Action Note of Ward Forum held on 24th October 2007, at Dores Parish Church hall at  7.30 p.m.

 

Attendees
Fiona Duffy, Ward Manager – Aird & Loch Ness Ward, Highland Council
Cllr Drew Hendry – Council Member (Chair)
Cllr Helen Carmichael – Council Member
Cllr Margaret Davidson – Council Member
Chief Inspector Ian Cox – Northern Constabulary
William Gilfillan – Corporate Manager – Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch & Strathspey - Highland Council
Edwin Stewart – area Manager North – Scotland Transerve
Mark Smith – Area Manager Central – Scotland Transerve
John MacFadzean – Company Customer Care Liaison Manager – Scotland Transerve
Colin Ross – Development Support Officer – Highland Council – TECS
Mike Stephens – Principal Engineer – Highland Council – TECS
Cameron Kemp – Integrated Transport Manager - TECS
F D McWilliams – Inverness West Community Council
Janice MacBeath – Aldourie Primary
Adrian Varwell – Fort Augustus Community Council
Ella MacRae – Dores & Essich Community Council
Iain Cameron – Dores & Essich Community Council
Annette Munro – Dores & Essich Community Council
Dorothy Ward – Kiltarlity Community Council
S Reid – Stratherrick Community Council
Angus Fraser – Stratherrick Community Council
Sheila Lamont – Farr Primary
Di Taylor – Farr Primary
Karen Young – Kirkhill & Bunchrew Community Council
Judy  - Farr Primary
C Luke – Resident
Ron MacLean – Kiltarlity Community Council

 

Apologies: 
Hamish Wood – Council Member
Nigel Small – General Manager – South East Highland CHP
Anne Angus – CVS Inverness
Gavin MacLean – Head Teacher – Glen Urquhart High School
Graham Robertson – Inverness & Nairn district Officer – Highlands & Islands Fire & Rescue Service

 
Agenda

1. Welcome & Introductions – Cllr Drew Hendry
Cllr Hendry highlighted the information on the display tables including: Road Safety, Crimestoppers, Safer Routes to School, Ward information – members, service points, ward contacts & website information.

 

2. Community Safety Update – Chief Inspector Ian Cox
Ward Forums are about getting things done.  Want issues raised at community level so that they can be taken away and answers/action can be sought.  In terms of the police relationship with Ward Forums the same is true – issues raised will be pursued and reported back on.

Safer Routes to Schools including: traffic calming, paths built, flashing jackets for those pupils who walk to school, 20’s plenty.

Q: 20 Clearway signs on open road between Inverness & Dores – extraordinary expense and can see no need?
A:  Clearway signs are there to prohibit parking, thus cutting down on accidents i.e. cars coming over blind summit and hitting parked car.
Q: Were they only there for Rock Ness?
A: Rock Ness was the catalyst for the need for the signs.  Also Rock Ness part funded them.
Q: 3 accidents between Inverfarigaig and Inverness due to speed.  There is a 60 mph speed limit.  The 20’s Plenty at the school needs to be policed more.  30 mph through village, but people still speed through.
A: Chief Inspector Cox & Mike Stephens to investigate this and report back at next Ward Forum – is it an enforcement issue or a perspective issue? 
Action: Chief Inspector Cox/Mike Stephens

Policing 20’s plenty – will ensure more police checks.
Action: Chief Inspector Cox

Important to talk with people about the issues, investigate accidents, look into accident hot spots see if there is a pattern.

Q: Parents at the school have been taking down number plates – a number were Highland Council vehicles
A: Numbers to be reported to the police and Ward Manager where Highland Council vehicles are involved.

Q: Passing Places on B Roads between the A9 & Fort Augustus – is it possible to have signs on how to use passing places?
A: It is a public education issue, signs might not necessarily help.

Q: Speed through Kiltarlity village.  Speed bumps – what is the position on them.
A: Not to be used on trunk roads.  Shikanes have been effective in Muir of Ord and Black Isle.

Margaret Davidson: Various communities want traffic calming.
A: New housing developments are building in traffic calming as part of the build.  Flashing signs are more effective than speed bumps.  Speed Cushions (raised squares in the road) are more helpful in urban areas.

Q: What is the cost of the flashing signs?
A: Circa. £2,500-£3,500 for solar powered signs.

Q: Amount of police control on A82 – how many and what proportion of resources can be released?
A: Biggest amount of prosecutions are by the mobile camera unit.
Q: Which are better fixed or mobile cameras?
A: The advantage of mobile cameras is that you don’t know where they are, you can however get used to fixed cameras.

 

3. A presentation on Road Safety by members of Transerve
Edwin Stewart – Area Manager North
Mark Smith – Area Manager Central
John Madfadzean – Company Customer Care Liaison Manager

Road works in the Highland area - £21million will have been spent during this financial year (07/08): improvements, maintenance, resurfacing, new roads.

Q: Northside lay bys on A82?
A: No plans to build these this winter.

Transerve identify the work needing to be done and put the proposal to Transport Scotland who then determine whether there is funding for the work proposed.  However looking at a 75% cut in the routine works budget for the next financial year (08/09) – looking at a budget of £14 million, which will include routine works

Winter operations - 23 roads to grit – have to cover all these roads within 2 hours before the road temperature drops to the forecasted temperature.

Q: A82 mature Timber along the route – are there any contingency plans for removal?
A: Discussions with Forestry Commission (not just mature but also hazardous trees) on how and where to get the timber out.

Q: Extraction routes through Stratherrick – speed of the log lorries is a problem.
A: There have been discussions with communities about where they are going, which routes, what times of day, etc.  The company needs to come and talk with communities.

20’s Plenty – most schools in the area now have this. 
Safer routes to Schools – schools can apply for funding - £374,000 funding available.

Q: Kiltarlity Path up to school – overgrown/ dog fouling – path needs clearing up.
Action: Follow this up with TECS – query on availability of dog bins.

Q: Safer Routes generally for people walking.  Not enough pathways for pedestrians & cyclists.
A: Maintenance issue.  With regard to footways it would be extremely expensive to even attempt that in the countryside.
Q: Margaret Davidson – Road safety & pedestrian safety – key issue for the people in rural communities.
Action: Paths have to be on someone’s routing maintenance list - TECS

Note:  Calls to Highland Council Number 702000 – calls are automatically recorded and the Council have up to 10 working days to respond.

 
4. Any other business
Action: Note for future meetings:  When presentations are to be made it would be helpful to have an idea of what the questions are likely to be so that answers are to hand – Ward Manager

Ward Discretionary Budget – Have spent £7,350.  Looking for community groups to get applications in.  Contact Ward Manager for more information.

Q: Police Station at Foyers – PC John Rimmel’s departure & replacement
A: Police Officer will not be lost from the area.  New officer (Aros Mathieson) will be based in Fort Augustus but lives in Whitebridge.  Police service in the rural areas is not at issue.  The issue of police stations comes down to viability of each station.

Q: Service Point – Kiltarlity & Beauly’s nearest service point is Muir of Ord which is outwith Ward area – will all the necessary information be available there?
A: Yes – you can walk into any Service Point and access the information needed.  Or you can call the council number (702000).  Also there is a vast amount of information on the Website.

Community Council Elections 27th November 2007.  None of the Community Councils are in danger – only two Community Councils will require postal vote: Stratherrick & Foyers and Strathnairn.

Councillors Contact Point on 21st November 2007
Phipps Hall, Beauly – Cllr Drew Hendry
Farr Hall, Farr – Cllr Helen Carmichael
Service Point, Fort Augustus – Cllr Hamish Wood (provisional)

Cllr Margaret Davidson will do Saturday mornings and will look to do one along the South side of the Loch.

 

5. Date of next meeting
30th January 2008
Venue: Phipps Hall, Beauly

Suggestions for themes are:  Housing, Education.
Housing – 30/1/08
Education – next Ward meeting after this.

 

6. Questions from Members of the Public
Ron MacLean’s letter was read out with regard to City of Inverness title. 
Cllr Drew Hendry – Rural communities have specific issues relating to their area, however the city and the rural are physically, economically intrinsically linked. 
Cllr Helen Carmichael – Aird & Loch Ness should be part of Inverness.  Best of both worlds part of the city but have the benefit of the rural. 
Cllr Margaret Davidson – My view is that we should be happy to take forward the name change. Wanted Ward 13 to be independent of the city issues, felt it would be a struggle to get rural issues to the table.  Have a vision for wider rural community planning in the ward.  However we need to see how it goes and look at the situation again in a year.
William Gilfillan – Rural have many links with the city i.e. transport, tourism, etc.  Aird & Loch Ness are part of the City Committee.
Cllr Drew Hendry - agree to go with it as it is set up and look at it again in a year.
William Gilfillan – to check on information going out for City of Inverness and see no reason why it should not include “and area” – Action.
Ron Maclean  - Identity of rural area should not be lost.
 
Drew Hendry thanked everyone for their participation.