You’ll need to have the time to give us 2 hours a month to come to our meetings, and some extra time each month to work on things that need doing between times.

Our meetings take place on the third Wednesday of each month, 6.30-8.30pm at St Charles’ Primary School in Kelvinside Gardens.

You’ll also need to be a local resident. You can see the boundaries of the North Kelvin Area here: NKCC boundary map.

We’ve identified four issues that we want to improve in the local area this year:

• traffic, parking and cycling
• activities and facilities for young people
• recycling, rubbish and composting
• the health of our local high streets

If you think you can help us with these issues, or you have other issues that you would like to work on, why not join? If you want to find out more, email me at chair@northkelvincc.org.uk and we can have a chat about it.

The North Kelvin Community Council needs you!

Kate Wooding – Chair

Jim is a regular attender at our Community Council meetings, and has tirelessly dealt with issues in the local area. He’s been a fantastic local Councillor and we wanted to thank him for his hard work and dedication over the last thirteen years. Peter Blackshaw, our Secretary, presented him with a small token of our thanks.

Jim is not standing for re-election in the forthcoming local elections, but we wish him well and are sure that he will find plenty of things to occupy his time!

Peter thanks Cllr Jim Mackechnie for his hard work on behalf of the Canal ward

It was the first time weʼd organised a community clean up, and we werenʼt sure how many people would come. It was a beautiful afternoon, which we hoped would help! Gradually the crowd increased as we were joined by local residents. In the end a  magnificent 27 people turned out, all willing to help.

Weʼd been approached by George, a local resident, some months before when heʼd let us know how bad the dumping and rubbish had become, and asked if there was anything we could do to help. Because the lane is a private lane, the Council wonʼt take responsibility for the clearing and maintenance of it, and so it had become a real mess. As a Community Council we were keen to do something active about the problem, and felt that a Community Clean Up would be just the thing.

Oban Lane runs down the hill between Fergus and Oban Drives, and into Queen Margaret Drive. Itʼs split in the middle, so you can only access the bottom bit from Queen Margaret Drive, and the top bit from half way up Oban Drive. On the day we focused on the bottom bit of the lane. We picked up litter, cut back overgrown brambles and bushes, felled nettles, and cleared all the rubbish that had been dumped in the lane over the years – old Christmas trees, bricks, bits of wood, and assorted bits of machinery. You can see from the photos below the state of the lane before we started – and how much rubbish we cleared!

With 27 willing pairs of hands we managed to clear the whole bottom end of the lane in 2 hours, and left all the rubbish for collection by Glasgow City Council.

With just a short break for welcome refreshments on such a warm day we really appreciated all that help, and itʼs great to know that people in the local community do care. We are going to tackle the top of the lane next (the bit that is accessed from Oban Drive).

Weʼve also decided to invite a representative from Glasgow City Council along to one of our monthly meetings, to explain to us about the ownership of the lanes in the North Kelvin area, and help us to understand how they can be better maintained. Look out for the posters on lamp-posts and in local shops where weʼll advertise the meeting, as you can come along if youʼre interested.

Thanks to George for starting the whole process, Carol for bringing along everything that we needed to clean up the lane safely, the North Kelvin Meadow campaign for donating shears, loppers and a wheelbarrow, Glasgow City Council for collecting all the rubbish that we cleared, and to the 27 people who volunteered their afternoons – we couldnʼt have done it without you!

Douglas Peacock (DP), Jane Morgan (JM), Julia Macpherson (JMac), Cameron

Macfarlane (CM), Rachel Morley (RM) Ian Stoddart (IS), Laura Barton (LB)

Attending: Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMcK)

Apologies: Gordon Barnes (GB), Rona Wilkinson (RW)

1. Welcome, introductions, apologies:

Attendees and apologies confirmed

2. Police Report:

No police report provided as officers not in attendance.

3. Planning issue (QMD retail outlet):

KW confirmed that issue in question is an application for a Hot Food Takeaway in currently unoccupied, newly built unit on Queen Margaret Drive, which had originally been granted planning permission for a Retail unit.

JM advised that it is possible for NKCC to comment or object on grounds including the potential increase in related noise, litter, and illegal parking, but not on the grounds of competition with existing businesses, and that any comments must be submitted to Planning Officer by 20/12/2012.

JMcK suggested that NKCC may also legitimately comment on grounds of protecting residential amenity under Rule SC11 of City Plan 2, as quantity of Hot Food shops (including cafes and takeaways should not exceed 20% of total units, which would appear to be the case in Queen Margaret Drive. JMcK confirmed that there are also issues with altering premises from Class 1 (Retail) to Class 3 (Hot Food Shop) before unit has ever been occupied.

JM noted that much of the newly built housing in and around the unit are not yet occupied and potential residents do not therefore have any opportunity to take a view on this application.

DP informed that there may also be issues with the application due to the proximity of the unit to nearby childrens playgrounds, as there are rules restricting the existence of Hot Food Takeaways within 400 yards of playgrounds. It was noted that further clarification may be required in order to ascertain whether this related to any public playground or school and/or nursery playgrounds only.

RM, CM, JMac and LB confirmed no strong feelings in respect of submitting objection.

JM noted concerns in respect of noise and amenity.

PB also noted concerns in respect of overprovision of Hot Food Takeaways and potential for increased illegal parking.

Vote was taken over decision to submit objection and motion was carried on basis of 4 votes in favour, 0 votes against, and 5 abstentions. JM therefore agreed to submit objection on behalf of NKCC.

4. 2012 Issues, brainstorming, and plenary:

Members split into two groups to discuss issues with one group focusing on Local Retailers and Traffic & Parking, and the other on Young People & QMD football pitches and Recycling. Each group identified problems, solutions and actions before feeding back to the whole meeting.

Feedback on Traffic & Parking:

Problem: School Parking and related congestion around St Charles Primary School.

Solution/Action: KW, JM and JMcK to meet with St Charles Primary School to discuss suggestions for potential solutions.

Problem: Traffic Speed.

Solution/Action: NKCC to survey community to identify particular problem areas and gather opinion on proposed solutions before having discussions with Glasgow City Council (GCC) Traffic Officers.

Problem: Illegal parking on double yellow lines outside TESCO causing obstruction to buses.

Solution/Action: NKCC to investigate scale of problem by surveying community to identify problem areas and approaching bus companies for information. NKCC to raise issue with GCC.

KW invited comments on additional issues on this topic.

RM suggested NKCC encourage cycling through promotion of increase in cycle lanes and other cycle friendly measures.

CM commented that potholes on Oban Drive and Fergus Drive cause difficulty for drivers and present potential risks of accidents. It was noted that these potholes create a major disincentive to increased cycling as they present particular safety risks for cyclists.

JMcK confirmed that GCC continue to investigate and repair roads on a citywide basis and that Oban Drive is on the list of streets to be repaired.

KW informed that websites exist to provide information on roads which are particularly affected by potholes and NKCC could aim to promote awareness of these sites.

Feedback on Recycling:

Problems: Low Recycling rates in Glasgow. Lack of clarity over items which can/cannot be recycled, and availability of recycling facilities.

Solution/Action: NKCC to raise awareness of recycling facilities within local area by putting up posters and utilising NKCC website, as well as creating NKCC Social Media accounts to further increase ability to outreach. NKCC to approach GCC to request information is provided in respect of what items can/cannot be recycled in Blue Bins and other facilities provided.

IS commented that many people do not use the Blue Bins currently provided for recycling and suggested the development of a main, communal recycling area within the North Kelvin area. Other members commented that their Blue Bins were well used and it was noted that there may be different levels of use of Blue Bins between individual flats. This was followed by discussion around whether it may be more feasible and/or desirable to encourage people to use existing facilities.

Feedback on Local Retailers:

Problem: Some shopping areas are not aesthetically pleasing and/or do not provide desired amenity.

Solution/Action: Improve utility and attractiveness of shopping areas through inviting local retailers to join a forum, promote installation of bicycle racks, CCTV and raised pavements. Approach TESCO to enquire about potential financial contributions to improvements through Social Responsibility budgets.

Problem: High Turnover of retailers and high level of vacant shops.

Solution/Action: Investigate potential to use empty units for Pop-Up shops, community advice centre, charity shops, etc. Approach individual landlords to assess viability of these suggestions.

Feedback on Young People & QMD Pitches:

Problem: Lack of representation on NKCC and related lack of knowledge over needs of young people in local area.

Solution/Action: Contact local youth groups to identify views of young people. Greater utilisation of Social Media/Networking in order to engage young people.

Problem: No release of available funding for improvements of QMD pitches before sale of North Kelvin Meadow.

Solution/Action: Contact GCC to enquire about available funding and future plans for development. Encourage release of any existing funds prior to any potential sale of North Kelvin Meadow. Contact Wyndford Community Council to discuss ideas for joint action.

KW noted the need to clarify delegated actions and to decide on which order to address these, as well as agreeing the amount of time to devote to each issue.

It was agreed that decisions will be taken in respect of these issues at next meeting.

5. Community Clean Up

JM provided all members with copy of project plan/task list for community clean up.

KW volunteered to take on role of identifying equipment required and contacting GCC to arrange for delivery and collection of this.

JM and KW confirmed they would contact resident who originally suggested clean up to arrange site visit in order to determine required actions and necessary equipment.

JM suggested 24^th or 25^th of March 2012 as possible dates for clean up but will survey availability of all NKCC members before confirming date.

DP suggested that Gabe at Clean Glasgow (part of GCC) would be the best person to contact to obtain necessary equipment.

6. Training

KW requested that all new NKCC members confirm CC email account as per email sent by GB.

KW requested that all members respond to email regarding availability for training session on CC email and Google Docs, which will last for approximately 1 hour at Queens Cross Housing Association.

7. Councillors’ Report

JMcK confirmed no other issues other than planning application for Hot Food Takeaway in empty unit on Queen Margaret Drive discussed earlier during this meeting.

8. CC General Business

Planning Officers Report: No further issues.

Treasurer’s Report: Current Bank Balance is £1165.25

Webmaster’s Report: N/A. GB not present.

9. Next CC Discussion Forum

It was confirmed that next CC Discussion Forum is to be confirmed.

10. Correspondence

PB informed that the new manager of ASPIRE (Homeless Person’s Unit) on Queen Margaret Drive has requested to attend the next NKCC meeting.

PB informed that Training courses on using Microsoft Excel and Minute Taking are available for NKCC members. It was agreed that neither course was required at present.

PB informed that Glasgow Life have invited NKCC representative to attend meeting at 6:30pm on 29/02/2012 at Kelvin Hall, in relation to progress on refurbishment of the Bandstand. IS advised he may be able to attend.

PB informed that various training courses are available from ISCO at a cost of £52 and £90. It was agreed that available courses are not required at present.

11. AOB

PB advised that local residents have raised issues with him about bin collections as individual flats are occasionally missed during these collections.

JMcK confirmed that this is a problem which can and does occur on occasion.

KW proposed that members of community should be encouraged to raise any individual complaints to GCC directly in the first instance, although NKCC could take up issues if individual complaints are unsuccessful. This was agreed by other members present.

12. Approval of minutes, Matters arising, next minute taker, agenda of next meeting.

KW proposed minutes of previous meeting and CM seconded these.

No matters arising.

KW appointed as minute taker for next meeting (RM to chair).

13. Next Meeting Date

Next meeting scheduled for Wednesday, 21^st March, 2012.

Wednesday 18 January 2012 at 6:30pm
St. Charles School

Members present: Kate Wooding (Chair- KW), Peter Blackshaw (PW), Douglas Peacock (DP), Jane Morgan (JM), Julia Macpherson (JMac), Cameron Macfarlane (CM), Rachel Morley (RM)Ian Stoddart (IS), Rona Wilkinson (RW), Laura Barton (LB)

Attending: Councillor Mackechnie (JMcK);,

Apologies: Gordon Barnes (GB),

Introduction:

Kate welcomes the 3 new members onto the Community Council.

Police Report.

1. PC Holly Canning and PC David Dundas both from Beat 70 attended and submitted their report. In Summary the big issue was thefts. Such as attempted break in, and bike thefts.
2. There were 78 Crimes in the last Month, 32 of which were detected leaving 46 undetected.
3. Breaking these figures down further shows there were 5 assaults, 2 of which were serious, both being detected. There were 19 House Break in, 2 robberies of the person, 4 street drinking crimes (doesn’t inc fixed penalty notices), 10 of vandalism, 10 Road Traffic crimes, 2 drugs, 2 Toilet in a public place.
4. Officers believe CCTV would be warranted based on this level of crime which has been high in this area for some time. There isn’t one street or area that has the focus of crime but its recognized that Queen Margret Drive (QMD) is the central route through the area. And for that reason the Officers would recommend CCTV being fixed on that street. Where would be down to discussion with the community which the officers would give advice on if it was thought a likely hood of installing this. They also said mobile CCTV has been an effected option in other places and would recommend all CCTV being able to swivel 360 degrees.
5. Officers pointed out further stats are available on the local Police website.

Planning Presentation

1. Jane gave a presentation on Planning within Glasgow.
2. What is a Planning issue and what isn’t.
3. How decisions are made and by who. With reference to the City Plan and how consultations make they’re way into this document. There was no right of 3^rd party appeal.
4. Calling in to the Scottish Minister was also discussed.

Issues and Ideas

1. Kate opened the discussion. The following put their names down to help drive forward action on these topics:

Young People – Cameron & Laura

Traffic – Ian & Jane

Recycling – Douglas & Rona

Retailers – Kate & Julia

It was decided at the next Meeting we’d break into groups as per above and brain storm the topics . The output of this would be to come up with a Plan and how to action it. Kate stated this wouldn’t be expected to happen in one meeting but would take a while and some topics would be easier and quicker than others than might need more research.

It was decided that after this initial “work group” session. One person from each group would summarize where they were at and tell the rest of the Community Council. It was felt that members would probably have to meet and talk through their topics with their colleagues in the weeks and months after this meeting.

The above Topics are still open to be added to and people can add themselves onto other topics in the future.

Julia mentioned that the Recycling should also include Composting. This was agreed.

Community Clean Up of Oban Lane

1. George Mitchell was the resident who asked for this. It was decided we should as a Community Council organize this. It has been an action outstanding for a long time. After discussion on the nettle and bramble growth in summer months it was decided to have this event sometime at a weekend in March 2012.
2. Jane agreed to be the project lead for this.
3. Likely items to be actioned would be:
   1. Liaise with George Mitchell and ask his help to organize.
   2. Choose either a sat or sun in March without a major sporting event happening at the same time.
   3. Contact Clean Glasgow (Gabe) to supply gloves and litter pick up tools.
   4. Make up posters telling people of the event and distribute them to residents in the Oban Drive area as well as putting these posters up within the area.
   5. Update NKCC website with details of the Clean Up.
   6. Bake or buy cakes plus bring hot drinks in thermos.
   7. Commence event which would also be a way of letting people know about the Community Council.

Councilors Report by Jim Mackechnie

1. Winter Weather on Dec 5^th and 6^th caused issues on children getting to school. Issues on gritting as Oban Drive was closed. This was an unauthorized closure and is being investigated.
2. 60 steps is being refurbished which the Council are paying for. In 1976 the Council agreed it would “Keep Safe” the 60 steps but would not spend money on enhancing them. Members of the 60 steps are creating a fund for works that may be carried out in future. There will be a notice board at the top of the steps giving further details.
3. Jim stated that the ongoing discussions between New City Vision Ltd and the Council would mean a Planning application would be submitted very soon re the North Kelvin Meadow. He recognized this has been said before many times.
4. £170k has been allocated for lightning renovations on various streets. Expected streets to be included were: Clouston , Kelvin , Sanda , Mingarry and Hotspur streets.

Correspondence

1. Peter mentioned again the Concrete pavement issue on QMD which he stated had been getting worse.
2. Others issues were a Man hole cover and a tree that had blown down. It was agreed that the Tree issue was between private residents and not a Council matter.

Planning

Apart from an HMO request there were no planning issues raised.

Web Master

1. Personal emails are activated and GB would be sending an email shortly for new members to confirm this was OK.
2. A Training session would be organized for members.
3. Kate stated that google documents would begin to be used by the Community Council to enable it to share documents online.
4. Gordon has moved the NKCC website over to a new server which will give us greater control over updating etc.
5. It was agreed we would doubly up email addresses for those that have “named” titles such as Chairperson, Secretary, Treasurer etc. This would mean when people are on holiday / sick / busy community council business can still be carried on. Kate would start by allocating out those to pair up.

Treasurer Report

Current Bank balance is £1,173.25

Previous minutes of Meeting held on 16^th November 2011 were approved by Kate and seconded by Peter

A.O.B.

1. Julia & Peter will attend the next Community Council discussion Forum which is in 226 Parish Halls , George street and starts 8.50 – 9.20am
2. Rachel would like to tell us more details on a new way of Community Consultations via some information she has come across.
3. Kate will finalize the “Bike Poster” by emails with members.

Kate asked for any agenda items to be sent to her self in plenty of time for the next meeting. However the next meeting would mostly be taken up with the “Issues and Ideas “ working group breakout session.

Cameron to minute next meeting.

End

Next Meeting will be 6.30 pm Wednesday 15^th February at St Charles School.

Wednesday 16 November 2011 at 6:30pm
St. Charles School

Members present: Kate Wooding (Chair- KW), Peter Blackshaw (PW), Douglas Peacock (DP), Jane Morgan (JM), Julia Macpherson (JMc), Cameron Macfarlane (CM), Rachel Morley (RM)

Attending: Gordon Barnes (GB), Councillor Mackechnie (JMcK); Ian Stoddart, Rona Wilkinson, Laura Barton, Fiona Rintoul, Savanha Vivalis

Apologies: Ken Andrew

Police report

1. The community policing team reported on levels of crime in the area. Of note was an increase in crimes of dishonesty, accounted for by house break ins with the Murano Street area a particular concern. Extra patrols had been put in place. In response to a number of comments from members, police officers noted that any unusual and concerning behaviour should be reported. It was also agreed that placing posters in closes would be useful to, for example, warn about bike theft. Text would be prepared for agreement with the police (Action: KW )

2. The police officers noted that information on broad categories of crime (dishonesty, violence, road traffic) were available by ward on the Strathclyde Police web site (16 for NKCC) but more detailed information would only be given orally. (See subsequent discussion at 10 below.)

Recent issues dealt with by the Community Council

3. KW invited those who had been members of the CC prior to recent elections to update others present on issues taken up by NKCC. This included reports and updates on the North Kelvin Meadow, objections to liquor licenses and concerns about handling of CC objections and proposals (now not being pursued by the Council) for a traffic management order in the Kelvinside Gardens/Fergus Drive/Oban Drive vicinity. KW informed the meeting that the Council had invited the CC to meet with the school to pursue the CC’s proposals for non-statutory actions. ( Action: KW to arrange date) Members also noted that there was a determination to pursue, with local residents, lane clean-ups that had been intended but not achieved.

4. Savanha Vivalis alerted those present to her concern about elderly residents on steeper streets, eg Fergus Drive, finding it hard to get to local shops. She encouraged members to promote the dial a bus service.

Planning system

5. A presentation and discussion on the planning system had been intended but KW sought the meeting’s agreement to deferral until January given other business and technical difficulties. (Action JM)

Doing business by e-mail

6. The meeting discussed a proposal raised at previous meetings for doing business by e-mail. KW agreed to update her previous paper in the light of discussion that included new proposals such as “pairing” for officer roles so that problems do not arise in taking forward action when a member is unavailable. (Action KW) KW and GB also noted that training would be provided on CC e-mail arrangements and on document filing (Action GB).

Responsibilities

Additional members

7. Ian Stoddart and Rona Wilkinson expressed interest in becoming members of NKCC. PB agreed to ensure that they had necessary papers (Action PB). Laura Barton would also consider membership.

Local area committee (LAC) and community reference group

8. Members noted that NKCC was entitled to send a member to the LAC. While the nominee could not vote on business, he/she could present views of the CC. Amongst other things the LAC awards small grants to local organisations. Meetings are in the daytime making attendance difficult for most. KW agreed to be the first nominee at least in order to receive papers with JMc to be named as substitute. The Reference group provides a sounding board in relation to activities of the Community Planning Partnership and again KW agreed to receive papers.

Auditing of accounts

9. Members agreed to ask Des McNulty of 16 Kelvinside Gardens to perform this role.

Crime statistics

10. CM agreed to take forward the CC’s wish to record information provided by the police in a set of consistent categories in order that there could be comparison between entries.

Councillor’s report

11. JMcK reported that :

• he had taken action on litter bins in Oban Drive as requested
• Hotspur street playpark had been resurfaced but further work was necessary;missing equipment would be replaced
• hatching will be put in n place to try to deal with problems of parked cars blocking vision at Raeberry street; a hole had been filled on the same street;
• a recent survey of the 60 steps showed movement and a temporary repair involving concrete blocks would be necessary; there will then be a further survey to determine further action.

Reports

11. There were no planning items to report. The financial balance was just over £1,000.

Correspondence

12. PB alerted members to a number of items of correspondence including a Planning Aid seminar on the National Waste Plan which JM indicated she would attend. JMcK had objected to an application for a food van outside Firhill on match days and the CC agreed to do likewise.

Wednesday 21 September 2011 at 6:30pm
St. Charles School

Present: Dave Beavan (DB) (Chair); Ken Andrew (KA) (Vice-Chair); Janet Andrews (JA); Gordon Barnes (GB) (Website); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Kevin Edgar (KE); Liz Edgar (LE); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMacK); Jane Morgan (JM) (Planning Officer); Douglas Peacock (DP); Councillor Kieran Wild (KWi); Kate Wooding (KW) (Treasurer); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: Julia MacPherson (JMacP); Marion Mulholland (MM); Christine Sloan (CS)

Apologies: Susie Hallas (SH)

1.     Introduction and Welcome

DB welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked the members of the public for coming. DB also thanked KA for chairing the last meeting.

DB asked the Community Council members to introduce themselves.

2.     Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising

DB said he had received an email from Scott Downie (SD), who advised that following receipt of the Community Council’s letter of objection to the one-way system, all Councillors in the ward had been written to recommending the proposal be dropped and seeking their views. DB thanked JM for writing the Community Council’s report on alternatives to the one-way system and said he would forward this to SD and JMacK.

Action: DB to forward report on alternatives to the one-way system to SD and JMacK.

DB thanked KA for producing the Community Council logo.

The minutes of the August meeting were approved by KA and seconded by JM.

3.     Police Report

No Police were present at the meeting.

DB said he would chase up the statistics from the August meeting. KW agreed to circulate the template for the statistics.

Action: DB to contact the Police for the August statistics and KW to circulate statistics template to all Community Council members.

DB stated the Police should not attend the next meeting, as it is the Community Council AGM and elections.

JM reported the Police had turned up outside St. Charles School for a few days after the last meeting and they were proactive.

4.     Councillor’s Report

JMacK reported some action had been taken at the play park on Hotspur Street. JMacK said the bark under the play equipment has been replaced. However, hard tarmac had been poured into the holes in the rubber surface under the swings. This needs to come out and be repaired with rubber. JMacK confirmed the missing play equipment will be replaced and that there is going to be an ongoing issue with graffiti, which had been removed and has now returned.

JMacK said the Veteran’s Association had contacted him, asking if more could be done in relation to Lieutenant Jock Young. JMacK said Hillhead High School, Jock Young’s school, plan to work with the Kohima Educational Trust and raise £300 for a scholarship. This will allow a student from the Naga area of India to go to school for three years.

JMacK reported that at the Canal Area Committee meeting yesterday refuse collection had been discussed. In the period, 1 April 2010 – 31 March 2011 there had been 43 complaints about domestic refuge, 32 complaints about bulk uplift and 156 complaints about the blue bin collection. JMacK said he feels the figures under estimate the amount of dissatisfaction. JM said she was not getting notifications about these meetings, JMacK said he would check this out.

Action: JMacK to check why JM is not receiving information about the Canal Area Committee meetings.

KD asked whether the recent changes to refuse collection affects the bottle banks on the street. JMacK said street bins have a different cycle to households. LE reported the back doors of tenement closes were still not getting closed.

KA asked JMacK about the railings at the top of Fergus Drive/Kelvinside Gardens East. JMacK said they had been removed due to vandalism.

PB asked about the gap site on Wilton Street. JMacK reported that Mr Ali’s company had gone into liquidation. However, before going into voluntary liquidation he had signed over the assets to a relative. JMacK said the Procurator Fiscal is not prepared to say where they are with the investigation, they are still considering the case.

PB raised the issue of the pavement on Queen Margaret Drive. JMacK said the Roads Department had said on the last visit that it was not sufficiently dangerous to repair.

PB said the students have now returned and due to insufficient litterbins on Oban Drive, rubbish is being dropped on the ground. JMacK said he would investigate.

Action: JMacK to investigate the number of litterbins on Oban Drive.

JA reported that the AA is planning to carry out a pothole survey in October.

KWi said Glasgow City Council (GCC) along with Strathclyde Partnership for Transport intend to introduce a Statutory Quality Partnership Scheme for all bus companies operating on the major routes within Glasgow. This partnership will provide high quality low emission buses, bus priority measures along the routes and provide a frequent, reliable and high quality bus service. KWi said in the Community Council area, this would be implemented on Great Western Road and Maryhill Road.

5.     Planning Officer’s Report

JM said she had provided GB with a draft for the planning page on the website.

JM reported that Planning Aid do not offer a general course, but have one for Planning Officers, so she has signed up for this course.

JM said there was nothing of interest on the planning lists.

6.     Discussion on forthcoming Election

DB said the October meeting was the Community Council’s AGM and election of Community Council members. There are 13 places on the North Kelvin Community Council and PB reported that nomination forms had been received from eight residents, so there is no need for a secret ballot. DB encouraged the visitors to consider standing.

It has been advertised in the press that the AGM is taking place on 19 October, so it was agreed to reverse the decision from the previous meeting. PB to contact Stewart Burns at the Community Council Resource Centre (CCRC), to confirm details of the AGM. KW said she would confirm in writing the letting for the 19 October.

Action: PB to confirm details of the AGM with the CCRC and KW to confirm the room booking.

It was noted the term for a Community Council member is now four years instead of two. It was also noted that a Treasurer’s report would be needed for the AGM, which JMacK said would need to be audited.

7.     Information – website

GB said planning information would be going up on the website soon and asked that any responses re planning were forwarded to him, so he can upload everything collectively.

DB thanked GB for all his work over the last two years. GB reiterated that he was happy to continue to work on the website for a few months until a handover can take place.

8.     Treasurer’s Report

KW reported the account balance is £1,213.25.

KW said the direct debit had been transferred to Glasgow Life and this had caused problems, but she had contacted them and it is in hand.

KW said the bank account had been changed and it is now a Treasurer’s Account, which is part of Business Accounting. KW said the charges are explained in a brochure, which she did not receive. KW said she would get the brochure and check, as it looks like there might be charges, despite what they said previously.

Action: KW to get the brochure about the new account and check the situation with charges.

9.     Correspondence

PB said there would be a consultation on a Local Development Plan for Glasgow, KWi said this was City Plan 3. KWi suggested the Community Council might want to invite representatives for City Plan 3 to a Community Council meeting.

PB reported at the Community Council Discussion Forum meeting on 10 September there had been a discussion on the Licensing Board system. PB agreed to circulate the agenda for the next meeting in October to all Community Council members.

Action: PB to circulate agenda for next Community Council Discussion Forum meeting.

10.  AOCB

How to make meetings more productive and conduct Community Council business between meetings –

DB suggested referring to the constitution, which will now have changed, with the changes. JM said circulation of information that will allow the meetings to run more smoothly, will not break the constitution –

• Police have agreed to prepare statistics in advance
• NKCC members to do reports in advance. It was agreed not to require this from JMacK and KWi

KW said their needs to be agreement on best practice of discussion/decisions between meetings, as it is different by email than in person. DB stated extending deadlines is possible, as with the one-way system. JM said in relation to planning, if you note interest then you have three weeks to respond.

It was agreed their needs to be a deadline for Community Council members to reply by email, everyone needs to respond and responses need to be circulated to all. It was stated the decision taken by email should be noted in the minutes of the next meeting. DB stated the trial agreement with the agenda and certain reports is not working, so he has concerns about adding additional tasks.

Advertising of AGM –

It was agreed word of mouth was a good way to promote the AGM, as it had worked well for the August meeting. PB said the Community Council had to advertise the AGM in both Hillhead and Maryhill libraries. JA said she would be happy to put posters up in the local area. It was agreed to advertise the AGM as a brainstorming session for the community, an opportunity for them to say what issues matter to them. DB agreed to design a poster for the AGM.

Action: DB to design poster advertising the AGM.

PB said he had reported the issue of the name of the Community Council to the CCRC again and they said the name would be changed to North Kelvin rather than Kelvin North.

PB thanked GB, SH and JA for their work over the last two years. DB also thanked KD.

JMacK submitted apologies for the next meeting.

Next meeting: AGM and Election – 19 October 2011 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School

Nominations are invited from residents who are 16 years or over to join North Kelvin Community Council

Qualification

Anyone over 16 years of age who resides within the North Kelvin community council area can stand for election.  All that is required is that the candidate, proposer and seconder names appear on the electoral register.  For those whose name does not appear, such as 16 or 17 year olds, the relevant form can be obtained from Community Councils Resource Centre (see below).  This form should be returned by 12 noon on 9th September 2011.

Nominations

There are 13 places on North Kelvin Community Council.  Nomination forms can be downloaded from this website, picked up from the Queens Cross HA Community Room or Maryhill Library, or from the Community Councils’ Resource Centre at the address below, Tel 0141 287 4723.

Closing Date

Valid nomination forms must be submitted to the Returning Officer, Community Councils’ Resource Centre (see below) by 12 noon on 9th September 2011.

Annual/Election Meeting

Should more than 13 valid nominations be submitted to the Returning Officer by 9th September 2011 a secret ballot will take place in the St Charles’ School on 19th October 2011.

Qualifying residents* will be entitled to cast up to 13 votes during the ballot opening hours 5.30pm – 8.30pm. A list of candidates will be publicly advertised 10 days before the secret ballot.

Should 13 or less valid nominations be submitted to the Returning Officer the candidates will be elected unopposed on 19th October 2011 at 7.00pm in St Charles’ School.  Should the community council require a secret ballot election the result will be reported at this meeting following completion of the AGM business.

*To vote at a community council election residents name and address must appear on the Electoral Register or Supplementary List.  If you name does not appear on the electoral register contact the Community Councils’ Resource Centre (see below).

Returning Officer
North Kelvin Community Council Election
Community Councils’ Resource Centre
Room 5 – Basement
City Chambers East Building
235 George Street
Glasgow
G1 1RX
Tel. 0141 287 4723
ALL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

Download Nomination form

For more information on the work of Community Councils visit the Community Councils Glasgow web site or have a look at the minutes of our previous meetings.

If you’d like to stand for election, complete and return the nomination form, and come along to the AGM at St Charles’ School on 26th October. You’re also very welcome to come along to the meeting on 21st September to meet other CC members, if you like.

Present: Ken Andrew (KA) (Vice-Chair); Janet Andrews (JA); Gordon Barnes (GB) (Website); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Kevin Edgar (KE); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMacK); Jane Morgan (JM) (Planning Officer); Kate Wooding (KW) (Treasurer); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: Marie Breckenridge (MB), Head Teacher, St. Charles School; 44 members of the public; two representatives from the Canal Community Policing Team

Apologies: Dave Beavan (DB) (Chair); Liz Edgar (LE); Susie Hallas (SH); Douglas Peacock (DP)

1.     Introduction and Welcome

KA welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked the members of the public for coming. KA asked the Community Council members to introduce themselves.

2.     Discussion on One Way System

KA explained that the consultation period ends on Friday, but Glasgow City Council (GCC) are not minded to go ahead with the planned One Way System, due to the level of response received. JM said an informal consultation had taken place and then a formal consultation, which does not require GCC to send out letters as notices on lampposts are considered consultation.

KA reiterated that as the One Way System to all intents and purposes has been shelved, this is an opportunity to move forward with the help of the community, to make suggestions to GCC for a resolution to the problem.

MB stated that she had not requested the One Way System. MB said she sends out monthly newsletters to the parents reminding them not to park in front of driveways, to be courteous etc and she has even called in individual parents. MB said her main concern was for the children’s safety. MB explained that she had inherited the informal One Way System. MB said she wants to find a solution to the problem.

A number of the members of the public were angry that they had not been consulted during the informal consultation process. Some residents did not receive letters when they should have done and other residents, in areas such as Oban Drive, were not consulted at all. A number of the members of the public felt the responsibility should lie with the parents rather than the local community. KA said the One Way System was not a fair solution to the problem, which only occurs at two points in the day.

There was a lengthy discussion about possible solutions to the problem and the following suggestions were made –

• Parents could park down at the courts or on Kelvinside Drive and walk children up to school (plenty of spaces at start/end of school) – KA stated that this was just pushing the problem onto another area
• Walking Bus (it was felt this would only work in the mornings)
• Informal One Way System (not everyone has been made aware of this in the past e.g. residents in Fergus Drive and Oban Drive)
• Delivery drivers being asked to deliver to the School after 9am
• Zigzags outside the school (like at Glasgow Airport)
• Parents to drop children off, but not park (it was felt this would only work in the mornings)
• Teachers park down at the courts, to free up space by the school
• Legally enforceable zigzags – JM stated this was a permanent solution for a temporary problem
• Digital signs at the bottom of Wilton Street/Wilton Court stating that there is no entry at certain times
• See how the new Hillhead Primary School on Gibson Street is dealing with dropping off and picking up children
• Bottom of Kelvnside Drive – introduce a crossing, make the area wider, introduce zigzags
• Park on Queen Margaret Drive and walk children to school via the 60 Steps

The Police representatives had to leave at this point, so JA mentioned that speed was a real issue and that traffic calming would be welcomed. The representatives said they would speak to their Sergeant and try and arrange to come down to the school in the next few weeks to speak to parents.

JMacK said it had been a good discussion, with lots of useful ideas, though legislation might not allow all solutions to be implemented. JMacK stated that there was certainly a problem, but it was untenable for GCC to proceed with the traffic order due to the large number of rejections. JMacK said GCC had listened to what the community had to say, JA said the community had done a great job.

3.     Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising

The minutes of the June meeting were approved by GB and seconded by KW.

KA said he had written objecting to the new HMO application for Clouston Street and had been sent confirmation of receipt.

KW said she still had not received a clear answer in relation to where the money will go from the sale of the North Kelvin Meadow site.

Action: KW to follow-up further.

4.     Police Report

The Police had to leave during the discussion about the One Way System, but KW said they would email the statistics. KW also said that they might be able to populate the template.

5.     Councillor’s Report

JMacK reported that a Landscape Officer had visited the former school site on Oban Drive and that the trees on the eastern boundary have been retained as required.

JMacK said he had been informed that the play area on Hotspur Street was in a poor condition. JMacK reported that a site visit had taken place yesterday and the bark would be replaced in two weeks, the Graffiti Squad will be brought in and missing equipment will be pursued.

JA noted the railings have been removed from around the green space at the top of Fergus Drive/Kelvinside Gardens East.

Action: JMacK to investigate the removal of the railings.

KA reported fly tipping on Clouston Street. KA said it was building rubble that had been left lying for at least three weeks.

Action: JMacK to arrange to get the rubble uplifted.

KW said that one of the 10 people unable to attend the meeting had reported a wall coming down further along Kelvinside Gardens from the school. JMacK said this was now the responsibility of Queens Cross Housing Association, not GCC.

JM reported that she had received a letter about the wheeled bin collection moving to fortnightly. However, JM stated that GCC had run out of the purple bins, which should be used to relieve the pressure of the new arrangements.

JA asked for refuse collection to be on the agenda for the September meeting. JM said conducting Community Council business by email should also be on the agenda. It was agreed that conduction Community Council business by email was the first priority, to ensure there was something in place before the AGM in October.

Action: PB to add refuse collection and conducting Community Council business by email to the agenda.

JA suggested having a Community Council logo for use on notices, KA agreed to design a logo.

Action: KA to produce Community Council logo.

6.     Planning Officer’s Report

JM said there was nothing of interest on the planning lists. JM confirmed that the North Kelvin Meadow development was still on the pre-application list. JMacK said a planning application was expected soon.

JM said she would follow up with Alan Russell (AR) about the training offered by Planning Aid and whether GCC would pay.

Action: JM to contact AR about Planning Aid training.

7.     Information – website

GB said he still needed to work with JM on putting more planning detail on the website e.g. links to information about the planning process and detail about our comments/responses to planning applications.

GB said he would be happy for the website handover to take place over a few months after the AGM in October. KA thanked GB for all his work on the website.

JA said she had found some photos which she would pass to GB for the website.

8.     Treasurer’s Report

KW reported the account balance is £1,213.25.

JM said the Community Council might want to spend some money on advertising the informal One Way System.

KW said the AGM was scheduled to take place during the October week holiday. It was agreed to hold the AGM on Wednesday 26 October and to book a larger room.

Action: KW to book room for 26 October.

It was also agreed to add publicising the AGM to the agenda for the September meeting.

Action: PB to add publicising the AGM to the agenda.

9.     Correspondence

PB reported there had been a new application for a HMO at the Murano Street Student Village.

PB reported at a recent Community Council Forum meeting there had been a discussion about changes to refuse collection from 21 August. Main door properties refuse collection will move to fortnightly, there will be no impact to tenements. There will also be an introduction of purple bins for glass and brown bins for garden waste. PB said there are long term plans to require tenement residents to put their bins out the front and to keep bulk uplift items in the back court rather than out the front.

10.  AOCB

GB said he had attended the 60 Steps AGM and they would be happy to come along to a Community Council meeting to encourage more engagement with the Community Council and local community. It was agreed to put the invite on hold until after the AGM in October.

KD raised the issue of responding to the One Way System consultation. KA agreed to write a letter of objection to the One Way System on behalf of the Community Council. JM agreed to summarise points from the minutes into a draft letter to GCC. KD agreed to circulate the draft minutes as soon as possible.

Action: KA to write objection letter, JM to write draft letter to GCC and KD to turnaround draft minutes as soon as possible.

Next meeting: 21 September 2011 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School

Present: Ken Andrew (KA) (Vice-Chair); Gordon Barnes (GB) (Website); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMacK); Jane Morgan (JM) (Planning Officer); Kate Wooding (KW) (Treasurer); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: PC Karen Quick (KQ); PC Iain Wilson (IW)

Apologies: Janet Andrews (JA); Dave Beavan (DB) (Chair); Susie Hallas (SH); Douglas Peacock (DP)

1.     Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising

KA welcomed everyone to the meeting and said he would be acting as chair, as DB had submitted apologies.

JM requested a minor change to the draft minutes. JM said in relation to the traffic management discussion, she had said the problem was confined to ‘about 40 minutes during’ term time.

Action: KD to amend the minutes accordingly.

The minutes of the May meeting were approved, subject to the change, by GB and seconded by JM.

KW raised the issue of conducting Community Council (CC) business by email, as this has not been resolved. GB said he would contact the Community Council Resource Centre (CCRC) to see whether there was a need to amend the constitution.

Action: GB to contact the CCRC regarding the constitution.

JM, KW and KA agreed to prepare a one-page draft document outlining how the CC could conduct business by email.

Action: JM, KW and KA to prepare document about conducting business by email.

JM said she had not heard anything back from Alan Russell (AR) about the training offered by Planning Aid and whether Glasgow City Council (GCC) would pay.

Action: JM to following up with AR regarding Planning Aid training.

KA apologised, as he had not contacted Friends of the River Kelvin (FORK) about the CC taking a stall.

2.     Police Report

IW provided crime figures for the last month. There were – 70 thefts, attempted thefts, house break-ins and attempted house break-ins (this figure also includes vehicle thefts); 16 cases of vandalism; 11 common assaults; 4 road traffic offences and 2 robberies.

KW asked whether it would be possible to get the Police Report in advance of the meeting if we set-up a template to be completed. IW thought this would be possible but would check with his Sergeant. KW explained that having the figures recorded on the template each month would allow us to track trends.

KW asked what crime headings should be included on the template. KQ and IW provided the following list – street drinking; breach of the peace; robberies; road traffic offences; youth disorder; shoplifting; house break-ins; attempted house break-ins; vandalism; assaults; thefts and attempted thefts.

Action: KW to prepare the template. IW to check with his Sergeant and then contact KA with the decision.

PB informed the Police that a number of local residents had told him about people hanging around outside the Nisa shop. The group were noisy and used abusive language and local residents had to walk into the road to avoid them. IW said instances like this need to be reported directly to the Police, so it can be logged in the system. The more reports about the same incident the better, as it will go higher up in the system. IW said they would try and carry out a license premise visit next time they are in the area on foot.

3.     Councillor’s Report

JMacK reported local residents in Braeside Street had been polled about changing from metal bins to green wheelie bins. Land Services are currently collating the information.

JMacK said the lamp standard replacement in Clouston Street and Sanda Street has been timetabled for the end of the year.

JMacK reported there had been a review of GCC’s Sports Pitch Strategy. JMacK confirmed that the original plan for the refurbishment of the North Kelvinside pitches was still going ahead, subject to a money contribution from the sale of the North Kelvin Meadow site.

JMacK said the AGM for the 60 Steps Trust is taking place on Monday 20 June. JMacK reported that the trust has managed to accumulate a fair sum of money to date, which is enough to appoint a structural engineer to carry out some preservation work. JMacK said he had organised for Land Services to tidy up the 60 Steps, as there will be a talk tomorrow night as part of the West End Festival.

PB raised the issue of five trees having been cut down on the former school site on Oban Drive. JMacK said an environmental survey will have been carried out and if it was not highlighted on this that they must be kept then they can be destroyed.

Action: JMacK to check the environmental survey.

KW asked about clarity in relation to where the money will go from the sale of the North Kelvin Meadow site. JMacK said it was as he has previously reported.

Action: KW to follow-up with AR.

4.     Planning Officer’s Report

JM said there was nothing of note on the planning lists, just minor alterations to housing.

JM confirmed that the North Kelvin Meadow development was still on the pre-application list.

5.     Information – website

GB reported that he had been in discussion with JM about having more planning detail on our website. Specifically details about our comments/responses to planning applications.

KW suggested adding a link on our website to the GCC planning applications that are relevant to the North Kelvin area. GB said he would look at the GCC website to see whether this is possible to do.

Action: GB to investigate putting an area specific planning application link on our website.

JMacK said GCC is planning to make their planning application system public, so everyone will have online access to the full planning applications.

Action: JMacK to find out when this is likely to happen.

6.     Treasurer’s Report

KW reported the account balance, as of 18 May, is £1,213.14. This has decreased from the previous month by £56.24, which is for hiring the hall for the extra meeting in February.

KW said our bank account has changed to a ‘Treasurer’s Account’, which no longer gives us interest. KW said she would review the paperwork, but does not think it will have much affect.

Action: KW to check there is no annual fee for this account.

7.     Correspondence

PB reported there had been two applications for HMO’s. One is a renewal, the other is a new application in Clouston Street. KA agreed to write on behalf of the CC objecting to this application.

Action: KA to write objection letter. JMacK to check whether there is planning consent.

PB said Alex Hewetson (AH) had written about the reduction in the membership of CC’s, which will be dependent on the size of the area. PB confirmed as of October 2011, the new membership for our CC would be 13 instead of 15.

PB confirmed that AH’s letter also said the proposed boundary change will become effective from October. As a result, GB will no longer be eligible to be a member of this CC. KA acknowledged the CC’s disappointment at this change and the effect on the CC.

8.     AOCB

GB reminded everyone about the Doodle poll to select a date for the Oban Lane clean up. JMacK asked to be notified of the date. It was agreed to conduct the organisation of the clean up by email, as there is no CC meeting in July.

KW said she would make bookings in St. Charles School for August, September and October. It was noted a bigger room was needed in October for the AGM.

Action: KW to make bookings for the next three CC meetings.

Next meeting: 17 August 2011 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School