North Kelvin Community Council Minutes
Wednesday 20 January 2010 at 6:30pm
St. Charles School

Present: Dave Beavan (DB) (Chair); Ken Andrew (KA) (Vice-Chair); Janet Andrews (JA); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMacK); Jane Morgan (JM) (Planning Officer); Douglas Peacock (DP); Kate Wooding (KW) (Treasurer); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: PC Gerard Christie (GC); Moira Christie (MC); Dorothy Gow (DG); PC Adam Hookway (AH)

Apologies: Gordon Barnes (GB) (Website & Library); Karen Chung (KC); Kevin Edgar (KE); Liz Edgar (LE); Susie Hallas (SH)

1.     Welcome

DB welcomed everyone to the first meeting of 2010 and wished everyone a happy new year.

2.     Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the November meeting were approved by KW and seconded by KA.

3.     Police Report

GC apologised that they have not been in attendance at the last few meetings.

GC reported in the period from 1 November until the present, 103 crimes have been recorded (52 undetected and 51 detected). Of those, there were 12 thefts or attempted thefts from motor vehicles, mainly sat navs or personal property left on display. There were 13 break-ins or attempted break-ins and 14 bike thefts. There were also 30 road traffic crimes, five domestic incidents, four assaults, one of them an unprovoked attack on a student and four racial assaults.

GC said this area is prone to vehicle break-ins and bike thefts, so people should hide sat navs and invest in heavy-duty chains. GC said he could provide some information for the website.

Action: GC to email DB and PB with information that can be added to the website.

4.     Councillor’s Report

JMacK reported that the consultation was complete for the one-way system around St. Charles School and there was no consensus on which option to adopt, so they would probably pursue option 2 as it minimises inconvenience to local residents. Formal consultation will need to take place.

JMacK said he would put the idea of double yellow lines at the bottom of Wilton Street through as a proposition, but traffic calming has already been built into the proposal.

JMacK said safe routes to school are prominently raised in the school, the children do a lot of work on this issue, and it is the adults that are not listening.

JMacK said local residents want to convert the triangle of land between Kelvinside Gardens and the top of Fergus Drive into a wildlife garden and they are willing to do the work themselves. JMacK said he has asked the Park Manager to look into this, but a formal agreement will be needed.

JMacK reported he is investigating why only two of the six grit bins in this area were returned in October, after they had been taken away in the summer for maintenance.

PB reported that the pavement outside the shops on Queen Margaret Drive is now all broken up as a result of the recent bad weather. JMacK said he would look into this matter.

Action: JMacK to look into the state of the pavement on Queen Margaret Drive.

5.     Planning Officer’s Report

JM said there had been four lists since the last meeting, containing three or four applications for changes to residential properties, but nothing substantial in this area.

6.     Treasurer’s Report

DB apologised that he had not been to the bank yet, but said he would do so before the next meeting. KW said it would take about six weeks to change the signatories and gain access to bank statements, so she did not have a definite note of the account balance, but it is approximately £900.

The issue about not having a public space to advertise was raised again. DB suggested adding publicity to the agenda for the next meeting.

Action: PB to add publicity to the agenda for the February meeting.

7.     Information – website

DB said GB sends his apologies for not being able to attend tonight’s meeting, but has sent a brief note.

GB says he is currently working on a demo website, which will replace the current site. GB intends to replicate the current sections of the website, but the new website will allow others to be able to update the website. GB requests that if anyone has any photography to enhance the website they should get in touch with him.

8.     Communications and correspondence

Upcoming events –

• 6 February: Consultation on plans for the south stand at Partick Thistle’s football ground
• 13 February: Community Councils Discussion Group meeting about freedom of information and Audit Scotland
• 20 February: Planning Scotland all day event

PB said there were three notices of changes to licences and two houses of multiple occupancy (HMOs) requests. JMacK said he was getting the HMOs investigated, as there appears to be no planning consent.

PB asked whether it would be possible to purchase headed paper for the letters he sends in his capacity as Secretary. DB suggested it would be better to create a word template rather than spend money on headed paper.

Action: DB to ask GB to create a word template for official letters.

9.     AOCB

JM said there is a litter problem on the wasteland near the bookmakers on Maryhill Road. JMacK said he would look and see whether it was possible for the Council to do a one-off clean up.

Action: JMacK to investigate the possibility of a one-off litter clean up on wasteland on Maryhill Road.

Next meeting: 17 February 2010 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School

North Kelvin Community Council Minutes
Wednesday 18 November 2009 at 6.30pm
St. Charles School

Present: Dave Beavan (DB) (Chair); Ken Andrew (KA) (Vice-Chair); Gordon Barnes (GB) (Website & Library); Peter Blackshaw (PB) (Secretary); Karen Chung (KC); Kevin Edgar (KE); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JMacK); Jane Morgan (JM) (Planning Officer); Douglas Peacock (DP); Kate Wooding (KW) (Treasurer); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: Moira Christie (MC); Dorothy Gow (DG); Ian Law (IL) (Community Councils’ Resource Centre); Martin Venherm (MV)

Apologies: Janet Andrews (JA); Liz Edgar (LE); Susie Hallas (SH)

1.     Welcome

DB thanked everyone for attending the first meeting of the new session and introduced IL from the Community Councils’ Resource Centre.

2.     Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising

The minutes of the September meeting were approved by KE and seconded by DB.
DB apologised for the draft minutes not being up on the website prior to the meeting. Although they were circulated by email.

3.     Police Report

DB said he would contact the police with the dates for future meetings, as it is useful having them at meetings, to keep us up to date with what is going on in the area.
Action: DB to contact PC Gerard Christie.

4.     Community Councils’ Resource Centre

MV confirmed he was interested in becoming a member of the Community Council, but was unsure of his eligibility. IL said there was no problem, he would just need to prove his residency. IL said he would send MV the relevant paperwork and inform PB when MV is approved and then he can be ratified as a member at the next Community Council meeting.

DB explained IL was here to assist with the election of members to the Area Committee and the Community Reference Group. IL explained there is a budget of £82k for the canal area and the distribution of grants is completely controlled by the Area Committee. IL explained the Community Reference Group covers a larger area and looks at wider issues.

KW proposed KC as the Community Council representative on the Area Committee this was seconded by KA. It was agreed JM would be the substitute representative, this was proposed by KW and seconded by KA.

KA proposed DP as the Community Council representative on the Community Reference Group, this was seconded by KW.

5.     Councillor’s Report

JMacK explained there are traffic problems on Kelvinside Gardens and a one-way system has been drawn up with three possible options and he wants the Community Council’s view. There will also be consultation with St. Charles School and the Parents Council at the school. If there is significant support for the scheme then it will be implemented over a nine-month period, if there are no obstacles.

There was a discussion about the pros and cons of each option. JM said cars currently speed along Kelvinside Gardens, and a one-way system may encourage even more excessive speed. JMacK said as part of the implementation of a one-way system speed calming measures would be looked into.

After much discussion, the Community Council unanimously asked for the promotion of alternatives to driving to school in the first place. If the wider community supports a one-way system, then the Community Council would prefer options 2 or 3. JM said if option 2 is selected then parking at the bottom of Wilton Street needs to be reviewed, she suggested double yellow lines on at least one side.

JMacK confirmed missives have been exchanged for the Clouston Street site and work must commence within a two-year period, subject to planning consent. JMacK said New City Vision propose to carry out a site investigation within the next few weeks and then submit detailed plans.

JMacK reported the Head of Property Development and Management, Development and Regeneration Services has a meeting tomorrow with the part owner of the gap site on Wilton Street and wants to raise a number of issues. JMacK said the Council were prepared to buy the site for a reasonable price.

JMacK informed everyone there were currently problems with refuse collection, as refuse staff are working to contract, so not as many bins are being emptied per day as usually expected. The Council is getting staff to uplift at weekends and getting contractors in, but they are about four days behind. JMacK said bulk refuse should not be put out until the matter is resolved.

PB reported the blue bins in his close have not been emptied for three weeks. JMacK explained these were lower priority, but said if things were particularly bad to give him the address and he would try and get things sorted on an ad hoc basis.

6.     Treasurer’s Report

KW said she was still not a signatory on the account and thus not getting statements, but believes the account is still as was last reported, £921.62. KW said she has a form that needs to be completed by current signatories to give her access. DB said there was no meeting in December, but there would be a Christmas social in the Crosslands pub, so this could be sorted out then.

7.     Information – website

GB circulated information comparing the current website with the Council’s portal system. DB apologised for the meeting running over and that there was no time for a proper discussion on this issue. DB suggested everyone review GB’s information and that there could be an informal discussion at December’s social.

8.     Communications and correspondence

PB said Land and Environmental Services want to introduce a four-day on four-day off work pattern and want to know whether people are happy with weekend and evening refuse uplifts. The Community Council said yes and PB agreed to reply with the decision.

Action: PB to respond to Land and Environmental Services on behalf of the Community Council.

9.     AOCB

JM reported she had received three planning applications, but there was nothing of interest. DB asked PB to add Planning to the agenda as a regular item.

Action: PB to add Planning to future agendas.

DB asked everyone to consider their views on the direction of the Community Council e.g. best use of the website, how to spend the grant money etc.

Next meeting: 20 January 2010 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School

North Kelvin Community Council Minutes

Wednesday 16 September 2009 at 6.30pm

St. Charles School

Present: Mark Adams (MA) (Chair); Janet Andrews (JA); Dave Beavan (DB) (Website & Library); Kevin Edgar (KE) (Treasurer); Dorothy Gow (DG); Susie Hallas (SH); Councillor Jim MacKechnie (JM); Kirsty Davidson (KD) (Minute Secretary)

In attendance: Ken Andrew (KA); Gordon Barnes (GB); Karen Chung (KC) (Treasurer, North Kelvin Meadow Campaign); Jane Morgan (JM); Emma Nicol (EN); Douglas Peacock (DP) (Chairman, North Kelvin Meadow Campaign); Kate Wooding (KW); Graham White (GW)

Apologies: Eddie Devlin (ED); Liz Edgar (LE); PC Gerard Christie (GC)

Welcome

MA thanked everyone for attending the last meeting before the Community Council elections and his last meeting as Chair and a member of the Community Council.

Minutes of previous meeting and matters arising

MA reported there were two minor corrections to the draft minutes previously circulated. After making these changes, the minutes of the August meeting were approved by MA and seconded by SH.

Police Report

GC had sent his apologies, so no report was given.

Councillor’s Report

JM reported that he had looked into the issue of street sweeping on Lothian Gardens raised at the last meeting. JM said there is an issue with parked cars on Lothian Gardens, so a manual brush should be used to sweep the street once a week, but it transpires this has not been happening. JM said he had visited the street today and it had been cleaned, he said if the problem reoccurs then he will look into the matter again.

JM said he had investigated the problem with accumulated rubbish at 93 Oban Drive and it turns out there were four missing bin lids, so the bins were full of water. As a result the bin men had only been taking rubbish from the bins with lids. JM has arranged for the accumulated rubbish to be uplifted and the area to be serviced in an appropriate manner.

JM said he had again looked into the bin men leaving close doors unlocked up Oban Drive. JM reported that the supervisor had spoken to the squad responsible and vigorous action would be taken if this happens again. KE said the doors had been left open this morning.

Action: JM to take a note of KE’s address and report back to the supervisor.

JM said he had spoken to the Road Section about Oban Passage and work has now commenced with the resurfacing, with a completion date of 2 October.

Treasurer’s Report

KE reported the account balance is £921.62, with three cheques outstanding.

Information – website

DB said the website figures are going from strength to strength. The page views for the previous few months were – 774 May; 859 June; 904 July and 1290 August. DB noted that visitors to the website are interested in the previous minutes and particular issues such as Aspire or the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign.

Communications and correspondence

MA said the only correspondence he had received was information about the upcoming Community Council elections. Community Council members confirmed they had received this information and DB said it was up on the website as well.

HMO Petition

GW provided an update on the HMO petition issue discussed at the previous meeting. The petition went live on the Scottish Parliament website on 3 September and will close on 25 September. GW said all Councillors and MSP’s had been written to, but not many had responded, JM confirmed there was no reason why Councillors cannot sign the petition.

JM said he gets notified of every HMO licence request and contacts planning to see if there is planning consent. If there is no planning consent then he asks for an investigation to be carried out.

GW said he was happy to sign up on behalf of other people if they do not have access to a computer, as this is permitted.

North Kelvin Meadow Campaign Presentation

MA welcomed KC and DP to the meeting.

DP explained that the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign had started a year ago to campaign for the former Clouston Street playing fields to be turned into a green space rather than have the land sold off for flats. DP said the local community have got together to clean up the litter on the derelict site and construct and plant raised beds. DP said they had also put a door on the old brick storehouse, so it can be used to store tools.

DP said community spirit had been created and there was a lot of support for the cause. The issue has been raised in Holyrood and the online petition has 700 signatures and continues to increase everyday. There are 200 members of the Campaign including two Canal ward councillors and four MSP’s.

DP acknowledges the upgrading of the North Kelvinside football pitches is linked to the sale of the former Clouston Street playing fields, but wishes this was not the case, and each site could be considered independently on its own merits. MA explained that the upgrading of the pitches is not just about football; there will be other things on site such as a running track, gym, community meeting room etc.

JM explained that Sport Scotland have stipulated that the local area must be provided with sports facilities. Plans were made to locate this at Clouston Street, but ultimately this could not go ahead. If a sports facility is not built on this site, then there must be a compensatory sports facility nearby, which is the case in this situation. The Clouston Street land is to be sold, with a portion of the proceeds going towards upgrading the North Kelvinside football pitches.

JM said the Council made the decision to sell the former Clouston Street playing fields site in July 2008, before the North Kelvin Meadow Campaign was established. JM said they had the right idea, but it is the wrong site, as there would be legal repercussions if the decision to sell the site were not followed through.

JM said the Council were currently in the process of exchanging missives and the next step would be for the developer to conduct exploratory drilling on site.

AOCB

JM thanked MA, saying he had done a great job and would be sadly missed, everyone agreed.

JA said the Bigman Festival was taking place on Sunday from 11am-4pm at Maryhill Locks.

Next meeting: Elections – 21 October 2009 @ 6.30pm, St. Charles School