St Boswells Parish Community Council Minutes of Meeting of 27th September 2007

St Boswells Parish Community Council

Minutes of Meeting of St Boswells Parish Community Council held on Thursday 27th September 2007, in the Lesser Village Hall, at 7.30pm

Present :
Cllrs A.Reed (chairman), G.Mitchell, D.Dawson, A.Drummond, A.Gillan, J.Grieve, M.Murray, D.Oliver, G.Sinclair, I.Skinner, R.Wild.
S.B.C. Cllr. Jim Brown,
P.C. D. Begg ( Lothian & Borders Police )
5 members of the public.

Apologies :
R.Lawrie, SBC Cllr. Len Wyse.

Minutes of the Last Meeting :
The minutes of the last meeting, on 23rd August 2007, with an amendment in italics, were proposed and accepted.

Police Report :
There had been 6 calls regarding youngsters on motorcycles, 1 on a “minimoto”. PC Begg pointed that for legal use on public roads these must be taxed and insured in the same way as other mechanically propelled vehicles, and users require a licence and must wear a helmet ; off-road use requires permission from the owner of land where it is being used. Any information regarding illegal or antisocial use of motorcycles should be passed to PC Begg. There had been a theft of valuable clothing from a washing line. One assault on a 14-year old pupil on a school bus had been reported and was still under investigation. The noisy scooter mentioned in the last two police reports has now been fitted with a legal silencer.
Chairman A.Reed asked about a caravan which was parked on the road and was causing inconvenience to some householders. PC Begg replied that unless it was causing a serious obstruction to traffic it was probably not illegal, but he will follow up the matter.
PC Begg left the meeting after giving his report.

Matters Arising from Previous Minutes
a) Hedges on Jenny Moores Road have been cut. ( Cllr. Brown mentioned that in future SBC would not cut hedges before August. )
b) National Survey for Association of Scottish Community Councils – 7 completed questionnaires had been sent off.
c) The question of access to garages in Orchard Park was still being progressed Cllr Wyse.
d) Use of paved areas for parking at Southfield – as c) above.
e) Hedges on Braeheads path – no response yet to request for trimming.

Correspondence and publications:
a) Notes regarding various SBC Meetings (all of which had taken place).
b) Cheviot Area Committee – because of the new “super wards” we are now in the area covered by this committee, whereas the Newtown and Eildon C.C. is still in the Eildon Area Committee. There was discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of attending either committee. Cllr Brown recommended that we should send a representative to the Cheviot Area Committee, as this is where our planning issues will be discussed. Mr. Greenwell ( from Ancrum C.C. ) represents the country areas covered by the Cheviot Area Committee, while both Kelso and Jedburgh are represented. The committee meets every month, alternating between Jedburgh and Kelso. Robin Wild agreed to deputise for Mr Greenwell when necessary. Chairman A. Reed will write to Mr A. Niven requesting that we be sent advance copies of the agendas as well as receiving the minutes of meetings, and asking how we can have any input or at least be kept informed of Eildon Area Committee proceedings, as there will very likely be decisions on matters which concern St.Boswells.
c) A letter, from Carol McGrath, regarding School Travel Plans and inviting a member of the Community Council to attend a meeting at St.Boswells Primary School at 2pm on Tuesday 2nd October. Andrea Gillan agreed to attend on our behalf.
d) Notification of low flying exercises in the period 17th to 28th September.
e) Invitation to attend SBC Community Councils Network meeting on 6th October, 10 am to 3 pm. Ian Skinner agreed to attend on our behalf.
f) A letter from the Borders Party was read out, regarding the proposed Edinburgh City Region, under which Borders would be included along with Fife and the Lothians. The letter expressed concern that city needs would likely get preference and it was important that the different needs of the Borders should not be sidelined. Cllr Brown said that a decision would be taken only after consultation, but as the body would be concerned with strategic and long-term planning for the region, there would be advantages for the Borders in participating. Information should be available on the website hhtp://www.Scotland.gov.uk/publications/2007/07/23153849/0.
g) Notification of a seminar on antisocial behaviour- this seems intended mainly for frontline professionals.
h) Notice of the AGM of the Association of Scottish Community Councils, which will take place at the Scottish Parliament on Saturday 3rd November 2007, starting at 10.30 for 11.00 and closing about 4.00pm.

Playpark in Weirgate Avenue:
Progress report by Andrea Gillan.
The “assault course” is now installed and being used by a wide mix of ages. 23 children were in the park on Monday 24 September. The climbing frame was installed and finished this week, and planting was also done. The Lottery Officer has stated that £ 10 000 is the maximum amount that can be given by Awards for All, but we may be able to access up to £ 5000 from another source of Lottery funds. Meantime, Andrea proposes to continue with local fundraising events, hoping to hold a car- boot sale on the Green on first weekend in November, and to organise another quiz night. Regarding transfer of funds raised in previous years, K. Ovens should contact R.Wild.
Robin Wild again thanked Andrea for all the work she is doing.

Treasurer’s Report
Total funds £ 2827.51, of which £ 726.60 will be paid out for path maintenance, leaving a balance of £ 2100.91.
Of this, £ 1058.50 is from fundraising for the play park, leaving £ 1042.41 as Community Council funds. The Treasurer expects to receive £ 450 reimbursement from SBC for path maintenance. It was proposed, and agreed by the meeting without objection, to contribute £ 500 towards the play park costs.

Planning Matters:
a) Following A. Drummond’s enquiries SBC have required work to stop at “Aidens”, Springfield Terrace, as the application for planning permission had not yet been considered.
b) A.Drummond had declined an invitation to meet with a member of the Planning Department.
c) Permission had been refused for construction of a large dwellinghouse next to the Charlesfield Industrial Estate.

SBC Councillor’s Report
Cllr Brown repeated his views regarding participation in the proposed Edinburgh City Region.
The report of the public enquiry into the SBC Local Plan is currently with the appropriate officials of SBC and will be released to SBC councillors once responses have been prepared. The results of the enquiry and these responses will be discussed at the SBC meeting on 25th October. Any proposals for developments in the Newtown and St.Boswells areas will then become available to the public.
The parking problem in Jean Lawrie Court is still being progressed.
Regarding work on the gas main – work at the Charlesfield end is almost complete, and work across The Croft and The Green at St.Boswells was done more than a year ago. There was concern that the work about to start at Newtown would cause access difficulties between St.Boswells and Newtown over a 6-week period.

NHS Borders Annual Review 2007.
This had been attended by Jean Grieve. This is a public meeting where the Scottish Executive Minister for Public Health requires the Board of NHS Borders to account for how money has been used in providing services. ( Papers to be circulated.)

AOB
1. Roy Lawrie had submitted a comment regarding “Sarah’s Tree” ( opposite entry to Benrig road ), as several branches appear to be in a dangerous condition overhanging the road. SBC at Galashiels had been informed.
2. D.Oliver asked why street lights were being removed in the Weirgate area. Cllr. Brown explained that light standards were inspected on a regular routine basis, and any found in an unsafe condition were immediately removed. They will be replaced in due course.
3. M.Murray asked about progress ( or lack of ) with the “20’s plenty” signs. Apparently the completion of this work may be dependent on the School Travel Plan and also on possible replanning of the bus stance area. It was agreed to leave this subject for the meantime.
4. D.Oliver mentioned that a hedge in Springfield Road is becoming very overgrown as the householder is in hospital. Also the garden needs attention. A Reed will write to SBC to request help from SBC Local.

The meeting closed at approximately 8.45 pm.

Date of Next Meeting: Thursday 25th October 2007 , following the AGM which will be at 7.30pm in the Lesser Village Hall.

MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WELCOME FROM 7.30 PM.