News & Minutes
Draft Minutes for Fossoway and District Community Council (FDCC) meeting
Tuesday 7th November 2023 Moubray Village Hall, Powmill
Attending: Community Councillors (CCllrs) Sarah Bruce-Jones, Angus Cheape, Tony Lamb, Nicola Marchant and Graham Pye; Assoc CCllr Carol Farquhar; Perth & Kinross Councillor Richard Watters; 17 members of the public (MoP).
Apologies: PKC Councillors Dave Cuthbert, Neil Freshwater and William Robertson.
Declarations of interest: None
Police report: PC Ben Samson attended and reported on recent crimes – 3rd October Driver collided with another vehicle on the A91 Milnathort to Yetts o'Muckhart road and failed to stop or report. Driver charged; between 5th and 6th October a theft by housebreaking at Moubray, Crook of Devon; on 12th October Driver failed to pay for fuel at Fossoway Garage; on 23rd October there was a house breaking with intent to steal at Nineacres Camp Site, Crook of Devon.
With the reduced speed limits now in force in Carnbo, residents are keen that speed checks will be done. PC Samson said it would be added to the list. CCllr Marchant reminded PC Samson that it was important to do them during school time.
MoP asked about Knockhill traffic speeding along A823 and making noise. Police will add it to the list during events.
MoP observed that the B9097 is a training road for Police - a lot of bikers are exceeding the limit passing the 40mph Peat Gate area about 10:30 and back at 3:30. Noted that there are five blind entrances along the road. CCllr Bruce-Jones added that there are discussions with PKC about extending the 40mph limit and also making the sign bigger. Also possibly extending the 30mph limit and creating a footpath along part of the road’s length.
Minutes of the previous meeting: The minutes of the previous meeting were reviewed and amended to include the reference to the open letter that the CC had received from Mike Barnacle regarding his concerns and objection to onshore wind farms in the Ochils. A copy of his letter was made available to those at the meeting and can be found in the Kinross-shire newsletter. With this amendment the minutes were signed off.
Matters Arising:
Craighead Wind Farm Orbit/Galileo, represented by Alex Orr, Jason Morin and Cris Thacker, gave an update on their application. The number of turbines has been reduced again to eight with a mixture of 180m and 200m tip heights. Since the total output would be up to 48MW the application can now be submitted to PKC rather than the Scottish Government, and a PreApplication Notice (PAN) outlining plans has already been submitted to PKC. Most site surveys have been done, along with baseline noise measurement.
There will be public meetings in Carnbo Hall (14th November 15:30 to 19:30) and Dunning Hall (15th November 15:30 to 19:30) with further meetings in January. The Community Benefit is still expected to be around £240k/year. Galileo are talking to Octopus Energy about a scheme for reduced power prices using some of the Community Benefit – more details later. In the New Year there will be details of a share purchase scheme – 10% ownership will be offered to the immediate community.
A MoP noted that existing sites elsewhere are currently having their turbines replaced with larger ones, and there are concerns about the possible recyclability of the old machines. Would this be an issue here? Mr Morin said that this scheme would have a planned life time of 40 years, and it’s too early to know what materials would be used to construct the turbines. Mr Morin confirmed that any future replacement of wind turbines would require a new planning application.
Another MoP asked about how the turbine parts would get on site as access from the Devon Road would be very difficult – the plan is to access the site from Carnbo.
CCllr Bruce-Jones asked whether the Community Benefit is part of the Planning Application. It’s not but Galileo would expect to agree a statement of intent in parallel with the application, however build will be some years after approval so it’s hard to be precise.
More information about this site is available at www.craigheadwindfarm.co.uk
Wind Farms (General)
Mike Barnacle, via email, has reiterated his strong objection to any of the three proposed wind farms in the Ochils and is concerned that the CC will not represent his views. The CC is in the process of distributing a survey to gather the community’s views on the two wind farms that are in the Fossoway District. The survey (which closes on the 30th Nov 2023) offers the opportunity for free text responses, and the CC can be emailed directly with additional views at fossoway.cc@gmail.com.
In addition the CC has created a wind farm information page on www.fossoway.org which covers all of the current Ochil wind farm proposals, and will have a link to the Friends of the Ochils group.
When the survey closes the CC will collate all of the responses and present them to the Community in January 2024 when there will be further opportunity for comment and discussion. Finally the responses will be used to inform the CC’s comments on all the wind farm planning applications. If any of the schemes are approved, then a group independent of the CC will need to be setup to handle the Community Benefit.
CCllr BruceJones noted that the Brunt Hill wind farm has also been reduced to 18 turbines.
Copies of the agreed EICS will be lodged at Carnbo Village Hall and Kinross Library.
A joint group of local PKC Community Councils that would be affected by the schemes is being set-up and will meet in January. One of their first actions is to receive a presentation from 9CC, a group of nine communities in Cumnock and Doon Valley area of Ayrshire who handle Community Benefit from wind farms (https://9ccg.co.uk/).
A MoP asked whether anyone is looking after the Ochils? Cllr Watters wondered if there is actually any connection between approvals made by the Scottish Government Energy Consent Unit and PKC that would consider cumulative effect.
Community Development Trust (CDT):
The next meeting is 15th November. A business case for the Community Asset Transfer of the Blairingone School is being prepared by a working group led by Marion Anness who reports that funding is being sought to enable preparation of a proper Business Plan to obtain substantial funding. One of the ideas is to turn the school into a respite centre. Renovation is intended to be done to a high level including green energy.
Community Action Plan and Local Place Plans:
CCllr Marchant is working with PKC officers on the development of a Local Place Plan (LPP), including demographic information provided by PKC, which would be considered as part of LDP3 preparation. It has been agreed with PKC that a joint funding application with the Fossoway CDT will be made to fund a consultant to help the development of a Community Action Plan (CAP). A LPP will be developed from the CAP which will be registered with PKC and inform LDP3. The LPP will be prepared before Sept 2024. Both the CAP and LPP will require engagement with the community. After LDP3 comes into force, any planning applications must be considered in the context of the LPP.
Road Safety in FDCC Area (Including A977 Mitigation and Carnbo):
The Carnbo VAS is now operating at 30mph
PKC have advised that the Drum crossroads works will now be commencing Monday, 6th November. This is due to the contractor dealing with emergency work from the recent flooding which has delayed the works programme. It is expected that the works will take approximately five weeks, including the time required to install the traffic signal equipment. Residents have been letter dropped with this information. There will be an extension of the 30mph limit and a 40mph buffer added.
PKC have also advised that the main construction work at Crook of Devon School Road Junction has now been completed with only a couple of small outstanding jobs to be undertaken, including new road markings and general site tidying. There is some concern from the Community about the lack of a link between the two sets of lights.
It is likely that the proposed realignment of the junction by the Shell Garage will be dropped and the budget re-allocated to other schemes on our list.
A MoP asked why there are no 20mph limits in our area unlike in other Council areas. It was thought that it would not be possible to have a 20mph limit on the A977 itself, but PKC does have 20mph limits on other roads.
PKC have advised that an engineer has attended the Powmill and Kinross Green crossing and the audible signal at both sites should now be operational.
Fossoway Area Transport incl. Transport group and 202 Bus service:
CCllr Lamb reported that the 202 Service is now improved in reliability, timekeeping and performance with deployment of better vehicles. The challenge now is to restore the public’s confidence in the service and help to improve the usage. A MoP asked if timetables could be published more widely – The CC intends to add them to Facebook and Website.
A MoP noted that some of the buses have reduced connectivity and hence their ticket machines don’t work hence passenger statistics (and revenue!) are lower than they should be.
Discussions continue with the Glenfarg Community Bus Group
Frequent Power Cuts in Fossoway District.
CCllr BruceJones had spoken to Mark Westwood, SSE Customer Relationship Manager, who advised that they have discussed this issue with the Network Integrity manager, and he has confirmed his awareness of the faults and provided cause for each. The Milnathort circuit has been problematic over the years, mainly due to how far it travels – it has four different circuit breakers meaning the customers at the end (which are the ones in question) will see every issue. However, over the years, SSE has carried out various works including installing new covered conductor and bird flight divertors to resolve the issues. The North Investment and Planning Manager has confirmed that it is SSE’s ambition to refurbish every overhead line circuit during the next eight years. This will involve replacing rotten poles and replacing old conductors where required.
CCllr Pye reminded the Community about SSEN’s Priority Services Register which is available to those who are over 60, have children under five or are disabled. Register at https://www.ssen.co.uk/power-cuts-emergencies/priority-services/
New Business:
Traveller Community
CCllr BruceJones reported that nearby residents have again raised their concerns regarding two recent fires this month both of which appeared to be burning of mobile caravans resulting in thick noxious smoke.
CCllr Farquhar is trying to re-establish a rapport with the Community although it might be difficult to achieve.
A MoP reported that the fence along the east side of the site is being dismantled and rubbish is amassing along the fence line.
The CC will write to PKC’s Traveller Liaison Officer (Cllr Watters agreed to get their name) and also maybe Planning Enforcement as the boundary of the site was a condition of its approval.
Incineration of Waste Crook of Devon:
The PKC Environmental Protection Officer has responded and advised that the deposit and burning of waste at this site does indeed fall within their remit. They made an initial visit to the site this week and have spoken with the owner. They are currently investigating with a view to resolving the waste management issues on the site and will update us when they have more information. SEPA have also attended. Since the visits there have been no further fires.
Update on CC By-Election
CCllr Marchant reported that we currently have two applications; but we would really like members from Carnbo and Blairingone. Nominations close 9th November.
Matters arising with no update since last meeting:** Local Area Committee.
Consultations
PKC Consultation
New National Park for Scotland
PKC are preparing an application for a new National Park in Highland Perthshire which can be commented on at:
https://consult.pkc.gov.uk/communities/tay-forest-national-park-consultation/ Closes 1st December 2023.
Scottish Government Consultations
Democracy Matters conversations have already started to explore whether far more decisions could be made by communities themselves. This is a key and connected part of the wider Local Governance Review which is looking across all of Scotland’s vital public services to consider how power and resources should be shared between national and local government.
https://consult.gov.scot/local-government-and-communities/democracy-matters/ Closes 28th Feb 2024.
Tackling the Nature Emergency: Consultation on Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity
This consultation is seeking views on a range of proposals related to biodiversity and tackling the nature emergency in Scotland. It covers The Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, the first five-year Delivery Plan and the proposed Natural Environment Bill. https://consult.gov.scot/environment-forestry/tackling-the-nature-emergency/ Closes 14th December.
Community Council Business
Residents had asked the CC if PKC could advise on when Crook and Drum will get the new grey bins. Other than Powmill, everyone should now have one.
Meetings Attended:
PKC Planning Users Forum 25th Oct 2023
CCllr Marchant attended the meeting along with representatives from Community Councils, Kinross Civic Trust, Developers Agents, and Glenfarg Community Bus Group.
The aim is to have regular meetings with PKC planners as we develop LDP3, exchange views and get a better understanding of the planning system and how decisions are made. Topics discussed were the development of LDP3 and how planning applications are dealt with by PKC Development Management.
PKC confirmed that NPF4 policies now take precedence over PKC LDP2 polices and as part of the LDP3 process will be adopted by PKC. In the future PKC will only have policies that focus on specific local authority requirements and guidance i.e., the Loch Leven Catchment Area. LDP2 expires in 2027 and LDP3 will then be adopted.
There will no longer be a Tay Plan.
P&K Councillors’ Reports
Richard Watters: The new Active Travel Plan does not mention Kinrossshire in any way at all. Perth has 25 active travel routes that are being strategically developed and some paths simply stop at the Kinrossshire boundary. When this plan comes up for consultation Cllr Watters encourages the CC and the whole community to comment on this omission.
Planning Matters
DPEA Appeal 21/02133/AML, PPA-340-2151 https://www.dpea.scotland.gov.uk/CaseDetails.aspx?ID=122826 No decision yet.
Planning Applications
23/01265/FLL Siting of a container for storage use (in retrospect) at Waulkmill Park, Waulkmill, Crook of Devon. No CC Comment
23/00491/FLM Formation of leisure development comprising erection of 124 holiday accommodation units, community hub with reception/leisure/retail areas with other associated uses, formation of vehicular access, motorhome stances, SUDS ponds, treatment plant, parking, landscaping and associated works at Whinstone Quarry, Devonshaw, Powmill.
The application has been revised to amend the storm drainage layout; the reception lodge has an air source heat pump; all lodges have a brown exterior; a right turn lane has been included on the A977; spaces for local visitor parking; a revised Biodiversity Management Plan – many of these changes were suggested in the CC’s previous neutral comment.
A MoP commented that proposed drain size increase won’t help as it only leads into smaller field drains; creation of the right turn lane would not significantly help with increased traffic and the plans require felling trees. The proposed translocation of rare flora would not enhance the biodiversity. There was further discussion from those present about whether it was realistic to believe that there wouldn’t be a significant increase in traffic due to holiday makers going out each day, given the lack of facilities on site. It was also noted that since quarrying at the site stopped in 1980 and the rest of the site wasn’t part of the quarry workings anyway, it may not be valid to describe this as a brownfield site anymore.
Since the community is divided between a desire to clean up the site, with some sort of development versus the impact of such a development on the environment, the CC decided to ask for a deferral of the application to allow further discussion at our meeting in December.
Planning Decisions
None for our district
AOCB:
Jim Duffy, a member of the Hydro Fund Committee, said that the fund would welcome grant applications. John Wheatley has left the committee and Trudy Duffy can no longer act as the CC representative, so the committee would like more members.
Cllr Bruce-Jones mentioned that the Kinross-Shire Community Investment Fund has been reopened. There is about £8k left in it. Trudy Duffy is on the Committee. Details from cif@pkc.gov.uk
The CC received an email from Broke not Broken asking for our help in making the community aware of the good work that they do and with their agreement we posted information on our Facebook page.
The CC expressed their thanks to Trudy Duffy who has been a member of the CC since 2006 and the Chair since 2015. The CC presented Trudy with a cherry tree in recognition of her long service.
Draft Agenda for Next CC Meeting: Declarations of Interest,** Community Policing, Minutes of last meeting. Matters arising: Community Development Trust, Fossoway Area Transport, A977 Mitigation, Crook Moss, Community Council Business, PKC Councillors’ Reports, Planning, Correspondence, AOCB
The CC’s Facebook page can be found at https://www.facebook.com/fossoway N.B. anyone can access the content on this page, and it is only necessary to have a Facebook account if you wish to post comments
Next Meeting: Tuesday 5th December 7:30pm
Carnbo Village Hall
All are welcome! **
Correspondence Received October 2023
Date | From | Subject |
---|---|---|
04/10/23 | PKC Planning | Contributor acknowledgement 23/01313/FLL |
05/10/23 | CDS CC Team | 2023 Statutory Review of Polling Districts and Polling Places |
05/10/23 | Cllr Cuthbert / CCllr BruceJones | Carnbo VAS 846038 both east and west bound now working at 30mph |
06/10/23 | CDS Civic Services | Tay Forest National Park Public Consultation |
06/10/23 | Nicola Lindsay | Kinross-shire and Glenfarg Update |
07/10/23 | Cllr Cuthbert / Michael Findlay UTC Engineer |
Puffin Crossing at Powmill and at Green Kinross have been attended and audible signal now working |
09/10/23 | Cllr Cuthbert | PKC Planning Forum Meeting Wed 25th October |
10/10/23 | William Starkey | Complaint regarding waste incineration on land beside Nine Acres |
12/10/23 | Broke Not Broken | Information on charity and social media link for sharing |
12/10/23 18/10/23 |
Cllr Robertson Cllr Cuthbert |
Responses from PKC and SEPA regarding building waste incineration |
16/10/23 | Alex Orr - Orbit | Craighead Wind Farm – update on changes to proposals; Notice of Public Meetings; Request to attend next CC meeting |
17/10/23 | Mark Westwood – SSEN | Response to questions about capacity within local network |
17/10/23 | HSCP Community Engagemnt | Community Engagement Newsletter |
13/10/23 17/10/23 |
Paul Murphie Pagoda | Brunthill Windfarm updates to proposal and information about continued consultation |
17/10/23 | CCllr Jones / Andrew Timmins | Request to act as reference for Carnbo Hall |
17/10/23 | CDS CC | CC By Election documents and links |
18/10/23 | PKC Communities Dev | Planning Users Forum |
18/10/23 | Police Scotland | Area Commanders Bulletin |
22/10/23 | Cllr Bruce Jones | Information on PKC New National Park Nominations |
23/10/23 | Olivia Selby, Green Cat Renewables | Craighead Windfarm Proposal of Application Notice |
25/10/23 | Cllr Cuthbert | Request for Agenda items for Kinross-shire Local Committee New Grey Bins and recycling |
25/10/23 | Paul Williamson PKC | Links to PKC planning Documents Local development Plan, Housing Land Audit, NPF 4 |
25/10/23 | Police Scotland | Area Commanders Bulletin |
09/10/23 29/10/23 |
Cllr Cuthbert Margaret Roy |
Bus 202 |
26/10/23 30/10/23 |
Cllr Freshwater Cllr Cuthbert |
Windfarms and Cllr contributions in discussions in view of position on Planning Committee |
26/10/23 31/10/23 |
Michael Findlay UTC Engineer Cllr Cuthbert |
Drum Signalisation Works update |
31/10/23 | Fiona Cameron-Bowman | Notice of Kinross Partnership AGM 6th Dec 7.30pm Green Hotel |
31/10/23 | PKC Planning | Planning Application 23/00491/FLM Whinstone Devonshaw Quarry Consultation request |
01/11/23 | Lorna Martin/ CCllr Marchant | CAP LPP Fossoway |
01/11/23 | Police Scotland | Area Commanders Bulletin |
02/11/23 | CDS CC Team | Kinross-shire Community Investment Fund to reopen |
03/11/23 | Olivia Selby | Craighead windfarm amended PAN |
03/11/23 | Alex Orr Orbit | Craighead Windfarm Newsletter and adverts for public consultation |
03/11/23 | CDS Community | Election Job Opportunities – Recruitment |
03/11/23 | Milnathort CC | Windfarm Sustainability Joint CC Group meeting 21 Nov 23 7.30pm |
04/11/23 05/11/23 |
Cllr Cuthbert Cllr Freshwater & Cllr Robertson |
Apologies for meeting |
05/11/23 | Mike Barnacle via CCllr Marchant |
Correction to October Minutes and various points regarding Windfarm Survey and concerns about CC response |