HELENSBURGH COMMUNITY COUNCIL

"Helensburgh - Be Better: Be Excellent"

Minutes of the Helensburgh Community Council Meeting
Thursday 27^th September 2007

Present: Karen Brabender, John Croy. Ronnie Finnigan, Jim Gorie, Alastair Macbeth, Findlay McQuarrie, Nigel Millar, Jim Milligan, Stewart Noble, Maggie Sheen, Kathleen Siddle, David Sinclair, Richard Trail, Gordon Tran and John White.

Councillors Vivien Dance, Gary Mulvaney and James Robb.

Chair Nigel Millar.

Apologies: Sonja Aitken, Marion Gillies, Compton MacGill, Catriona Malan and Councillor Al Reay.

Topic	Minute	Decision / Action
1. Welcome	The Chair welcomed the members.
2. Public Session	There were no members of the public present.
3. Minutes of Previous Meeting	Jim Milligan requested that parts of the minutes of the meeting of 23^rd August relating to the Public Local be amplified in Sections 4.2 (The Pier Car Park) and 4.3 (Clyde Street Open Space) as noted in Appendix I	It was agreed that this be so.
4. Town Issues	4.1 Recent Planning Applications Kathleen Siddle spoke to the report by the Planning Group. See Appendix II.
	4.2 Town Centre CCTV Stewart Noble spoke on developments in the Town Centre (and Williamson Drive) CCTV arrangements. He made a number of points. See Appendix III. Stewart Noble and his fellow directors in Helensburgh and Argyll and Bute were commended for their efforts over the years.
	4.3 Helensburgh Conservation Areas Kathleen Siddle reported on the position. She anticipates that a leaflet to publicise the work and the formal Appraisal document will become available to the October and November (respectively) meetings of the Comunity Council.
	4.4 Helensburgh Partnership Gordon Tran raised the issue of the publicity for the public meetings of the Helensburgh Partnership. The question was posed as to what effect the recently announced changes in Scottish Enterprise would have on the Helensburgh Partnership. Councillors Viviene Dance and James Robb are joining the Helensburgh Partnership.	It was agreed that meetings of the Partnership could be advertised on the Comunity Council’s notice board..
	4.5 Funds for Development in Helensburgh The Herald newspaper of 26 September contained an article indicating plans being promoted by Argyll and Bute Council for the development of the main towns. The amount involved in Helensburgh is of the order of £40m. Although largely private finance A&B Council will contribute £2.9m as seed corn. Helensburgh’s bid is well advanced thanks to the Helensburgh Partnership. In the subsequent discussion, it was suggested that the Community Council would like to have sight of the various reports which had been commissioned by the Helensburgh Partnership.	Chair agreed to pursue
4. Town Issues (continued)	4.6 Associations of Community Councils John White and Nigel Millar are representing Helensburgh Community Council at the forthcoming meeting of the Argyll Association of Community Councils at Kilmory. The Scottish Association of Community Councils is encouraging individual community councils to join.	No decision was made as to whether Helensburgh Community Council should join the Scottish Association.
	4.7 Retailers Questionnaire A survey of Helensburgh retailers had been undertaken by Catriona Malan with an 80% response rate. This shows that closure of businesses in Helensburgh has not been due to failure of the business, but to other reasons (eg retirement of proprietor). Opening hours of retailers should be to suit the public, not the retailers’ convenience. Commuters from Glasgow find shops closed by the time they get back to Helensburgh. Economic success depends on a partnership including the retailers, Argyll and Bute Council and others. Argyll and Bute Council have a role to play including ensuring that the town is kept clean and that parking charges encourage rather than discourage people. The retailers have big plans, in association with others, for the Christmas season.	It was agreed that Helensburgh Community Council would ascertain what role they should play.
5. Boundaries for City Regions	Findlay McQuarrie presented a paper on boundaries for city regions. See Appendix IV. The closing date for objections is 26^th October.	It was agreed that the Statutory Plans Group should draft a response based on including Helensburgh within the Glasgow City Region for planning purposes. This would then be passed to the HCC Executive.
6. Priorities	An exercise was carried out to establish our priorities for the forthcoming year from among the issues determined at the previous meeting. After intensive group working the three issues voted on with the highest priority were : Local Planning The need for new blood on the HCC (including links with schools) A review of local boundaries.
7. Finance	Stewart Noble, our Treasurer, reported that there was £620 in our bank account. The accounts for the previous year had just been audited and so we could expect to receive our grant of £700 from Argyll and Bute Council shortly. We have just been awarded a grant of £280 towards the Remembrance Day activities.
8. Next Meeting	The next full meeting will be held on Thursday 25^th October 2007 at 19.00 in the Victoria Halls.

APPENDIX I

Item 4 Public Local Inquiry into the Argyll and Bute Local Plan 2007

4.2 The Pier Car Park area

Jim Milligan reported that the HCC objection presented to the Inquiry was based on longstanding policies of the HCC and on decisions of the HCC at its meeting on 31 May 2007 and it emphasised –

(i) the proposed rezoning of this area from 'Leisure, Recreation, Tourism and Community Facility' to 'Town Centre' was not supported by survey data in such vital areas as flood defence, car parking, recycling , recreation, retailing, office and housing;

(ii) if approved for adoption in the Local Plan, the zoning could be used to justify almost any use of the Pier area and could undermine the defence and improvement of existing uses;

4.3 Clyde Street Centre Playing Field

Jim Milligan reported that the HCC objection presented to the Inquiry was based on longstanding policies pf the HCC and on decisions of the HCC at its meetings on 31 May 2007 and 23 February 2006 and it emphasised –

4. the proposed rezoning of this area from ‘Community Uses’ to ‘Town Centre’ could be used to justify almost any kind of development ; its possible use for Council Offices and a Civic Centre would conflict directly with Scottish Government and Argyll and Bute Council policies for the promotion of sports, recreation and ‘green networks’ within urban areas;

(ii) if Council offices were to be made more accessible to Helensburgh townsfolk, this welcome development should, if at all practicable, be used to regenerate the adjacent Community Education Centre building as a Civic centre which could also house a Heritage centre.

Add a new item

4.6 Report Back

It was agreed to report-back to the public on all our representations to the Public Inquiry, in full on our Website and via agreed Press / Media releases.

APPENDIX II

PLANNING GROUP REPORT

1. Castle Woods

Among other woodland sites within the Helensburgh boundary, Castle Woods were sold by the MOD to a property developer in 2004. HCC supported Argyll and Bute Council (ABC) at the Local Plan Inquiry (LPI) in July ’07 in its efforts to retain the Castle Wood site as Protected Open Space.

During the LPI procedure, the HCC planning group was contacted by a member of the property developer’s team who questioned (1) the group’s credentials in speaking for the HCC and (2) HCC’s record of support for retaining woodland. By giving an account of the relevant section of the HCC Constitution and the delegation of planning matters to the planning group, the group’s accountability to HCC and by trawling through Minutes of HCC meetings going back to 2004, plenty of evidence was found.

The results of the LPI are due early next year.

2. Cumberland Avenue Woods

A second of the woodland sites owned by the same developer is the subject of a Public Local Inquiry starting on 26 September ’07. Together with the Ardencaple Residents’ Group and the Helensburgh Community Woodlands Group, HCC supports ABC in an effort to retain the woodland as a local amenity. A copy of the HCC Precognition is enclosed.

3. Changes in the Planning System

Two letters have been written regarding the ABC response to the proposed changes in the Planning System. The purpose of the first of these was to ask ABC for clarification on some points. The second letter took ABC’s answer into consideration, but emphasised remaining concerns. We await further developments.

4. Traffic

(a) The group has been actively involved with the consultation process regarding planning of traffic management around the new Hermitage Academy site. This culminated in a letter from us to ABC accepting the new Waiting Restriction Order.

(b) A letter of support was written agreeing to the Prohibition Order limiting the new cycle track at Rhu to a cycle track.

5. 58 James Street

The group has supported local residents in the Upper Helensburgh Conservation Area, in their opposition to the erection of a large house on a small plot which would jar with its surroundings in style and mass. This matter has still to come before the ABC Area Committee.

6. 64B, Colquhoun Street

Again after a plea from neighbours and a site visit, the group wrote a letter of objection to a proposed two storey extension at this address. This matter has still to come before the ABC Area Committee.

7. Iona Stables

The application of a very large dwelling with some stabling for horses on green belt land was considered. The boundaries of the proposed Retail Park immediately next to this site have not been finalised, which complicated the matter. HCC responded with a qualified objection. This matter has still to come before the ABC Area Committee.

8. 16 Millig Street

Application to build large extension at the rear of this building but retaining the outer shell of the existing Victorian building on the other three sides. Latest application not opposed by HCC. Application rejected by the Area Committee.

9. Telephone Masts

(a) Golf Club. Not opposed by HCC. Application agreed by the Area Committee.

(b) Bowling Club. Strongly opposed by HCC. Application agreed by the Area Committee.

10. Other Applications

Many other planning applications were considered by the group. Site visits often indicated that no action was necessary unless neighbours approached HCC.

(For further information on the work of the HCC planning group, contact either Catriona Malan on 676272 or Kathleen Siddle on 678328.)

APPENDIX III

Comments made by Stewart Noble in connection with Helensburgh CCTV.

• The CCTV is run by Helensburgh CCTV Ltd.
• Both Stewrt Noble and Richard Trail are directors.
• The recent Private Securities Industries Act, which seeks to regulate the likes of night club bouncers and security guards also draws in community CCTV systems.
• The requirements of the Act would involve significant extra rtequirements and costs.
• The other operators of such systems within Argyll and Bute felt that they could no longer continue in operation.
• Argyll and Bute Council are in the process of taking over all such systems within their area along with their funding.
• The Helensburgh system is the most modern as it involves digital technology for recording while all the others are base on tape technology.
• The Police are happy with the system in Helensburgh. In addition to fulfilling its original objectives it has been found useful in tracing missing persons (eg visitors who have become separated from their group and to monitor traffic flow).

APPENDIX IV

Helensburgh Community Council – Statutory Plans Group

PROPOSED HCC RESPONSE TO

the Scottish Executive’s consultation on

BOUNDARIES FOR CITY-REGIONS

1. What is the consultation about?

New planning law requires councils in and around the four big cities (Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, Aberdeen) to combine for strategic planning as city-regions. This will give coherence to those regions.

Each region will have a strategic development plan. Each council will have a local plan which must conform to the regional strategic plan.

Councils not in the city-regions (including Argyll and Bute Council) will go direct to a Local Development Plan. This will roll together strategic and local plans.

This consultation is to help decide which areas should be in the new city-regions for strategic planning and which should be outside the city-regions.

2. What proposals are being put to the HCC by its Statutory Plans Group ?

Proposal (a) : that HCC responds to the consultation

Proposal (b) : that HCC suggests the inclusion of the Helensburgh area in the Glasgow city-region for strategic planning and Argyll and Bute for local planning

Proposal (c) : that HCC informs Argyll and Bute Council and nearby community councils in of its intention

Proposal (d) ; that completion of the consultation response be delegated to the Statutory

Plans Group which will clear the final wording with the HCC Executive

Committee before obtaining the HCC Chairman’s signature and posting it.

3. Deadline date for consultation : Friday 26th October 2007

4. What are the reasons for including Helensburgh in the Glasgow city-region for strategic planning ?

(a) Helensburgh is a quasi-suburb of the Glasgow city-region already, so it is logical that it should be part of its strategic plan.

(b) For many of the issues covered in plans (housing, business, transport, retail, etc.) Helensburgh is more part of the Glasgow city-region than part of Argyll and Bute.

(c) Being part of the city-region plan at strategic level allows this area to be recognised in terms of its differences from rural Argyll and Bute and its relationship to the Glasgow city-region.

(d) Helensburgh’s local development plan (i.e. land use designations) would still be prepared by Argyll and Bute Council, but it would have to conform to the principles of the Glasgow city-region strategic plan. Our area would therefore get a balance of inputs and, it may hoped, a greater safeguard for Helensburgh’s interests and the best land-use respecting Helensburgh’s future.

5. Is it possible for a council area to be split for strategic planning purposes ?

These proposals, if implemented, would separate the Helensburgh area from rural Argyll and Bute for strategic planning purposes. Is that permitted ? It is already proposed that Fife should be split between Edinburgh and Dundee. However, to the best of our knowledge, there does not yet seem to be a proposal to have an area split between a city-region and a rural authority.

BUT . . . the whole purpose of a consultation is to get peoples’ views. If there is a local view that the Helensburgh area should be part of the Glasgow city-region strategic development plan (as well as the ABC local development plan), then this is the time to say so.

6. What are the specific questions asked in the consultation document ?

Q1 : Do you support the proposed membership of the Strategic Planning Authorities and if not, why not ?

Q2 : Do you have any concerns about the proposed arrangements for joint committees ?

Q3 : Do you have any concerns about the proposed arrangements for the effective establishment of dedicated teams ?

Q4 : What issues do you anticipate in agreeing plan boundaries ?

Q5 : Should funding for the SDPA be shared equally across the constituent authorities and if not, why not ?

Q6 : What other issues would you like to see covered n the statutory guidance for SDPAs?

Findlay McQuarrie (Interim Chairman, HCC Statutory Plans Group)