Minute 486)

              The report on the meeting of 2nd December 2004 from RB was as follows

              (i) Good information was provided on Scottish Water plans etc; they are willing to    meet community councils;

              (ii) There is now website access to all planning applications and plans can be downloaded;

              (iii) The Forum’s report on planning procedures was finalised and will be widely                 circulated;

              (iv) Objections to the complete closing of roads for minor repairs etc would be passed           on to relevant committees of Aberdeenshire Council.

              (v) The Association of Scottish Community Councils was reported to be seeking, inter           alia, direct funding for community councils from the Scottish Executive and a          unified scheme for community councils for the whole of Scotland.

 

502     Lock-up Garages (See Minute 482)

              NMCC found it needed more information on what uses were possible under AC rules              for presently unused garages; CllrF promised to investigate.

 

503.    Kingseat  (See Minute 490)

              (i) CllrF reported that the Section 75 Agreement had been signed and planning            permission given by AC.  However, one wayleave problem remained.

              (ii) It was confirmed that, potentially, there was available for possible Community Hall           Project use £95K plus £50K ‘compensation’ for Kingseat United FC’s ground (which would have to be used for sports facilities).  This, plus the £19K already available from             the Kirk Park development plus interest, means £165K could be available.

 

504.    Church Extension (See Minute 491)

              It was noted that the Sheriff Court had given permission for disinterments to be     carried out.  When the project could begin remained unclear.

 

505.    Parkhill Park and Ride and the Western Peripheral Route (See Minute 492 vi)

              (i) Mr Richard Page was invited to explain his worries about the latest plans which he              understood to involve a new route for the A947 from the Swailend turning to Parkhill.         He and his neighbours at Little Goval would be adversely affected by a proposed new          roundabout and by an apparent failure to take into account existing roads and access         points in the vicinity.

              (ii)  CllrF said that the plans were a Scottish Executive affair and AC was not officially           aware of what was going on.  Moreover the Scottish Executive did not need planning         permission from AC.  The Executive had promised a briefing on 3rd February.  [It was       subsequently learned that the briefing would be postponed.]

              (iii)  Mr Page was invited to put his views in writing so that NMCC could decide how         to act.

              (iv)  CllrF remarked that the timetable for the WPR and connected projects like the            one under discussion was slipping and he doubted whether 2010 was achievable.

 

506.    Aberdeenshire Council Matters

            (i) Closing of roads (Minute 492 x).  The response to the Garioch Forum’s             representations will be awaited.

              (ii) Provision of walkways on Disblair Road in the Village.  No report was available as             yet.

              (iii) Budget Briefing papers 5, 6, and 7 were available.  CllrF said the financial position          of AC was difficult but not horrendous.

              (iv)  The Executive’s auditors had made a good report on AC’s efficiency.

 

507.    Request for Minutes and Visit to Scottish Parliament (See Minutes 493 & 494)

              RB reported on his visit where he had raised questions about the status and standing of              community councils.  Mrs Milne MSP had been provided with NMCC minutes as she               had requested but there was no discernible result.

 

508.    Web Site

              Following Mr Dave Lee’s suggestion that the NMCC web site should be revamped  and         include pages for various local organisations in addition to NMCC itself, it was agreed             that a new webmaster should be advertised for in the next issue of the Newsletter.  If              someone were forthcoming, the whole question could be aired again.

 

509.    Correspondence

            (i) It was noted that Mr Fowell would attend the April meeting of NMCC. Further             communications were noted as received: (ii) Grampian Fire Board; (iii) Wind Energy Development Policy (RB to report); (iv) Aberdeenshire Sports Council; (v) Co-operative        Group Committee Structure (RB to report); (vi) Rights of Appeal in planning matters               (RL to report).

 

 

There being no further business, the meeting was declared closed at 2130

 

The date of the next meeting was agreed as Thursday 24th February 2005

 

Addendum to Minute 500: the Response to the Garioch Area Plan from NMCC

 

GARIOCH AREA PLAN 2004-2007

 

The attached plan was approved by the Garioch Area Committee on 9th November 2004 and sets out its priorities for the Area for the coming year together with an indication of proposed actions in later years.  Your comments on the Plan would be appreciated and in particular your responses to the following questions:-

 

1.           What other current actions or projects should have been included?

 

In the Sustainable Environment section, the Community Council would have expected there to be some mention of two heritage-connected projects which we assumed, following our submissions, that Aberdeenshire supported.  These are the repair and maintenance of the Monykebbock Burial Ground and the Straloch Mausoleum in the New Machar Church kirkyard.

 

Under Jobs and the Economy, the Community Council would have expected to see some reference to the provision of business facilities as part of the Kingseat development.

 

 

                                                                                                                                                (Cont.-)

 

 

2.           What suggestions do you have for next year’s plan?

 

Under Community Well-Being, it would be sensible to plan to extend and improve the facilities for health care in Newmachar, especially in view of the likely increase in population as the Kingseat housing project gets under way.

 

With further reference to the question of business facilities as part of the Kingseat project, the Community Council points out that the building of the Northern extension of the Western Peripheral Route may provide opportunities for such developments.  In general, the Community Council favours any measures which encourage local employment opportunities and counter the trend for Newmachar to become no more than a dormitory suburb.

 

Given its concerns about the refurbishment, rebuilding or replacement of the present New Machar School buildings, the possibility of a community school arrangement or a stand alone community hall, the Community Council believes that there may be questions about the provision of sites for these developments.

 

 

3.           How readable and user friendly did you find the document?

 

The map on page 2 of the Plan document is very poor and inadequate but, otherwise, the presentation is attractive.  The arrangement of the material seems generally sensible and the prose style acceptable.  There is a split infinitive at one point and the syntax in the preamble to this questionnaire form is not above reproach but many public documents these days are much worse in such respects.

 

NAME OF COMMUNITY COUNCIL:  Newmachar Community Council

 

Completed Forms should be returned to: Ian Fowell, Area Manager, Gordon House,

                                                                        Blackhall Road, Inverurie, AB51 3WA.

 

 

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[1]  Retention of existing School building; refurbishment of the existing School without community option;  refurbishment with community hall added; build new school on existing site without community hall; new school with community hall; a new school on a new site without community hall; new school on new site with community hall.