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Minutes of the Meeting of Plockton & District Community Council

Plockton Village Hall
Tuesday 13 December 2011, 7:30pm

Present

• Cllr Biz Campbell
• Mike Jones
• Joy MacKenna
• Morag MacKenzie
• Charlie MacRae
• Iain Matheson
• June Sanderson
• Jan Storie
• 3 residents

Apologies

There were no apologies.

1. 1. Cllr Campbell welcomed all to the meeting.

2. 1. Election of Officers

      There were two nominations for chairperson:

      Joy MacKenna — proposed by Charlie MacRae and seconded by June Sanderson

      Charlie MacRae — proposed by Joy MacKenna and seconded by Jan Storie

      Following a ballot, Charlie MacRae was duly elected as chairman.

      It was intimated that Gill James had very kindly agreed to continue to act as secretary/treasurer for the CC, as before, and this was unanimously accepted.

      However, because of some changes to the CC constitution, it is now necessary for two elected members to fulfil the roles of secretary and treasurer in an official capacity, albeit in name only.

      There were further proposals for two positions of Vice Chair to satisfy this requirement, although Gill James will continue to perform the duties of secretary/treasurer.

      Joy MacKenna (Finance) — proposed by Charlie MacRae and seconded by Jan Storie

      June Sanderson (Administration) — proposed by Charlie MacRae and seconded by Iain Matheson

      These proposals were unanimously accepted, but until the new constitution is scrutinised by all members, these roles will be temporary and non-executive until confirmed at the next full meeting.

      It was suggested that we continue to have a member of the local Grazings Committee attend the meetings as a liaison officer, and Catherine Will was duly proposed by Morag MacKenzie and seconded by Iain Matheson. This proposal was unanimously accepted.

3. 1. Charlie MacRae thanked Cllr Campbell and took over as Chairman.
   2. He expressed appreciation to former members Geoff Webster, John MacDonald, George Glasgow and Kally Leiper for their input and all their hard work over the years. He then welcomed new members Mike Jones and June Sanderson and wished them well.
4. 1. Date of next meeting — Tuesday 28 February 2012 (please note the revised date).
5. 1. The Minutes of the last meeting were proposed and seconded by Iain Matheson and Joy MacKenna, respectively.
   2. Matters Arising

      1. Gill James

         It was agreed to send flowers to Gill James on her return home after her hospitalisation. Action — chairman.

      2. Roads Department

         Road tarring in Duirinish was to begin on Wednesday 14 December.

      3. Plockton Play Area

         The NTS is happy to explore the possibility of leasing land at Ard a'Mhorair rather than selling it, as it would be easier to obtain approval for this. It was proposed that the Plockton Playgroup take this forward, although it was recognised that numbers were small at present and the CC would be willing to support them if required. Action — chairman to enquire about the cost of a lease and report back.

      4. Footpath between 10 & 11 Harbour Street

         There is still no price quoted for the footpath between 10 and 11 Harbour Street.

      5. Plans for the property at 20 Harbour Street

         The Community Council has had a full discussion with the Grazings Committee and both bodies have been supportive of these plans. However, the existing access rights (acknowledged by all parties including the owners) preclude the sale of any access land adjacent to the property, unfortunately. On a more positive note, right of way laws should in no way inhibit the progressing of these plans. Action — chairman to communicate with the owners.

      6. Road Safety

         A letter had been received from Niall MacKinnon, Head Teacher of Plockton Primary School, regarding the school's concern re cars failing to slow down sufficiently whilst passing the school, especially at the start and end of the school day. Mr MacKinnon's letter is to be forwarded to Gordon MacDonald, TECS, and the Police.

         With regard to the Burnside road safety matter, Cllr Campbell has already spoken to the Plockton High School Parent Council which will take this forward. There have been numerous complaints about road safety at Burnside, but there has been no further discussion since February of this year.

         Members expressed a wish for a speed restriction of 20 mph for the whole village.

      7. Achmore Road Closure

         g) A letter was received from Gordon MacDonald advising the community that a further extension to the closure of the Duirinish—Achmore road had been applied for. While the road will remain open from 23 December to 9 January, it will be closed again for a further ten weeks, four weeks more than the original extension application.

         This is to allow for completion of works and to ensure against any further weather-related delays, especially for resurfacing work. Apologies were expressed for the frustration this will cause, but there is a silver lining to this cloud. A total of 4.5 km of road will be completely resurfaced.

      8. Achmore Road

         A letter had been received from Joanna Peebles informing the CC that residents had complained that some people are knocking down the barriers and driving along the road when the contractor is not on site. This is a dangerous practice and the road should not be used under any circumstances.

      9. Sale of the Church of Scotland

         No reply has been received re the possible sale of the Plockton Church of Scotland.

      10. Station Road

          It is not possible for the material skimmed from the road through Duirinish to be used to fill the potholes here as it would not last.

      11. Duncraig Castle

          The six spruce trees which were cut down were felled by the machine operator in the best interests of the site and safety. They would have been left very exposed as the surrounding crop had been felled.

      12. Loch Lundie

          The draining of the loch began on Monday 12 December.

6. AOCB
   1. Duirinish station road — nothing will be done to this before 2012.
   2. The area adjacent to Duncraig Square has been left in an untidy mess after the tree-felling.
   3. A request was made by a member of the public for a letter of concern to be sent to the Roads Department expressing concern about the Duirinish bridge. Heavy timber lorries & trailers are using the bridge regularly and water is leaking out from under the bridge. A safety check should be made and a weight restriction considered.

The Community Council (formed on 13 December 2012)

Charlie MacRae (Chairman)

01599 544 359

Joy MacKenna (Vice-Chair Finance)

280

June Sanderson (Vice-Chair Administration)

228/

Mike Jones

321

Morag MacKenzie

204

Iain Matheson

704

Jan Storie

387

G James (Secretary/Treasurer)

384