OTHER MINUTES

West Fife Forum

Charlestown, Limekilns and Pattiesmuir

Oakley and Comrie CC

Saline Environmental Group

Comrie Crafts

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT PATTIESMUIR ON 27.9.11

Present: Sue Hamilton, Suze Anderson, Beryl Leatherland, Kat Tebbutt, Graham Urquhart, Lesley Scott, Sheila Green, Alex Hill, Ian Cruikshanks.

In attendance: Doreen Kempsell, Elaine and David Souter, Robin Hutton, PC Mike Harvey, Jacqueline Walker

1. Apologies: Lyndsy Adam, Cllr Walker, Peter Curry,

2. Welcome: Suze Anderson, welcomed everyone to the meeting. Jacqueline Walker is a student on placement with Lynn Hoey in the Local Office. This is her first attendance at any Community Council meeting.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 30th August 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Sheila proposed, Alex seconded

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 30th August 2011

Area behind the Manse. Lyndsy has it on her agenda. Malcolm Duffin is keen to be involved.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery. This has been chased endlessly, with no result. Ken and Doreen Kempsell have now repaired it. Many thanks to them. No thanks to Fife Council.
School Parking. Anne Marsh and Police have managed things well during the road works. Leaflet will go out when the road works are complete.
Buckshot. The direction of the drive has been altered. Malcolm Duffin has established good communication with the Estate. Shooting starts next month.
Potholes at Charlestown Green. A gesture of gravel has been put in one of the potholes. Secretary had emailed Ed Dunbar but received no reply.
Pattiesmuir Conservation Area. Barbara would make its existence known to residents.
Manhole cover at Upper Wellheads. Fife Council had put a protective slab over the BT manhole cover which their vehicle had damaged.

5. Police.

Mike Harvey, Ryan’s replacement as community constable, was in attendance. He was warmly welcomed. He apologised that the handover from Ryan had been less than ideal, and hoped to become familiar with the issues that are of concern to the our community as soon as possible. He asked that the Secretary provide him with a list of local contacts.
Stagecoach buses are to be fitted with coloured signals to help drivers with fuel economy. Nothing to do with speeding! Police at Oakley have a new and very effective speed gun, which will be used! If buses are caught speeding they will be charged just like anyone else.
There had been no reported crimes in the villages in the past month.
Doreen reported that there had been some pot smoking in the cemetery last weekend.

6. Road Works Dunfermline Road.

Total closures still planned for weekends 8th/9th and 15th/16th October. Road surface will be planed and speed cushions removed.
Secretary had contacted Scott Blyth about the possibility of cushions at the school being replaced by lateral chicanes. No chance. But he did say that cushions are now being constructed to a more uniform standard. ‘The new cushions will be constructed to the current specification which you may find are slightly smaller than those currently on Dunfermline Road.’
A car parked outside the Church had been damaged by a metal warning sign falling against it.
The advance warning for temporary traffic lights is poorly managed.
Proper protected pedestrian routes have also not been provided.
Continuing problem with gas leaks. We had specifically asked that the condition of the gas main be properly considered before resurfacing happens.

7. Planning

7 Main Street. Chairman gave a brief history. Community Council intends to express its concerns, in writing, at the costs incurred by Fife Council in addressing the issues that have been raised in relation to applications relating to this property. Cllr McMullan provided some background to the discussion of the matter at the area committee meeting. Secretary read out a draft letter addressed to Fife Councillors. In the light of the ensuing discussion, Community Councillors agreed to review its wording and tone.
Old Foundry Cottage. Broomhall Estate has applied for planning permission in principle for the erection of a dwelling house and garage on the site of this derelict cottage near Aberlyn. This was a site on the consultation plan produced by Andrew McCafferty Associates. Concern was expressed that it be restricted to one property, and that the design be appropriate to the open site. Community Councillors are encouraged to take a walk to familiarize themselves with the location.

8. Rights of Way in Charlestown

Alistair Lawson of Scotways had contacted the Secretary with the suggestion that it might be a good thing to erect signs to give walkers more information about the access provided by the network of paths around Charlestown. He had made a site visit earlier this week, and there are ongoing email exchanges with the Secretary. about names of routes and location of signs. The names ‘Shell Road’ and ‘the Run’ are well known and in regular use. ‘Craw Road’ and ‘Lime Brae’ are less familiar. Secretary is tapping local knowledge of these names. At a cost of approximately £35 per pole and £35 per sign, the global cost could be in the region of £1,300. Local volunteer labour could reduce this cost somewhat. We could make a contribution to this cost from Community Council funds. Cllr McMullan will make inquiries of Lynn Hoey about the availability of the locality budget money for this purpose. Secretary is attending a funding Road Show on 6th October, and will enquire there about possible sources of funds.

9. Postal Sorting and Deliveries. Shop Closures.

Secretary is continuing to find it virtually impossible to communicate with the Post Office. They provide no email or telephone contact details and insist that you write a letter, which does not get answered. Perhaps they’re hoping to save the Royal Mail this way! She has received automated replies on 12th June, 19th and 23rd August, and 19th September, but no answer to her questions. The latest query concerned our request to have undelivered parcels held at Charlestown PO, rather than taken back to Woodmill. Today is the last day we can pick up parcels from Limekilns.
Alcohol License for Limekilns runs out on 30th September. No extension could be given.

10. Business promotion leaflet

Secretary is completing an application form for funding from the locality budget.
Printing cost for folded A4, (four A5 pages) is between £150 and £200.
Secretary has suggested that there should be some sort of brand identity common to this leaflet and that to be produced at about the same time by the floral display team. Sue is talking to Lyndsy.
Sheila will co-ordinate the collection of information – probably the sort of thing that would fit on a business card – name, business, address, phone number, email etc.

11. Floral display Awards and Plans

Lyndsy and the team were delighted to receive a silver award for each of our villages, and a special judges prize for the best new community entrant. Wow! Well done all!
There is a further competition in November called ‘It’s Your Neighbourhood’. We will enter that as well.
Lyndsy is producing a coloured flier for distribution round the villages.
Autumn bedding plants are being raised ready for replanting the tubs.

12. Extending the Use of the Church Building

Limekilns Church is embarking on a fund raising project with the aim of a major remodeling of its accommodation, with the intention of making accessible and attractive to community organisations for a variety of purposes, rather than just being used for one service for one hour a week.
In order to attract funding, the potential of the building needs to be spelt out. The church has come up with a list of ideas (village film venue, craft and art exhibition space, information hub, heritage display, support for folk looking for company, library facility, space for school productions and concerts), but wants to spread the net wider in terms of imagining the potential of the building. Secretary will pass on ideas to the church.

13. Proposed Container Terminal

The Pre-Inquiry meeting was held on Weds 14th September. There were about 30 villagers in attendance, with 15 apologies. Date for Public Inquiry has now been set for January 16th. The Reporters will produce a ‘note’ of the meeting with details of all the dates by which various submissions have to be made. Reporter suggested that Babcock probably needed to amend their environmental statement in light of the discussions they had had with objectors who had agreed to withdraw objections.
Suzanne McIntosh, the planning consultant whom we have engaged was very helpful in advising how we represented ourselves and our interests at the meeting.
We also have the pro bono services of an experienced reporter, who is developing his expertise in the field of Public Relations. He helped with the excellent press coverage in the Scotsman and the Dunfermline Press.
A new fund raising bank account is being opened, called ‘Residents for Responsible Development’. This particular campaign is called ‘SOS Limekilns’. The working group believes that we have to raise consciousness of all villagers as to the adverse effects that this development could have on our villages.

14. Community Web site

Suze has done some initial work on developing a community website for the villages. This would have pages for the Community Council, for the Gala, for the Floral display work, for SOS Limekilns etc etc. It would also have a What’s On? page and links to other relevant web sites. There’s a big data-gathering exercise to be done to keep it dynamic. We have paid for one year of hosting and for the domain name ‘clpc.org’ for two years. There are various other charges, depending on the extent of our activity. Expenditure to date is £40

15. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £798.50 + £85.87 remaining of Floral money. Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50. £800 of this is the erstwhile Bridgehead 2000 money, now allocated for employment of a planning consultant.

16. Secretary's Report

Jacqueline spoke a little more about her placement. She is studying the extent to which the public participate in Community Councils and other representative bodies. She hopes to show disadvantaged communities how to use their local representatives more effectively.
Improving Fife’s roads – glossy leaflet, listing major works in progress.
Dog Fouling. Letter from resident of Hall Row complaining about the extent of dog fouling in her garden which borders on Peggy Bell’s Brae. Secretary has made some preliminary enquiries as to possible sources. However, if the complainant has no identification of the offending canine, there is little anyone can do! Secretary will contact Stuart Anderson, dog Warden, and ask him to visit.
Dogs should also be discouraged form peeing on the floral display tubs.
Little Raith wind farm. This is near Cowdenbeath and the community benefit will be shared between Community Councils in the immediate area.
Hilton Development. Keith Pulner has submitted an outline planning application to develop the area bounded by A985, Brankholm Brae and Camdean Primary School.
Shoreline Management Plan. Secretary had attended an exhibition put on by Fife Council to communicate their proposals for shoreline management over the next 100 years. This looks at Fife’s coastline and suggests options for the management of each area - ‘Managed Retreat’ where sea should be allowed into low lying areas, or ‘Hold the Line’ where sea defenses will have to be maintained. Responsibility for maintenance of sea defenses lies with the land owner.
Scottish Flood forum. Another organisation which has popped up, keeping an eye on the extent to which communities feel there is a problem with flooding in their area. Secretary had replied that flooding would only be likely to become an issue if there were rises in sea level, or if dredging for the proposed container terminal compromised sea defenses. Houses in Halketts Hall are occasionally subject to flooding when there are high tides and seaweed blocks the drains. Fife Council have supplied sandbags in the past, but they need renewing
Sylvia McLaren Album. After visiting the Lime centre on Doors Open Day, Craig Lindsay had contacted the Secretary, expressing some concern about the apparent lack of interest shown by Lime Centre staff in this album which contains a collection of historic photographs. Some hand-written notes seem to have gone missing. Craig is concerned that it needs to be digitised. Secretary believes Norman Fotheringham may have done this. Alex has taken photographs of a number of the pictures. Secretary has asked Craig to follow this up. The new church building could well be the place where the album finishes up!.

17. Councillor’s Report.

Cllr McMullan reported on the application to extend the hours of work for the opencast coal site at Crossgates. He noted how concerned councillors were at this potential increase in HGV traffic through Rosyth. He said it was an issue for the whole of the A985. There is a major problem of speeding by vehicles belonging to Gogar Logistics. Large identification numbers on the back of lorries had been useful in identifying culprits on a previous occasion.

18. AOCB

Lighting at Ramsay Lane. Secretary will investigate the possibility of having a motion sensitive light fixed in the lane.
‘Don’t feed the seagulls’ notices had appeared on the Prom. Put up by whom and why?
We need a proper village noticeboard, with someone to look after it.

19. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 25th October at the Bruce Arms

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 30.8.11

Present: Sue Hamilton, Suze Anderson, Lyndsy Adam, Graham Urquhart, Lesley Scott, Peter Curry, Sheila Green, Alex Hill, Annie Nally, Ian Cruickshanks.

In attendance: Derek Abbott (Ranger), Doreen Kempsell, Stewart Webster, Bill McKissock, Janice MacLennan, Linda MacPhee, Moira Adams, Tony Wringe, Karen Grant, David Crabb, Malcolm Hamilton, Kirit Rach,

1. Apologies: Beryl Leatherland, Kat Tebbutt, Cllr Walker,

2. Welcome: Suze Anderson, our new Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 28th June 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Sheila approved, Peter seconded

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 28th June 2011

Area behind the Manse. Now that the Estate has said OK, the project can now go ahead.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired, even though Fife Council has been informed of the tools required and the dimensions of wood required. Sue will contact Liz Murphy again.
School Parking. Lyndsy and Anne marsh have a final draft to discuss. Would have been superfluous to have it distributed when the road works were in place..
Buckshot. The Estate has assured Malcolm Duffin that they are taking steps to ensure that buckshot does not land in gardens etc in the villages. We have been told that if it does we are to contact the Estate immediately. No update from the police on the situation. Shooting starts mid Oct.
Potholes at Charlestown Green. A gesture of gravel has been put in one of the potholes. Secretary will contact Ian Jones again.
Collapsed wall near cemetery. Loose rubble has been cleared off the cycle track. Vulnerable wall on either side has not been dealt with.
Rights of Way Consultation. All respondents to the consultation had received a letter saying that Fife Council had found no evidence that would lead them to deem the ‘Forth Square’ access a Right of Way.
Floral display. Floral displays are looking magnificent, thanks to hard work by the team. Judging has happened, and team members have been invited to the award presentation. Hopefully that means they will get one. Nasty incident of theft of the best plants from the two containers at the easternmost and westernmost ends of the villages. Concern expressed about the state of the War Memorial area and Peggy Bell’s Brae. Secretary explained that she had once asked for the grass cutting at the War Memorial to be left until the end of June for the daisies to bloom. This seems to mean they have decided they don’t need to cut it at all..
Traffic in Main Street. Residents of Main Street say there is still a daily problem of cars going the wrong way. It is difficult to see what more information can be provided in addition to the two no entry signs and the writing on the road. Even if it is different people each time, the best way to get the message out is for offenders to have their numbers taken and given to the police.

5. Police.

It is with great sadness that we learn through the grapevine that Ryan is stepping down as our Community Constable. We will miss him. It would have been nice to have received the information from him.
There were thefts from vans in the villages this week. We were given no information from the police, when they could so easily have asked us to put out a call for witnesses. There is also a wider problem in West Fife relating to thefts from premises.
Quad bikes and a motor bike with three-up and no helmets using the cycle track. Derek Abbott confirmed that no motorized vehicles (other than powered wheel chairs) were permitted on Core Paths and Cycle Tracks. It is important to phone the police every time, so that a record is kept.

6. Coastal Path Signs. Derek Abbott, Ranger.

Derek had a draft of the content of the information panel which will be erected on Limekilns Pier. There was some discussion about the exact species of wildlife depicted and of minor elements in the wording. It would be erected on the edge of the grass next to the car park.

7. Road Works Dunfermline Road.

Unfortunate that works started three weeks later than planned, so that at the beginning of school term, access was seriously disrupted. We note that the speed cushions at Woodmill Street/Road have been removed and replaced by lateral chicanes. Secretary will write to Traffic Management and Transportation requesting that the cushions outside the school be replaced by lateral chicanes, rather than reinstating them after the road works.
Speeding by wide wheel-base vehicles is still a real problem on the Prom. Iain sometimes puts his hand out to stop the bus, as if he wanted to get on, and then tells them about the speed limit!

8. Pattiesmuir conservation Area appraisal

This has been produced for consultation. We will have copies available for nest months meeting at Pattiesmuir. Sue will remind Barbara to point out to people that it is on Fife Direct http://www.fifedirect.org.uk/uploadfiles/publications/c64_Pattiesmuir1.pdf

9. Shop Closures, Local Economy and Tourism

Janice McLennan wished to explain why they had had to make the decision to close the Limekilns shop. After 6 years of steady trading, with a turnover of around £500,000 p.a, turnover had dropped by £65,000 in the seventh year. It therefore made sense to keep one shop going rather than risk losing both. The staffing costs for Limekilns are much higher than for Charlestown, and therefore the decision had been made to close Limekilns. She and Jimmy very much regret that this decision had to be made as they recognize how important the Limekilns shop has been to the sense of community within Limekilns
Sue had attempted to communicate with the appropriate part of Royal mail to request that, as we were to lose the Post Office in Limekilns, they should explore the option of having mail still sorted in the villages. She has been passed from pillar to post and has still received no reply. In the meantime, Janice says that the Posties themselves have been informed (by text message!) that sorting will be done at Woodmill. From September 26th. (Saline’s sorting is also being transferred there). Janice is still willing to take in undelivered parcels for collection on the same day. Sue will request this when she gets a reply to her letter. Marjorie Wragg has decided that, she does not wish to continue with her service as a Postie in the villages if sorting has to be done at Woodmill. We will write to her and thank her for her year of cheerful service to the community.
Janice then explained about ‘Post Office Local’. This is currently being piloted, with the hope of reducing the cost to the Royal Mail of running the Post Office network. In effect it transfers many of the costs and risks to the shopkeeper. Janice senses that all small Post Offices might be forced down this route before long. The situation, as we understand it would be as follows:

Currently Janice receives a small salary for running the Post Office at Charlestown. Under ‘Post Office Local‘ plans there would be no salary, just a payment for each transaction.

‘Post Office Local’ facilities could be set up in many places including shops.

The cost is £10,000 to buy the equipment including an open counter (no security) and the computer. Transactions over £600 would have to be carried out in a secure area, not at the counter. (Couldn’t be better if you were looking for someone to mug!)

The Post Office would reimburse the transaction cost after a week. So the establishment would need to have enough cash to cover four days of transactions. That could be around £20,000.

The Post Office might supply the cash up front, but the site would have to pay back 50%. Yes, if the site needed £5,000 in one day, they’d have to pay back £2,500.

Secretary had suggested we produce a full colour flier to be distributed to all villagers, advertising local businesses. She will ask Gerry and the Local Area Office about the funding for this. In the mean time, we must draw up a list of businesses: 3 pubs, 3 shops, 3 gardeners, Hotel and Bistro, Hope cottage coffee shop, Pam Griffiths - flowers, Michael Cameron - signs, Timber Shack- various, L’Art du Vin, Picture Framer, Kilt Maker, Craft Workers, Pharmacy – any more?

9. Proposed Container Terminal

Those who made ‘representations’ (generally the objectors) have received a letter this week from the Directorate for Planning and Environmental appeals (DEPA) saying that there is to be a Public Inquiry starting on the 14th November and lasting 2-3 weeks, with the Chief Reporter and a Principal Reporter both presiding. There is to be a pre-Inquiry meeting on Weds 14th September at 6.30pm.
Container work group had met Clare Symonds and Iain Thom of Planning Democracy. They will be very helpful to us and we will be a case study for them. They had suggested we contact the Community Council in Portobello, who had experience of two planning inquiries where the community interest case had been argued successfully. Secretary visited their Secretary this week, and was given the name of an excellent planning consultant who had helped them through the process. Container Group would be meeting this consultant shortly. The Community Council was asked whether it would be appropriate to use the Bridgehead 2000 funds for professional advice. The nine members of the Community Council present voted unanimously in favour of this proposal.
The meeting also agreed that it would be in order for the Community Council to take on the role of coordinating objectors so that there would not be repetition of the same issue. We have always to be minded that there are villagers who favour the development – believing its promises to bring jobs to the area.

10. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £798.50 + £85.87 remaining of Floral money. Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50
Fife Council grant of £631.92 has been received.

11. Secretary's Report

Children’s safety at Waulkmill Steadings. Residents have not managed to persuade Fife Council to erect a ‘Children Playing’ sign. Unfortunately, we could not help here because Waulkmill Steadings is in Crombie Community Council area.
Ship Inn has calendars for sale produced by the West Fife Villages ‘planning group’. Despite having a photograph of Limekilns on the promotion poster, we had, sadly not been contacted.
The Gala committee also has calendars for sale.

12. Councillor’s Report. None

13. AOCB

Damaged manhole at Upper Wellheads. A Fife Council Transportation vehicle had been observed to have been instrumental in breaking the concrete cover of the BT manhole on the footway at the southern end of Upper Wellheads. This has resulted in a dangerous hole creating a real pedestrian hazard. Secretary will contact Transportation urgently.
Gala. Thanks to all involved in putting on such a magnificent Gala Week. Alex and Sheila are particularly instrumental in pulling it all together. The Community Council had a stall and a free draw and collected signatures for the path through the Cow Field to be designated as a Right of Way. The signatures will be sent to Sarah Johnston.
The state of Limekilns Pier was again discussed with reference to various pots of money that might be available to communities. It was likely to always be the case that the private ownership of the Pier would be an issue for funders. Capernaum Pier had been successfully rebuilt using voluntary labour. This was at a time when most members of the Cruising Club were local to the village and had a willing interest in volunteering, and at a time when concerns about Health and Safety were not so great. Nevertheless, it is worth exploring as a way forward.

14. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 27th September at Pattiesmuir College.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 28.6.11

Present: Ali MacKerron, Sue Hamilton, Suze Anderson, Beryl Leatherland, Barbara McKenzie, Graham Urquhart, Kat Tebbutt, Lesley Scott, Peter Curry, Sheila Green, Alex Hill, Cllr McMullan,

In attendance: Doreen Kempsell, Stuart Webster, Margaret Lobley, Natalie Gray, Gordon McKissock, Bill McKissock, Tony and Stacy Wringe, Robin and Sheila Hutton, J Astles, Lyn Mason,

1. Apologies: Lyndsy Adam, Cllr Walker,

2. Welcome: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 31st May 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Suze approved, Sheila seconded

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 31st May 2011

Area behind the Manse. Broomhall Estate has given the OK last Thursday. Unfortunately, Playgroup closes for the summer holidays this Friday!
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired, even though Fife Council had been on site putting in the new seat. Secretary informed Liz Murphy that, all they need is: a piece of ply-wood, a saw, 6 screws and a screw driver. They now don’t even need to bring the saw because Doreen Kempsell has measured what was needed and handed the measurements to Gerry.
School Parking. Still hope to have the leaflet done in time for the beginning of the autumn term.
Junction at Charles Way. ‘Give Way’ lines have been repainted.
Buckshot. Ryan still awaiting Procurator Fiscal’s view on where responsibility lay for potential injury.
Potholes at Charlestown Green. Linda Matheson had supplied pictures of the council gritting lorry stuck in the pothole. Secretary and Gerry McMullan had met Ian Jones on site. Ian would contact the Estate.
Collapsed wall near cemetery. Still no action by the Estate.
Rights of Way Consultation. Sarah Johnston had written to all respondents asking if they would be willing to make their statement in court. She is giving a little longer for replies.
Floral display. Estate had (last Thursday) given the go-ahead for wild flower planting between Wellheads and Upper Wellheads. Need to check what sort of weed-killer was used.
Traffic in Main Street. Secretary, Chairman and Gerry had met Ian Jones and Shireen Fernie at the end of Main Street to look at parking issues. Putting bollards on the footway is a non-starter since it obstructs users. Ian would arrange for the white line to be repainted at what was Harry’s entrance. This has been done. He advised that cars be reversed into driveways. Things will change when Post Office closes. Monitor thereafter. Residents of Main Street say there is still a daily problem of cars going the wrong way. Drivers of the vehicles do not seem to have been reminded of their misdemeanour by anyone nor had their numbers taken. Big arrows on the road would not be in keeping with the Conservation Area.
Liquor License application. Limekilns Hotel and Bistro had altered their license application to reflect their intentions of never serving drink outside after 8pm. The license had been granted.
Football on the Green. Although Fife Council could erect a ‘No Ball Games’ sign, it would not be enforceable. If the problem is anti-social behaviour, then Ryan should be informed.

5. Police.

Vandalism to car in church Street had been publicised through CC Facebook etc.
Community engagement meeting in the Gellet Hall on Thursday this week at 7pm.

6. Shop Closures, Local Economy and Tourism

Secretary had attended a meeting arranged by Gerry with a local economic development person and a tourist person. Tony Wringe had also attended to explore what support and advice might be available for his planned re-opening of the Kilns premises as an old-fashioned sweetie shop with some groceries and craft items. Tony explained that he was going to work with Jimmy as Jimmy prepared to close his shop and Tony prepared to open. He’d looked at the community shop idea but thought it was not appropriate where there is still another shop. His intention was not to undermine Jimmy’s existing business.
Mike Graham hopes to have his coffee shop up and running in the autumn.
Community Council would put out a flier promoting all local businesses and emphasizing the need to support them and encourage the new start-ups. Funds might be available in the Locality budget for cost of this.
A village web-site was suggested – which would be linked to all sorts of other sites.
Gerry will enquire as to the whereabouts of the sign Fife Council removed as part of a purge. Bill McKissock would like it back.
The state of Limekilns Pier was discussed. It was explained how hard the Community Council had worked to explore funding options for a feasibility study. In the end, we were stumped by the fact that it was in private ownership, and therefore not eligible for lottery funds. The meeting was reminded that vandals had been videoed in the act of dislodging large stones and throwing them over the edge, and police had apprehended them. As it was private property, it required the owner to agree to press charges. Lord Elgin had declined to do so. If the Pier had higher listed status, it might be possible to put more pressure on the owner and authorities. There is concern that Fife Council’s spraying of grass on the Pier is having a serious effect on loosening coping stones. Secretary will write and request that they cease this activity.
Postal Deliveries. When Limekilns PO closes, the sorting will have to move. Janice has already clarified with the Estate that the room at the back of the Sutlery could be used for this. Royal Mail seem to be resisting this suggestion and saying that sorting would happen at Woodmill. This would be a huge loss to the villages. Secretary will write to Royal Mail requesting that mail continues to be sorted in the villages. The Post Office has to advertise for new premises when a branch closes.

7. Proposed Container Terminal

The Community Council sub group has responded to the three further documents - ‘Carbon Balance Assessment’, Rail Freight Access, and the impact of the proposed dredging on ‘Coastal processes’. None of these documents make convincing arguments for the scheme.
The sub group had held a meeting with Bill Walker MSP to ensure he was aware of the issues that concern us.
All objectors had received a letter from David McGinley, attempting to allay the concerns they had expressed and inviting them to withdraw their objections. We are not aware of anyone who wished so to do.

10. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £186.52 + £85.87 remaining of Floral money. Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50
Fife Council grant has eventually been received.

11. Secretary's Report

Charles Way sign. The additional ‘Charles Way’ sign has been erected and they have replaced the existing bent one – all on a Sunday morning.
Dropped kerbs at the Telephone Exchange. We got dropped kerbs without even asking for them - because there was a dislodged kerb stone, which we had reported as a hazard.

12. Councillor’s Report Nothing that hasn’t been covered.

13. AOCB

Smart new wooden seat at the Graveyard – in memory of four people, or dogs?
Community Council at the Gala. We’ll have a stall and a draw and offer a lost and found service.
As a thank you for all his valued chairmanship and as a wee minding, Ali was presented with a framed ‘Hawkeye’ photo showing most of Limekilns. He and his family leave for Perth, Australia in mid-July. We wish them well and will miss them.

14. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 30th August 2011 at the Bruce Arms.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 31.5.11

Present: Ali MacKerron, Sue Hamilton, Lyndsy Adam, Suze Anderson, Graham Urquhart, Kat Tebbutt, Lesley Scott, Peter Curry, Sheila Green, Alex Hill, Ian Cruikshanks, Cllr McMullan,

In attendance: Doreen Kempsell, Kirit Rach, Stuart Anderson, Mike Graham, Margaret Lobley, John Haxton, Martin Bald, Elaine Swankie, David and Natalie Gray, Malcolm and Sarah Duffin, Gordon McKissock, Bill McKissock, Paul Geoghan, Karen Grant, Eileen Pitblado, Ray Fernie.

1. Apologies: Beryl Leatherland, Barbara McKenzie, Cllr Walker, Cllr Clelland

2. Welcome: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, expressing his delight at the excellent attendance.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 26th April 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Peter approved, Graham seconded

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 26th April 2011

Area behind the Manse. Lyndsy is meeting Ed Dunbar on Monday. The view of all in attendance was that this would be an ideal, safe, and accessible outdoor space for Playgroup to use. Tidying it up would enhance the surroundings of Ivy Cottage. Malcolm Duffin would be delighted to help.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Liz Murphy of Bereavement Services emailed Secretary on a Saturday morning to apologise for the delay and promising it would be progressed..
Comfort Break WC signs. The Elgin had initially had a small black and white WC sign put up – almost invisibly behind the bus stop. Now it has been replaced with a larger blue sign with a disabled symbol on it. Bill McKissock is incensed that the Post Office indicator sign which he had had made and approved by the Community Council, and erected at a suitable height on the lamp post at the Green, some fifteen years ago, has been removed by persons unknown without reference to him. Such action by Fife Council engenders a degree of anger in the community.
School Parking. With input from Lyndsy, P6 pupils are working on a ‘Safer routes to School’ plan which includes the production of the leaflet. It was suggested that it would be good to set a target of having the leaflet done in time for the beginning of the autumn term.
Junction at Charles Way. We have requested that the ‘Give Way’ lines be repainted.
Buckshot. Ryan still awaiting Procurator Fiscal’s view on where responsibility lay for potential injury.
Potholes at Charlestown Green. Secretary had emailed Ian Jones again. Gerry will chase,
Collapsed wall near cemetery. Ali had spoken to Ed Dunbar of the Estate, asking that the stones be moved behind the wall so that they no longer block the path and that any unsafe bit of wall should be knocked over into the field. No action yet.
Rights of Way Consultation. Sarah Johnston had held her consultation at the beginning of May. She plans to have a walk round with Lyndsy to look at routes like that through the Cow Field that should be identified as Rights of Way.
Floral display. There had been a massive team effort in filling and planting the planters (with help from some Brownies). Unfortunately the worst gales of the century followed the next day. Some replacements will be needed. Waterers and weeders have been identified for each location.
Recycling. Plastics and cans are now collected together by Fife Council and go to JB Recycling in Hartlepool for sorting, recycling and reuse.
Ramsay Lane. Secretary had enquired. Nothing could or would be done about lighting Ramsay Lane as it is not adopted. Fife Council had been made aware of the problem when the new lighting was planned, but they did not take any action to resolve it.

5. License Applications

Il Pescatore

The application had been received after the last Community Council meeting and responses had to be in before the date of the next meeting. An additional meeting of the Community Council was therefore arranged for 10th May, to which Jim Brownlee, the Licensing Standards Officer, the applicants, and the near neighbours had been invited. The applicants did not attend. Following the meeting there had been an exchange of correspondence with the applicants and three members of the Community Council had met them at a meeting to which neighbours were also invited. The Community Council’s response had acknowledged, and was supportive of, the intentions of the applicant. However, we objected to the application as it was written, as it would potentially allow drinking until midnight in an area designated as an ‘Outside Drinking Area’. The applicant had written to the Community Council on two separate occasions and asked that his letters be read out at our meeting and attached to the minutes. He later retracted the request.

Merryhill.

An Edinburgh wine firm called l’Art du Vin is operating their internet sales business from their premises within the big new shed at Merryhill Farm. They need a license for this off sales business, and are applying for premises that is just 1.5m x 1.5m. This represents the area of the shelf display of bottles in their office. The Community Council has no objection to this application.

6. Traffic in Main Street

Vehicles with wheels on the pavement on the north side of the Main Street were of concern to the Fernies at 42 Main Street, as there have been occasions when they have driven on the pavement past the entrance to the driveway. The possibility of bollards to deter vehicles was discussed, and Gerry will arrange a meeting with Ian Jones. Bill McKissock pointed out that he had requested bollards outside the Post Office many years ago, but had been refused because the carriageway is narrow at this point. A number of other points were made about the effect that bollards might have on congestion.

7. Football on the Green

Concerns had been raised by the landlord and patrons of the Bruce Arms about the playing of football on the Green, leading to the possibility of accidents to children and damage to vehicles. They had suggested that a ‘no ball games’ sign should be erected. From comments by the parents of some of the children involved, it seems that this concern had not been conveyed to them. They assured the meeting that, if they were made aware of a problem involving their children at play, then they would ensure that their children would take care to avoid such incidents in future. The Chairman pointed out that the speed limit throughout the village is 20mph, and compliance is unusually high. When speed cushions had been installed, they were not in locations requested by the Community Council. However, following a long campaign by the Community Council over several years, a speed table will shortly be installed at the foot of Church Street and this should slow traffic further at this hazardous location. With regard to the appropriateness of a no ball games sign in the heart of our small village the community council and parents who were present were generally of the view that it would be to the detriment of the village to remove active use of the green and it is better to encourage responsible, considerate and safe use of the area. Any suggestion to Fife Council to erect such a sign would not be supported by the Community Council and would be actively opposed by residents.

8. Shop Closures

It was with great regret that we learnt of the closure of the Kilns Gift Shop.
This was compounded days later by the news that Limekilns Post Office and shop will close in October. Despite their sterling efforts, Jimmy and Janice have found that, even with the high footfall, the turnover at Limekilns has fallen to such an extent that they can no longer run both Limekilns and Charlestown shops. This has been a very difficult decision for them and for the McKissocks, and will have untold repercussions for the core of the village.
The meeting was pleased to hear that Mike and Sandra Graham are progressing with their venture at Hope Cottage.
The chairman suggested that as a community we should reflect on the reasons for the closure of these shops. Any business in the village has to be profitable and we have to use them to keep them going. If a replacement shop were to open in the village then we should all give it our support. The community council would be interested in assisting in getting this established.
Gerry explained that ‘Economic Development’ money is available for community enterprises.
Secretary mentioned that the Church building is likely to undergo major alterations in the relatively foreseeable future. Its more accessible feel will provide the potential for it to become another focus for the community.

9. Proposed Container Terminal

Babcock have produced three further documents to add to their Environmental Statement. One is a ‘Carbon Balance Assessment’. The second assesses the extent to which there would be access to the proposed terminal by rail, and finds very little. The third looks at the potential impact of the dredging required for the proposed container terminal on Coastal Processes – that is the movement of sediments and the potential loss of foreshore leading to possible erosion and compromising or sea defenses. The Chairman pointed out that the volume of dredged material to be removed to form a channel is 600,000 cubic metres. If this were placed on Hampden football pitch, it would sit 85m high even if it were fully consolidated! There are no firm conclusions from the study. Links to electronic copies of these documents have been sent out to all objectors whose email addresses we have and in a News Blast.

10. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £186.52 + £85.87 remaining of Floral money. Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50
Suze has applied for the Fife Council grant

11. Secretary's Report

a) Secretary has our Public Liability Insurance certificate.

b) Chairman and Secretary had again been sent plans for the speed table and humps. Secretary had asked why and it seemed they were carrying out a final trawl of consultees, lest any of the utilities had projects in mind that might interfere with the works. Secretary discovered that numbers painted on the kerb stones indicate that the whole of Dunfermline Road is shortly to be resurfaced by Fife Council. She asked Ian Jones to ensure that the resurfacing and speed table works be done at the same time

12. Councillor’s Report

Funds are still available in the Locality budget for us to access if we have good ideas.

13. AOCB

Concern about cars going the wrong way down Main Street. Take the registration number and contact the community policeman.
Estate has done the right thing in felling trees that were rotten inside.
Dog fouling. This is on the increase again. Stuart Anderson, the Dog Warden will take action if incidents are reported to him.
Cycling on the pavement. There had been a complaint about a child coming down Brucehaven Crescent at speed on the pavement and almost colliding with a vehicle exiting from a driveway on Brucehaven Road. Some identification is needed if effective action is to be taken.
John Jamieson of 23 Brucehaven Road had been concerned that our minutes of May last year implied that there was a problem with his planning application and that he had not followed proper procedures. Chairman had explained to him that the problem we noted was Fife Council’s failure to notify the correct neighbouring properties, and the minutes reflected this. For clarity, there was and is no suggestion that Mr Jamieson had acted improperly.

14. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 28th June 2011 at the Bruce Arms.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 26.4.11

Present: Ali MacKerron, Sue Hamilton, Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Suze Anderson, Graham Urquhart, Kat Tebbutt, Lesley Scott, Peter Curry, Barbara McKenzie, Sheila Green, Cllr McMullan,

In attendance: Ian Cruikshanks, Doreen Kempsell, Robin and Sheila Hutton, Kirit Rach, Linda MacPhee, Alex Hill, Diana Douglas, Stuart Anderson, Mike Graham

1. Apologies: Cllr Walker,

2. Welcome: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially Barbara McKenzie who had volunteered to join as representative for Pattiesmuir.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 29th March 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Suze approved, Graham seconded

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 29th March 2011

Area behind the Manse. Ed Dunbar seems to be on paternity leave now. Lyndsy still trying to progress the matter.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Secretary will contact Liz Murphy again.
Ian Cruikshanks explained why he had taken it upon himself to replace the ‘Comfort Break’ WC sign with a sign of his own. The Secretary had informed Fife Council of this change. The general view of the Community Council was that the sign was modest and provided a clear indication as to who was providing the toilet facility. Secretary would communicate this view to Scott Blyth and Diane Brand of Fife Council.
Charlestown Toilets are still open on borrowed time. Secretary will write and commend that they be retained.
Surgery Issues. No news. Secretary had put Stewart Anderson in touch with Annie.
School Parking. Lyndsy to meet Anne Marsh to agree on wording, which will be appropriate ‘in perpetuity’. Scott Blyth will get a large number of copies printed which can be handed out to all current and future parents. Ryan will reinforce the message by ‘speaking to’ those who park in ‘red’ areas. Diana Douglas who lives at the school end of South Loanhead said it gets very congested there in the mornings. Lyndsy would add a sentence to the leaflet, pointing out the number of driveways in South Loanhead, and requesting that driveways not be blocked.
Buckshot. Ryan still awaiting Procurator Fiscal’s view on where responsibility lay for potential injury. Barbara mentioned that the problem was also one that concerned residents of Pattiesmuir.
Fife Coastal Path. The corroded post at the end of Red Row had been replaced, and now needs a new sticker.
Telephone Exchange Wall. Speedy, neat repairs now complete. Fife Council yet to pick up the barriers.
Potholes at Charlestown Green. Secretary will contact Ian Jones again.
Collapsed wall near cemetery. Ali will speak to the Estate, asking that the stones be moved behind the wall so that they no longer block the path. Any unsafe bit of wall should be knocked over into the field.

5. Police

Quad bikes again causing danger on rights of way. No motorised vehicles allowed on Core Paths.
Gordon Mitchell had sent a brief message saying he was being seconded to another post, but we have no information about his replacement. From the Fife Police web site, it would appear that Gary Day is standing in as Inspector.
Suze mentioned that a white van had been seen lurking around the Sailing Clu8b. Registration numbers should always be taken.
Neighbourhood Watch. There doesn’t seem to be a great groundswell of enthusiasm for setting up a formal structure. Will monitor meantime.
Young boys had been spoken to about smoking in the Play Park. Get Ryan on the case, now we have lighter nights.

6. Rights of Way Mapping Exercise.

Sarah Johnston will be at the Bruce Arms from 2 – 7pm on Tuesday 3rd May, to hear representations about Rights of Way in Limekilns. Suze will put a link to the questionnaire on Facebook.

7. Village Floral Displays

The group has been very busy and much progress has been made. Dinghies proving too big, but have whisky barrels from Alex Bruce, and other generous help in kind. £500 from Fife Council is in Community Council account. £430 is in Garden Club account as well as £100 from the Welfare committee. Big planting day is on 22nd May. Waterers and weeders needed for each location.

9. Proposed Container Terminal

Having received copies of objections, Secretary had asked for a list of objectors, so that the Community Council can keep them updated. Objectors were written to requesting permission for their names to be given to the Community Council. Secretary now has names of about 45 of the 76 objectors.
Jim Tolson had written to some constituents, telling them that he had written to Keith Brown to ask him some pertinent questions about the responses of the statutory consultees. He had posed similar questions on his last day before the parliament was dissolved. He does not seem to be making this information more widely available. He had told Peter Curry that the Scottish Government ‘has established a clear need to expand the container industry’.
Beryl had put a question to Ian Gray, Labour leader about the lack of scrutiny of the National Planning Framework proposals. He did not seem to connect with the isignificance of this absence of scrutiny by parliament.

10. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £186.47. Floral fund £500. Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50
Suze has completed the year end accounts.
Sam Burton has examined the accounts, advised Suze to make some minor alterations and approved them. Thanks Sam. We will give her a golf voucher.
Suze can now apply for the Fife Council grant

11. Secretary's Report

Letter from Fire Brigades Union. Secretary will ask for an electronic copy. Despite Secretary’s initial reading of the letter, they actually say that ‘Scotland would be better serviced by a new service structure based on a single Scottish service that is co-ordinated centrally and delivered locally’.
Seats at Red Row. Secretary had been told they are in a bad way. Indeed one has collapsed. John McQueen has taken it away. We hope something will replace it.
Secretary had advised a member of the public to report the messy state of the Recycling Point herself, rather than asking Community Council to do it. It has now been cleared up.
Secretary observed both cans and plastics bins being emptied into the same lorry. The bin men said this was normal. The story is that Fife is moving to a four bin system! Where there are four bins, plastics and cans are collected together, and recycling points are altered accordingly. However, this system is not coming our way until 2014!
Both Pattiesmuir and Hilton Steadings have only one black bin per household. They would appreciate additional recycling facilities, although the Steadings have no room for more than one bin each!
Charles Way sign. The sign has been ordered. It could take some time.
The precariously rusty state of a lamp post near the Elgin Hotel has been reported.
ForthEnergy had sent out a glossy update on the proposed biomass plant. Gerry McMullan reported that the applicants had been given a ‘rough time’ at South West area committee.

12. Councillor’s Report

Gerry has spoken to BEAR about the deterioration of the anti-skid surface at the junction.
It looks as if Fife Council will never clear the grit off the pavements. If we want them swept we need to do it ourselves. Not good for the drains.
Primary School centenary coming up next year. The school building needs some maintenance – particularly to the window frames.

13. AOCB

Mike Graham has planning approval for his conversion of Hope Cottage to a coffee shop. Mike thanked the Community Council and neighbours in the village for their support. Has now to apply for Building Control, which is likely to take several weeks before building work can commence. Community Council delighted to have a new business in the villages.
Karen Henderson is enquiring whether there is to be another beach clean. Needs someone to make it happen. Secretary has the list of instructions. She will circulate it.
The new lighting in Brucehaven Road means there is no longer a street light illuminating Ramsay Lane. This makes it very dark. Gerry will contact Roads.
Beryl had attended the Scottish Canine Consultative Council meeting about responsible dog ownership. Fife doesn’t have the resource to run such a scheme.
Jimmy Ballantyne had expressed his displeasure at cars coming out of Charles Way and not looking right up Overhaven which has the right of way. Lyndsy will contact Ian Jones about the road markings.
Sheila Green asked whether we would be sending our greetings to Prince William and Kate on the occasion of their wedding. There was little enthusiasm for the proposal.
Babcock are getting complaints from Rosyth about the size of the new crane!
Is there any more news about the fate of the submarines at Rosyth? No.
Please give your Tesco vouchers to Lyndsy or to Peter.
Sheila Hutton reported that she accompanied her wheelchair-bound friend to the tea room each Wednesday and was concerned to find cars parked on the pavement and completely blocking it. If the registration numbers are given to Ryan, he will have a word, or put a wee note on the windscreen, explaining the difficulty it causes.
Ali has a new job in Perth, Australia. He and his family will be leaving in July. Oh dear! The opportunity was too good to turn down, but he will miss the village community which he and his family have made their home. We will keep in touch electronically. We’ll need a new Chairman, and there will be another vacancy on the Community Council.

14. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 31st May 2011 at the Bruce Arms. (AGM at 7.30pm. Ordinary meeting at 7.50pm)

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 29.3.11

Present: Ali MacKerron, Sue Hamilton, Annie Nally, Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Suze Anderson, Graham Urquhart, Kat Tebbutt

In attendance: Sarah Johnston (Fife Council), Doreen Kempsell, Gordon McKissock, Bill McKissock, John Haxton, Robin and Sheila Hutton, David Souter, Jean McKenzie, Moira Adams, Lynn Wright.

1. Apologies: Peter Curry, PC Hutchinson, Cllr McMullan, Cllr Walker,

2. Welcome: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting

3. Minutes of the meeting of 22nd February 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Suze approved, Annie seconded

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 22nd February 2011

Area behind the Manse. Lyndsy still to speak to Ed Dunbar. Playgroup have outdoor equipment they want to use, and the warmer weather is coming.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Liz Murphy is on the case.
Lyndsy has drafted a letter to Pattiesmuir residents inviting interested folk to get in touch to fill a place. Barbara McKenzie has indicated her interest but was not able to come tonight.
‘Comfort Break’ WC sign now erected on new pole opposite the Ship. The Elgin is also to join the scheme.
Surgery Issues. No improvement with respect to lights. Secretary will contact Stewart Anderson again, and give his contact details to Annie.
Red Telephone Box. Secretary still hopes to discover who it was who was interested in converting the Charlestown box into a mini-heritage information centre. Apparently the domed roof of red phone boxes contains asbestos.
School Parking. Lyndsy has drawn up proposals for discussion, marking in red where parking is inadvisable and blue where it is recommended. This will be incorporated in an advisory leaflet which will come from the school.
West Fife Villages Booklet. We’ll make sure we’re in the next one.
Buckshot. Ryan still awaiting Procurator Fiscal’s view on where responsibility lay for potential injury. Estate says shooting season has finished, but buckshot still landed on Kat Tebbutt herself!
Fife Coastal Path. Blue stickers had appeared on lamp posts showing the route of the path. Secretary had requested replacement of the particularly corroded post at the end of Red Row. This had been done.
Telephone Exchange Wall. Ian Wright of Monteray, the facilities company which manages property of BT, had been extremely efficient in getting the wall repaired.
Charlestown Toilets. Burst pipes have been repaired and the toilets are open again in the meantime.

5. Police

Ryan is on duty at a football match in Cowdenbeath so sends his apologies
Secretary had received an invitation to the South West Fife event to launch the new Policing Plan, but had been unable to attend.
Lyndsy had a pack from Ryan, explaining about re-establishing a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in the villages. A Neighbourhood Watch scheme can be set up for any area, whether it be one street or a whole village. The only requirement is that someone to be the co-ordinator for the specified area. It was decided that it would be best to call a special meeting to gauge interest. In general, it is probably easier for neighbours to keep in touch these days, using email rather than having to use the telephone or attend more than the occasional meeting.
Police had responded well to report of possible ‘chancers’ offering to do work on houses.
Quad bikes again causing danger on rights of way. No motorised vehicles should be used on Core Paths. A lad from Pattiesmuir had been quad biking round and round Douglas Bank cemetery.

6. Rights of Way Mapping Exercise.

Sarah Johnston from Fife Council gave very clear explanations about Rights of Way. (80% of Scotland’s Rights of Way are in Fife!). She will shortly be carrying out a consultation to identify all Rights of Way in Limekilns. She’s looking for as much input as possible from villagers. Sarah already has the list of Rights of Way drawn up by the Community Council at one of its first meetings in 1977.
A Right of Way has to meet specific criteria: it must link two public places, it must be used openly without permission, it must have been used for 20 years without interruption, and it must have been used by a reasonable number of people for the size of the community. The outcomes of the mapping exercise will be various. If a Right of Way is identified, Sarah will visit the landowner, if it’s non-controversial, then it’s recorded by Scotways and Fife Council. If it is controversial, then witnesses must be prepared to defend it in court, or it can be established through the planning process. She hopes that the outcome of her planned exercise will be a fixed permanent definition of Rights of Way. Once a Right of Way has been ‘asserted’ then Fife Council will defend it in court.
The ‘Uniform’ system of maps used by planners do not always show Rights of Way accurately. Sarah checks every application in Fife to check it for Rights of Way issues. If a planning proposal affects a Right of Way, then arrangements can be made for a diversion.
Rights of Way are not to do with private rights of access. The issue is to do with regular, public and open access.
Ownership of the land is irrelevant.
If it’s not been used regularly for 20 years, it’s not a Right of Way.

7. Potholes at Charlestown Green

The bin lorry almost got stuck in the pothole at the north east corner of the Green. Secretary has spoken to Ian Jones of Fife Council, who says they no longer have a budget for non-adopted roads. He will contact the Estate.

8. Village Floral Displays

The group is going for 7 arrangements this year. Bill McKissock had unloaded a load of compost single-handed. Thanks Bill. Bill is growing plants. Kat has been away, but has it in hand to obtain the dinghies and barrels.

9. Proposed Container Terminal

The Community Council’s detailed objection had been submitted by 4th March, along with 74 other objections.
Copies had been sent to councillors for this Ward and Rosyth, MSP’s and prospective MSP candidates, Patrick Harvie MSP, Cathy Peattie MSP, and Duncan Nichol MSP, Willie Rennie, Thomas Docherty, Keith Winter, Jim Birrell, Mary Stewart and Angus Dodds of Fife Council, Forth Ports, RSPB, SNH, SEPA, Friends of the Earth Scotland. From the latter we have established contact with the charity called ‘Planning Democracy’.
A copy was also sent to Rosyth Community Council along with an offer for Ali to come to one of their meetings to explain the rationale behind our objection. The offer was declined.
All objections addressed to Val Ferguson had been passed on directly to Babcock. Secretary asked for a copy of the objections and was told we couldn’t have them, so we asked under Freedom of Information, and have, indeed, received a copy of all the objections, but no indication of who they were from. In order for the Community Council to be able to keep in touch with these concerned individuals, we will now ask for a list of names and addresses of those who objected.
Dunfermline Press had been in contact with Ali this week, and they had been sent a copy too. Expect an article next week

10. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £186.41. Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50
Letter from Fife Council giving details of new grant and how to claim it.

11. Secretary's Report

A resident of Upper Wellheads had emailed the Secretary to ask who owns the land between Upper Wellheads and Wellheads, because trees on it are interfering with the telephone wires. There is, apparently some dubiety as to ownership. It may well belong to the villagers. (It was used for allotments during the war.)

12. Councillor’s Report

None

13. AOCB

New Forth Bridge. A consortium of contractors has been appointed. Their tender is surprisingly low, and there are suggestions that issues around relationships of the main players and financing could end up like the Edinburgh trams!
The Local Access Forum are to have a meeting with the Scottish Canine Consultative Council to discuss a proposal to develop community-based dog management initiatives based on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Beryl will attend.
Continuing problem of cars going the wrong way down Main Street. No Entry sign has been repainted. Need to check what the signs say at the exit from Academy Square.
The issue of the ineffectiveness of speed cushions in slowing traffic was mentioned – particularly with reference to vans, lorries and buses on the Prom.
Wall near cemetery. This collapsed wall is unsightly and a hazard. If there is no intention to rebuild it, we should ask the Estate to remove the stones and rubble to leave the track clear.

14. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 26th April 2011 at the Bruce Arms.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 29.3.11

Present: Ali MacKerron, Sue Hamilton, Annie Nally, Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Suze Anderson, Graham Urquhart, Kat Tebbutt

In attendance: Sarah Johnston (Fife Council), Doreen Kempsell, Gordon McKissock, Bill McKissock, John Haxton, Robin and Sheila Hutton, David Souter, Jean McKenzie, Moira Adams, Lynn Wright.

1. Apologies: Peter Curry, PC Hutchinson, Cllr McMullan, Cllr Walker,

2. Welcome: The Chairman welcomed everyone to the meeting

3. Minutes of the meeting of 22nd February 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Suze approved, Annie seconded

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 22nd February 2011

Area behind the Manse. Lyndsy still to speak to Ed Dunbar. Playgroup have outdoor equipment they want to use, and the warmer weather is coming.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Liz Murphy is on the case.
Lyndsy has drafted a letter to Pattiesmuir residents inviting interested folk to get in touch to fill a place. Barbara McKenzie has indicated her interest but was not able to come tonight.
‘Comfort Break’ WC sign now erected on new pole opposite the Ship. The Elgin is also to join the scheme.
Surgery Issues. No improvement with respect to lights. Secretary will contact Stewart Anderson again, and give his contact details to Annie.
Red Telephone Box. Secretary still hopes to discover who it was who was interested in converting the Charlestown box into a mini-heritage information centre. Apparently the domed roof of red phone boxes contains asbestos.
School Parking. Lyndsy has drawn up proposals for discussion, marking in red where parking is inadvisable and blue where it is recommended. This will be incorporated in an advisory leaflet which will come from the school.
West Fife Villages Booklet. We’ll make sure we’re in the next one.
Buckshot. Ryan still awaiting Procurator Fiscal’s view on where responsibility lay for potential injury. Estate says shooting season has finished, but buckshot still landed on Kat Tebbutt herself!
Fife Coastal Path. Blue stickers had appeared on lamp posts showing the route of the path. Secretary had requested replacement of the particularly corroded post at the end of Red Row. This had been done.
Telephone Exchange Wall. Ian Wright of Monteray, the facilities company which manages property of BT, had been extremely efficient in getting the wall repaired.
Charlestown Toilets. Burst pipes have been repaired and the toilets are open again in the meantime.

5. Police

Ryan is on duty at a football match in Cowdenbeath so sends his apologies
Secretary had received an invitation to the South West Fife event to launch the new Policing Plan, but had been unable to attend.
Lyndsy had a pack from Ryan, explaining about re-establishing a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in the villages. A Neighbourhood Watch scheme can be set up for any area, whether it be one street or a whole village. The only requirement is that someone to be the co-ordinator for the specified area. It was decided that it would be best to call a special meeting to gauge interest. In general, it is probably easier for neighbours to keep in touch these days, using email rather than having to use the telephone or attend more than the occasional meeting.
Police had responded well to report of possible ‘chancers’ offering to do work on houses.
Quad bikes again causing danger on rights of way. No motorised vehicles should be used on Core Paths. A lad from Pattiesmuir had been quad biking round and round Douglas Bank cemetery.

6. Rights of Way Mapping Exercise.

Sarah Johnston from Fife Council gave very clear explanations about Rights of Way. (80% of Scotland’s Rights of Way are in Fife!). She will shortly be carrying out a consultation to identify all Rights of Way in Limekilns. She’s looking for as much input as possible from villagers. Sarah already has the list of Rights of Way drawn up by the Community Council at one of its first meetings in 1977.
A Right of Way has to meet specific criteria: it must link two public places, it must be used openly without permission, it must have been used for 20 years without interruption, and it must have been used by a reasonable number of people for the size of the community. The outcomes of the mapping exercise will be various. If a Right of Way is identified, Sarah will visit the landowner, if it’s non-controversial, then it’s recorded by Scotways and Fife Council. If it is controversial, then witnesses must be prepared to defend it in court, or it can be established through the planning process. She hopes that the outcome of her planned exercise will be a fixed permanent definition of Rights of Way. Once a Right of Way has been ‘asserted’ then Fife Council will defend it in court.
The ‘Uniform’ system of maps used by planners do not always show Rights of Way accurately. Sarah checks every application in Fife to check it for Rights of Way issues. If a planning proposal affects a Right of Way, then arrangements can be made for a diversion.
Rights of Way are not to do with private rights of access. The issue is to do with regular, public and open access.
Ownership of the land is irrelevant.
If it’s not been used regularly for 20 years, it’s not a Right of Way.

7. Potholes at Charlestown Green

8. Village Floral Displays

9. Proposed Container Terminal

The Community Council’s detailed objection had been submitted by 4th March, along with 74 other objections.
Copies had been sent to councillors for this Ward and Rosyth, MSP’s and prospective MSP candidates, Patrick Harvie MSP, Cathy Peattie MSP, and Duncan Nichol MSP, Willie Rennie, Thomas Docherty, Keith Winter, Jim Birrell, Mary Stewart and Angus Dodds of Fife Council, Forth Ports, RSPB, SNH, SEPA, Friends of the Earth Scotland. From the latter we have established contact with the charity called ‘Planning Democracy’.
A copy was also sent to Rosyth Community Council along with an offer for Ali to come to one of their meetings to explain the rationale behind our objection. The offer was declined.
All objections addressed to Val Ferguson had been passed on directly to Babcock. Secretary asked for a copy of the objections and was told we couldn’t have them, so we asked under Freedom of Information, and have, indeed, received a copy of all the objections, but no indication of who they were from. In order for the Community Council to be able to keep in touch with these concerned individuals, we will now ask for a list of names and addresses of those who objected.
Dunfermline Press had been in contact with Ali this week, and they had been sent a copy too. Expect an article next week

10. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £186.41. Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50
Letter from Fife Council giving details of new grant and how to claim it.

11. Secretary's Report

12. Councillor’s Report

None

13. AOCB

New Forth Bridge. A consortium of contractors has been appointed. Their tender is surprisingly low, and there are suggestions that issues around relationships of the main players and financing could end up like the Edinburgh trams!
The Local Access Forum are to have a meeting with the Scottish Canine Consultative Council to discuss a proposal to develop community-based dog management initiatives based on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Beryl will attend.
Continuing problem of cars going the wrong way down Main Street. No Entry sign has been repainted. Need to check what the signs say at the exit from Academy Square.
The issue of the ineffectiveness of speed cushions in slowing traffic was mentioned – particularly with reference to vans, lorries and buses on the Prom.
Wall near cemetery. This collapsed wall is unsightly and a hazard. If there is no intention to rebuild it, we should ask the Estate to remove the stones and rubble to leave the track clear.

14. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 26th April 2011 at the Bruce Arms.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 22.2.11

Present: Sue Hamilton, Annie Nally, Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Lesley Scott, Suze Anderson,

In attendance: Gordon McKissock, Bill McKissock, Mike Graham, Polly Cleall-Harding, Ian Cruikshanks, Russell Kelly, Kirit Rach, Jim Tolson MSP (until 8.30pm), Derek Abbott (Ranger)

1. Apologies: Lyndsy (for being late after attending a Neighbourhood Watch meeting for us in Cairneyhill) Peter Curry, Graham Urquhart, Ali MacKerron, Kat Tebbutt, Cllr Walker, Lisa Lewry, Christine Page.

2. Welcome: In the Chairman’s absence, Beryl took the chair and welcomed everyone to the meeting

3. Minutes of the meeting of 25th January 2011.

These were approved as a true record. Suze approved, Beryl seconded.

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 25th January 2011

Area behind the Manse. Lyndsy is to speak to Ed Dunbar, to explain Playgroup’s perspective again.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Liz Murphy is on the case.
Lyndsy has drafted a letter to Pattiesmuir residents inviting interested folk to get in touch to fill a place
Sam Burton has indicated that she’s too busy to fill the other vacancy on the Community Council.
Still awaiting the installation of the ‘Comfort Break’ WC sign by Fife Council. Ian says it is supposed to be done this week.
Surgery Issues. Stewart Anderson has been contacted about the continuing problem with bright lights coming on at odd times of the night. Bins: We hope it is now fixed that the blue bin will be pu tout beside the bin store on a Friday for collection on a Sunday. The yellow bin will not be put out until Monday morning.
Red Telephone Box. Secretary still hopes to discover who it was who was interested in converting the Charlestown box into a mini-heritage information centre.
Scott Blyth had produced a large scale map for us to mark prohibited and advisory parking places. Lyndsy will draw up proposals for discussion.
West Fife Villages Booklet. We had been left out because we didn’t happen to be at the WFCCF meeting when they discussed who was going to update which bit!
Buckshot. Ryan had contacted the Procurator Fiscal to establish where responsibility lay for potential injury.
Royal Mail. Secretary had written to Consumer Focus who had elicited a proper response from Royal Mail, who said that all should have settled down by now. Secretary had asked Jane if this was the case, and she said that things were now working out. They were getting mail delivered to both villages every day, and their van was taking some of the strain.
Main Street Lighting. Secretary had written to John Anderson requesting that we be put on the list.
Submarine dismantling. Secretary had written to the signatories of the two letters received, one from Bath and one from Mike Pettigrew, to enquire when the ‘Local Liaison Committee’ which had been mentioned, had last met, and who the members were. She had received a very vague answer to both questions from …David McGinley! Jim Tolson explained that there were two general options for dismantling submarines. Both involve cutting off the bow and stern sections and disposing of them through normal steel recycling routes. Thereafter, the central section which had housed the reactor and associated pipe work, would, in one scenario, be left intact and placed in an, as yet unspecified, long term nuclear waste store. The other option would involve dismantling the central section into component parts to reduce the volume of contaminated hardware requiring to be stored. Submarines currently stored afloat in Rosyth, are visually inspected by divers on a regular basis. Each one is removed to dry dock every 12 years for scraping and repainting, before being returned to afloat storage. The hole that had appeared in one of the submarines had been in one of the ballast tanks which are made of thinner steel than the hull of the submarine itself.
Charles Court pavement. The pavement outside numbers 1 to 4 Charles Court has been replaced with proper tarmac. The Secretary had complained about the poor quality of the black sealant, not because she had wanted the pavement replaced, but because she had thought the information might be of use to Fife Council in future appointment of contractors!
Proposed ‘gateway’ treatment at Limekilns Road, Dunfermline. Secretary had written, saying that the general consensus was that this was hardly necessary, as no-one was aware of a speeding problem at this location. Iain Henderson had replied saying that ‘from a comprehensive speed survey the average recorded speed was 32.4 mph and the 85% percentile (speed which is not exceeded by 85% of drivers) was 38.4 mph’.
Burning tyres at the Soapworks. SEPA had contacted the Estate about the incident. Rather than just speaking to the obvious culprit, the Estate had written to all the tenants of the garages warning them not to burn tyres!

5. Police

Lyndsy had attended a meeting this evening in Cairneyhill to hear what might be involved in re-establishing a Neighbourhood Watch Scheme in the villages. Ryan will give us a pack of information about ‘Rejuvenating your Neighbourhood Watch Scheme’. Place on agenda for next meeting.
Police will carry out free household security checks by request for over 60s. If they think you need minor bits of hardware such as door chains they can be installed for free.
You can phone them up to let them know you are on holiday and they will keep an eye out for anything untoward.
If you are going on holiday you can, apparently, get a temporary intruder alarm that will ring your mobile phone if it goes off.
Gerry mentioned again, the importance of checking if your window cleaner is licensed by the council.

6. Village Floral Displays

Lyndsy had met Keith Jackson and shown him the locations where floral displays were planned. He was very helpful. They agreed to go for modest number of locations in this first year. There would be a BACS transfer to the Community Council account representing set-up grants for both Charlestown and Limekilns.

7. Proposed Western Extension of Fife Coastal Path.

Derek Abbott, the local Ranger, spoke with enthusiasm about the importance of the Fife Coastal Path. The western extension to Kincardine, which is now being incorporated, will use road routes to get round the industrial areas at Rosyth and Crombie. Cllr McMullan suggested that there may be an opportunity for a path around the Crombie Depot boundary in the not too distant future. He will speak to Derek about this. Apart from stickers on lamp posts, the main impact in the villages will be an information board on Limekilns Pier. This will be of the standard design that is used all round Fife, with some nuggets of local information. Derek would show us what was planned before the board was made.

8. Planning

7 Main Street. Community Councillors had been shocked to discover that a planning officer had now written a different report to submit to the south west area committee this month, saying that the application should be rejected because it was ‘out of character with the Conservation Area’ and it would have an ‘adverse impact on the alleged right of way’. This totally contradicts the earlier recommendation for approval which Councillors had ignored last month, The Community Council agreed to send an email to Councillors this evening saying ‘We understood that a Fife planning officer had explained to Councillors at a site meeting the reasons why he would make a recommendation for approval. Members then chose to vote against approval and presumably, therefore, in favour of the very occasional potential users of the path, rather than in favour of the owners of the property who were making a legitimate and reasonable planning application. We are concerned that planning officers have now been told to go and find reasons to justify the decision by Councillors to refuse the application. We respectfully ask that you, as Councillors, revisit your decision and reject the report presented to you at tomorrow’s meeting of the South West Area Committee’. (We have since learnt that there was a unanimous vote in favour of new report to reject the application! Gerry had not been in attendance.)
Hope Cottage. Mike Graham explained his plans and hopes for Hope Cottage. He had done a lot of preliminary work and research, including discussing the project with immediate neighbours. They all seemed to be in favour of the project despite a few misgivings about parking. The building is damp and in a poor state of repair, and has not been occupied for most of the past five years. The Community Council agreed to write a letter of support for the development, welcoming a new business that could be tastefully incorporated into our villages.

9. Parking at Queen Margaret Hospital

Parking at Queen Margaret Hospital. Bellyeoman Community Council is seriously exercised by parking problems associated with the hospital. The general gist of their letter is that, rather than just putting up with the situation, people should put in more formal complaints, since managers suggest that the number of complaints is negligible.

10. Proposed Container Terminal

The Community Council delivered a leaflet to all villagers, suggesting that they might wish to object, and supplying a list of reasons why the Community Council, as a result of extensive and detailed research, concluded that the proposal would be a thoroughly bad idea for our community. Moreover, it would be likely to generate only some 20 jobs rather than the 200 promised, while causing devastation to both wildlife and residents as well as threatening the integrity of our beaches and sea defenses. The Community Council is submitting a strong objection. Fife’s Biodiversity Officer is Johanna Willa.

11. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £382.41 (4p interest!), Dunfermline Building Society: £2501.50
Invoice for £56 Balgownie Cards for printing leaflet.
Secretary’s expenses to submit
ASCC subscription of £15 due.
Data Protection annual fee £35 due

12. Secretary's Report

Tom Minogue is campaigning assiduously on the issue of ‘Common Good’ assets. These are the various buildings, artifacts, pieces of land, and pots of money that have been bequeathed historically and accumulated by local authorities, and details of which often ‘disappear’ as authorities are absorbed and combined. Common Good assets belong to the people of the particular area, not to the Council.
Fife Council has offered induction training for new Community Councillors during the daytime.
Fife Council is looking for a member of the public to serve on the Licensing Board.
APRS newsletter
ASCC newsletter
Fit’n’Fun in Fife
Letter from West Fife Rotary Club asking if we knew of any projects which might appreciate assistance from Rotary. College Club are looking for new chairs.
Cllr Walker had asked if he could attend a Community Council meeting in his role as SNP Prospective MSP. Secretary had not replied. We don’t do politics.
Telephone Exchange Wall. On Monday in the late afternoon Secretary received a call from Richard Weir who had at around lunchtime, along with someone else, witnessed a BT vehicle reversing into the wall at the Telephone Exchange and making it unsafe. A barrier had now been erected which is blocking the pavement
Toilets. Toilets have been closed since the icy weather as they again suffered from burst pipes. Ron Farn, of Fife Council has promised to get them repaired, even though he believes that Fife Council will close them down because of the cuts.

13. Councillor’s Report

Nothing that has not been raised already

14. AOCB

15. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 29th March 2011 at the Bruce Arms.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 25.1.11

Present: Peter Curry, Sue Hamilton, Graham Urquhart, Ali MacKerron, Annie Nally, Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Lesley Scott, Kat Tebbutt, Suze Anderson, Sheila Green

In attendance: Alex Hill, Lisa Lewry

1. Apologies: Cllr Walker

2. Welcome: Chairman welcomed everyone to the new venue

3. Minutes of the meeting of 30th November 2010.

Scott Blyth had asked us to clarify that the police did not refuse to police 20mph zones unless there were physical measures in place but that 'measures are necessary in 20mph zones as the regulations require them to be reasonably self-enforcing'. With this correction minutes of 30th November were approved. Proposed: Peter Curry, seconded Kat Tebbutt

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 30th November 2010.

Ali had written to Charlie Reid Thomas on how we can best relate to the Estate without the Factor having to attend meetings. Sheila and Beryl volunteered to arrange to see Charlie in the Estate Office on a Monday when there were issues to discuss.
Area behind the Manse. There seems to have been a misunderstanding of Playgroup needs and Estate offer. Lyndsy will speak to Charlie again.
Additional ‘Charles Way’ sign. Secretary had checked on progress on this matter and been told no more works would be approved until the pot holes had all been filled.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Liz Murphy is on the case.
Pattiesmuir representation on the Community Council. Lyndsy will deliver a note to houses in Pattiesmuir inviting interested folk to get in touch.
We still have another vacancy on the Community Council. Secretary will check Sam’s interest.
Still awaiting the installation of the ‘Comfort Break’ WC sign by Fife Council.
Surgery Issues. Despite the fact that all the lights were to be switched off, if it is not possible to dim them, one bright light is still on in the early evening and comes on again in the early hours of the morning, even at weekends. Gerry will contact Stewart Anderson. Bins: The yellow and blue bins are still being put out on a Friday, despite the fact that the yellow one (at least) is not emptied until Monday. Gerry to follow this up.
Traffic Calming. There had been two objections and two letters of support. SW Area committee gave approval this week.
Red Telephone Box. Secretary still hopes to discover who it was who was interested in converting the Charlestown box into a mini heritage information centre.
Merryhill Bridge. The work had been completed by Christmas Eve. The diversion signs had been removed, but the frames and sandbags remained for some two weeks after the New Year. The concrete conduit which has been installed to protect services crossing the bridge seems like an additional hazard. Secretary will ask that the vertical end be painted to make it more obvious
Scott Blyth had produced a large scale map for us to mark prohibited and advisory parking places. Lyndsy will draw up proposals for discussion.
Fife Council Data Protection. A good reply had been received from Michael Enston of fife council admitting their shortcomings with respect to circulation of email lists.
Biomass plant. Observations from the Community Council had been submitted by the due date. Letter had not appeared on the Scottish Government web site but it will now. Many letters from organisations are querying the sustainability of imported biomass, and whether such a big plant can efficiently use biomass if it is not producing usable heat as well as electricity.
West Fife Villages Booklet. Secretary had enquired of the publisher who it was who compiled the booklet but had received no answer. Gerry will enquire.

5. Police

We were delighted that Ryan was in attendance. He was warmly welcomed.

Still following up the reported attempted abduction. No clear leads. Rumours not helpful.
Buckshot from Pheasant Shooting. Ryan has spoken to Ed Dunbar (assistant Factor) and the Gamekeeper. They have made some minor changes but problem persists. Clearly, if they are shooting into the air, shot will land. The Estate says they have been doing the same for 150 years. Ryan is enquiring who will carry responsibility, if, for example a child lost an eye. We will ask, again, that the Estate posts a list of dates when shooting will take place.
Community Engagement Meetings will now be on the first Thursday of the month. The next one is in Cairneyhill on March 3rd.
Ryan will hold a surgery at the Gellet Hall tomorrow.
Limekilns Park priority has not been an issue during the colder nights.
Several window panes broken at the school last week. Culprits have been apprehended. Ryan is speaking to the parents.
There is a pattern of early evening housebreaking in West Fife. Lights off indicate an empty house. Barricade front door, close curtains. Do the job and leave through the back when owner returns or before.
Police will carry out free household security check by request.
Might there be a desire to re-establish a Neighbourhood Watch scheme in the villages?

6. Failure in Royal Mail Deliveries.

Appalling Service during December has been followed by an imperceptible improvement in January.
As part of reorganisation, friendly and reliable Jimmy and his van who delivered mail to Charlestown, was deployed elsewhere, and Jane and Marjorie were told they had to do Charlestown as well as Limekilns, or take a round allocated to them in Dunfermline. They were given a van, but have found the round very difficult. Effectively, the villages are now served by two posties and a van instead of three posties and a van. Yesterday, for the first time, they managed to deliver all the mail to both villages. There has, effectively, been an alternate day delivery in Limekilns and Charlestown. Royal Mail blame the weather. We blame the Royal Mail. Jim Tolson had written an excellent letter to Ed Davey MP who is something to with postal services at Westminster. We will enquire who has overall responsibility for this mess and diminution of service, and who we should write to.

7. Grit Bins and Winter Maintenance

There had been email discussion among Community Council members as to whether there was a need for more grit bins anywhere. A number of locations were mentioned, but the general view was that it was more important to keep the bins refilled rather than having more bins.
Fife Council had produced a small but comprehensive booklet about their winter maintenance service.
When there was a burst pipe in a garage at 57 Charles Way, the mains water ‘toby’ could not be found. It had been covered by the black coating that had been applied to pavements, and a metal detector had to be sourced to find it. Gerry said that Ian Jones of Fife Council was aware of the problem.

8. Main Street

Still troubled by traffic going the wrong way through the one way street. Some early morning deliveries to the shop are culprits. No easy solution, unless vehicle registrations are taken. Repainting the No Entry on the road might help.
7 Main Street. Dismay expressed that Councillors had gone against the recommendation of officers and refused planning permission for an extension at the back, because of a supposed intrusion onto public access. This is not a planning issue. Chairman will write to the applicants, encouraging them to appeal and offering a letter of support for their appeal.
Street Lighting. Lisa Lewry, who was in attendance, had contacted the Secretary because of the way in which failed lighting columns were dealt with on an ad hoc basis, by replacing them with modern aluminium standards. This seems to entirely inappropriate for the Main Street. We will make a request that a scheme for replacement of lamps in Main Street with ‘traditional columns’ be added to the Fife Council’s programme of new schemes, and request that they do not introduce any more aluminium columns into the Conservation Area.

9. Proposed Western Extension of Fife Coastal Path.

Peter Wilson (ex Chief Constable) had been in touch, alerting us to the imminent extension of the coastal path. Derek Abbott, the local Ranger will come to our next meeting and show us proposed routes and signage.

10. Proposed Container Terminal

A helpful reply from the convener of Local Government and Communities Committee had given us an indication of who the Scottish Government contact was – a Val Anderson of Transport Scotland.
The Harbour Revision Order notice appeared in the Dunfermline Press on the 20th January, giving 42 days for a response (until 3rd March). The sub group will meet and allocate tasks.
There was also an article in the Dunfermline Press, to which a blog had been appended. Slanderous comments had flown back and for the between a small number of individuals, one of whom, purporting to be against the container Terminal did not sound like a real person, let alone a resident of Limekilns! Ali had posted a contribution to protect the Community Council’s reputation. No one had responded to his invitation to get in touch.

11. Treasurer's Report

Current Account: £382.37, Dunfermline building Society: £2501.50
There will be a BACS transfer of £500 – a grant for our floral display project.
There had been a consultation on the Community Council grant formula, with an alteration in the balance between the per capita and per Community Council amounts. We come off marginally better with the new system, so we voted for it!

12. Secretary's Report

Letter received from ‘Mike Pettigrew’ of Babcock, forwarding a letter from Alasdair Stirling (head of Submarines at the MOD). Saying that they were needing to dismantle 27 submarines and needed to decide where to do it. Only two sites are mentioned – Rosyth and Devonport. Mention is made of the Rosyth Local Liaison Committee. Secretary will enquire what it is. The meeting agreed that this would be a very appropriate project for Rosyth in terms of retaining jobs and skills long term. Indeed it would be far preferable to a proposed Container Terminal.
More information about digital TV switchover. For Black Hill, analogue BBC2 will finish on 8th June, and other channels on 22nd.
Cones and signs had appeared at the top of Charles Court. Apparently, because the Secretary complained about the very poor quality of the black sealant, the pavement outside numbers 1 to 4 Charles Court is to be replaced with proper tarmac!
Proposed ‘gateway’ treatment at Limekilns Road, Dunfermline. The general consensus was that this was hardly necessary, as no-one was aware of a speeding problem at this location.
Keep Scotland Beautiful had extended national Spring Clean effort to two months from one. Dates are 14th March – 16th May.

15. Councillor’s Report

Primary School Centenary Celebration coming up. Locality Manager could have money for an appropriate project. Lyndsy says the school wants to develop a trim trail.

16. AOCB

Someone had been burning tyres at the Soapworks. Acrid smoke made approach impossible to see who was doing it. Contacted SEPA but they couldn’t come out till the next day.
Doreen had been able to supply the gate key for an ambulance needing to attend to a walker near the graveyard. She had not been pleased to notice that the ambulance paramedics had left their rubbish behind!
Lesley Scott asked what could be done about the junction with the A985. She predicts a very bad accident very soon. Unfortunately, we have not had deaths, or even serious injuries reported, so BEAR do not consider it dangerous.
Association of Community Councils had asked for nomination of heroes during the bad weather. Secretary had nominated Jimmy for the huge efforts he made to keep the village shops supplied.
Ross Finnie’s Draft Bill to ban parking on pavements and at dropped kerbs may have merit in some locations but would all but stop cars travelling along Brucehaven Road. Secretary will write.

17. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 22nd February 2011 at the Bruce Arms.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL

MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE BRUCE ARMS ON 30.11.2010

Present: Peter Curry, Sue Hamilton, Graham Urquhart, Ali MacKerron, Annie Nally, Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Lesley Scott, Kat Tebbutt

In attendance: Scott Blyth, Alex Hill, Kirit Rach, Robin Grant, John Haxton, Ian Cruikshank, Eric Thomson

1. Apologies: Gerry McMullan, Cllr Walker, Sheila Green, Suze Anderson, James Reekie, Keith Jackson

2. Welcome: Chairman welcomed everyone to the alternative venue – selected in view of the heavy snow – which had prevented several people from attending.

3. Minutes of the meeting of 26th October 2010.

AOCB a) was amended to read ‘Peter Curry has been appointed vice chairman of the Scottish BMA, which will involve monthly meetings in London. Congratulations, Peter.’

With this correction minutes of 26th October approved. Proposed: Beryl Leatherland, seconded Lesley Scott

4. Matters Arising from Meeting of 26th October 2010

Ali still to write letter to Charlie Reid Thomas on the subject of refusal of Lottery Funding and our suggestions as to how the Community Council can relate to the Estate without the Factor having to attend meetings.
Ballast Bank. Stewart Anderson of Environmental Health had passed our request to his senior, Douglas Mayne, who had emailed us to say that Fife Council had sought advice from Health Protection Scotland via NHS Fife on the status of the site at Ballast Bank Charlestown. Their advice received in January 2005 was "on the basis of the information available, there is a very low probability of significant quantities of asbestos fibres being liberated into the atmosphere or any so liberated remaining airborne." Douglas also suggested that any offer of hard core deposit to cover vulnerable areas would require a landfill operators license. As far as rabbits are concerned, they don’t come under Environmental health’s pest control remit! Charlie Reid Thomas has told Gerry that the Estate still intends to develop it in some way.
Area behind the Manse. Estate will clear the site, and erect a fence. It would be good if it was done in time for the warmer weather.
Vegetation at Peggy Bell’s Brae. Annie and Lyndsy had worked hard. Others had forgotten to go!
Secretary sent Transportation a drawing to explain the need for an additional ‘Charles Way’ sign.
Secretary has written to the Rosyth Coop group to say thank you for the beach clean.
‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Secretary will contact Liz Murphy.
Pattiesmuir - unadopted road. It seems that Gerry had contacted the Estate following our last meeting, and the has made a good job of filling potholes. The Estate still intends to pursue its plans to build houses on two sites along the lane – at which point it would be required to be brought up to an adoptable standard.
Pattiesmuir representation on the Community Council. Margaret Hemming had indicated to Liz Hutchings that she did not wish to serve on the Community Council. Lyndsy will deliver a note to houses in Pattiesmuir inviting interested folk to get in touch.
We still have another vacancy on the Community Council.
No reply from Charlie Reid Thomas about inspecting the tree in Charles Way.
It seems that there is little interest in continuing the Dunfermline Association of Community Councils.
Estate house at Charles Way South. Apparently, drains are being sorted and a septic tank installed.
Alcohol byelaws. The landlord, Ian Cruikshank, is vigilant about outside drinking. He said that his license for drinking outside had been hard to achieve and he would not wish to compromise it by not making sure that regulations are complied with. He pointed out that a person or persons drinking on the Prom were not necessarily customers of the Ship Inn. The Community Council commends the delightful facility that the Ship provides in the villages.
Ian is still awaiting the installation of the ‘Comfort Break’ WC sign by Fife Council.
Surgery Issues. Parking: see 6 below. Lighting. Sheila Green had difficulty in making her way from the car park to the door when there was no lighting on. Despite the fact that all the lights were to be switched off, if it is not possible to dim them, one bright light is on in the early evening and comes on again in the early hours of the morning, even at weekends. This is very intrusive. There would be no problem with modest lighting that was switched on when the surgery was open during hours of darkness. Achieving this should not be beyond the wit of man nor the architect. Bins: The yellow and blue bins are still being put out on a Friday, despite the fact that the yellow one (at least) is not emptied until Monday. We will ask Gerry to follow this up.

5. Traffic Management – Scott Blyth.

A Traffic Order has been published for a speed table near the telephone Exchange and a full width hump on the hill below The Wellheads. The Community Council has been seeking traffic calming measures on this stretch of road ever since it was omitted from the abhorrent scheme that was imposed on us in 2008. There has already been one objection which is unlikely to be withdrawn, and so the decision will have to go to the South West Area Committee.
Scott Blyth repeated that 'measures are necessary in 20mph zones as the regulations require them to be reasonably self-enforcing' Why is it that no ‘measures’ are necessary in 30mph, 40mph or 50mph areas, we wonder? The ‘cushions’ we have allow easy and speedy passage by large vehicles such as 4x4s, buses, and delivery vans while causing the drivers of small vehicles untold discomfort. The measures that are currently proposed will slow down all traffic and not cause distorting discomfort to small cars and their drivers. Kat commented that, despite a Stagecoach driver having received a written warning about speeding along the prom, there had been no noticeable improvement.
Robin Grant questioned whether there was evidence of speeding. Chairman explained that it was not speeding per se that was the issue here, but the fact that there is no pavement at one point, a very narrow one at another, and a stretch of road which most of the population of the villages has to cross if they are to access the school, the church, the shops or the pubs. It is the one place where we need drivers to proceed very cautiously and it is the one place where they are not hindered by ‘cushions’.
John Haxton expressed his abhorrence at the huge amount of street furniture associated with the measures we already have. Secretary explained that the Community Council had consistently promoted the simplest and least obtrusive measures and had consistently been overruled by Fife Council.
James Reekie, who is the prospective Conservative MSP candidate for Dunfermline West wrote to the Dunfermline Press last week encouraging all villagers to object to this Traffic Order. Secretary had tried to contact him over the weekend, giving him a bit of history and inviting him to tonight’s meeting, but had received no reply. The Community Council had agreed to write to the Dunfermline Press explaining why we believe that this is a Traffic Order that should be supported. James Reekie eventually phoned the Secretary at lunch time today and gave his apologies for tonight’s meeting.

6. Yellow Lines

Following discussions with PC Ryan Hutchinson, Lesley King of Traffic Management had produced a plan of proposals for double yellow lines to restrict parking around the school. This had been discussed at some length by email. After lengthy discussion of the proposals and advice from Scott, the meeting agreed to put the yellow line proposals on hold for 6 months. In the mean time, we would work with the school and Ryan to produce a parking advice sheet for parents and carers. Scott said that his office could print fliers with a coloured map showing prohibited and advisory parking places. Lyndsy will draw up proposals for discussion. It is to be hoped that Ryan will be able to use this advice when alerting drivers to their inappropriate parking.
The suggested yellow lines at the Surgery were also discussed. The only markings that could be used to prevent unloading would be double yellow with kerb markings meaning no loading or unloading at any time. This seems draconian. Maybe we should explore signs advising drivers they should use the car park.

7. Keith Jackson. Fife in Bloom. Keith sent his apologies on account of the weather.

8. Works at Merryhill Bridge

We had been given only two days-notice of this two month closure, the purpose of which is to strengthen the conduit which carries utilities over the bridge.
Lots of yellow diversion signs had initially been put up, but some were blown down or away and not replaced, thus confusing drivers.
There had been some discussion on Facebook of the extra pressure on the Limekilns junction. Suze had written to Bear and received a very full reply giving us little comfort that anything would be done to ease the situation.

9. Police

Ryan had been deployed several times to the Prom with a speed gun. He had warned several drivers for speeding and detected one for not having road tax.
He will hold a surgery in the Gellet Hall on 26th January – although the tea room is not open.
Dates for CEM will be published shortly. Two will be in Limekilns.

10. Hilton Road

Suze had noticed how cars seem to end up in the ditch on the bend. Fife Council have looked at it. They will put in an anti-skid surface, some bollards and paint a 30 roundel on the road.

11. Planning

Hope Cottage. No planning application yet, but Mike Graham has shared his ideas about turning it into a coffee shop. There are obvious issues to do with parking, but the Community Council liked the idea.
Biomass plant at Rosyth. A very full set of documents has been sent to the Secretary in support of the application. Responses are required by 17th December. While acknowledging the wider issues about biomass, we should concentrate on issues that affect our community. Tom Leatherland has produced an excellent commentary.

12. Proposed Container Terminal

There has been no contact from Babcock about their submission of a Harbour Revision Order.
Patrick Harvie MSP, convener of Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change Committee had referred our correspondence to the convener of Local Government and Communities Committee.

13. Treasurer's Report

Change of signatories had finally been achieved.
Current Account: £422.29, Dunfermline building Society: £2501.50

14. Secretary's Report

Red Telephone Box. An unidentified individual had spoken to the Secretary in the street and suggested that he would be interested in converting the Charlestown box into a mini heritage information centre. She had suggested he come along to a meeting and share his thoughts.
Fife Council is still sending out massive open lists of email addresses. Secretary has written a letter of protest to Michael Enston.
Notice received today of a Creative Writing workshop in Inverkeithing. We’ll put it on Facebook.
Secretary had clarified that government advice is that you clear snow from your bit of pavement as long as you do it with the intention of making it safer.

15. Councillor’s Report

Gerry has been asked to support funding for the College Club, in particular new seating for the elderly folk who use the building on a weekly basis. Locality Manager aware of the situation and I’ll report back asap.
He had made contact with our roads department about the need for a gritting lorry at Charles Way. Although it is difficult to get gritting lorries to be everywhere they will be trying to get down to grit the hill.
He has been forwarding regular updates from Fife Council about winter gritting.

16. AOCB

The 50mph signs at the junction do not seem to be set at very sensitive levels.
Ian Cruikshank has asked for a copy of the Community Council minutes for the Ship.
New book about West Fife Villages has nothing about Limekilns in it. Not sure who compiled it and under what auspices. Secretary will enquire.
Victoria Hospital Patient Transport Committee has attracted few participants from West Fife.

Meeting Tuesday 25th January 2011 at the Bruce Arms.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE QUEEN’S HALL ON 26.10.2010

Present: Peter Curry, Sue Hamilton, Graham Urquhart, Ali MacKerron, Annie Nally, Suze Anderson, Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Lesley Scott

In attendance: Gerry McMullan, Alex Hill, Christine Page, Margaret Hemming, Liz Hutchings,

1. Apologies: Cllr Walker, Sheila Green, Kat Tebbutt

2. Welcome: Cllr McMullan took the Chair and welcomed everyone, particularly newly-elected Community Councillors, to the inaugural meeting of the new Community Council. He said what a pleasure it was to work with such a conscientious and proactive community council.

3. Appointment of Chairman
Alasdair MacKerron. Proposed: Sue Hamilton, seconded: Peter Curry,

4. Appointment of two Vice Chairman
Graham Urquhart and Beryl Leatherland. Proposed: Suze Anderson, seconded: Peter Curry

5. Appointment of Secretary
Sue Hamilton. Proposed Peter Curry, seconded Graham Urquhart

6. Appointment of Treasurer
Suze Anderson. Proposed: Lesley Scott, seconded Ali MacKerron. Liz Hutchings, our retiring Treasurer was thanked for her conscientious work as our treasurer over the past three years.

7. Filling of Casual vacancy.
Two vacancies remain after the recent election. One of these should be a representative from Pattiesmuir. Margaret Hemmings has expressed an interest and is in attendance this evening. Secretary expressed her disappointment that we still have relatively little representation from Charlestown on the Community Council. We welcome the continuing interest in our work shown by Alex Hill, Christine Page, and Kirit Rach.

8. Co-option of Members.
It was decided not to co-opt any members at present. We would try and find other means of working with the Estate without the Factor needing to be present at meetings.

9. Minutes of the meeting of 29th September 2010.
Minutes of 29th September approved. Proposed Ali MacKerron, seconded Lesley Scott

10. Matters Arising from Meeting of 29th September 2010
a) Secretary had drafted a letter to Charlie Reid Thomas on the subject of refusal of Lottery Funding. Ali will add to it to include our suggestions as to how the Community Council can relate to the Estate without the Factor having to attend meetings.
b) Ali has started a photographic record of the sea wall at Red Row.
c) Ballast Bank. Secretary has contacted Stewart Anderson of Environmental Health to invite him to our next meeting to discuss the issue of asbestos on the Ballast Bank.
d) Speed Tables. Secretary had asked for an update from Scott Blyth, but had not had a reply yet.
e) School Brown bin. The school now has a brown bin. Thanks Gerry.
f) Area behind the Manse. Lyndsy had discussed this with Charlie Reid Thomas. Lord Elgin had suggested a bigger area at the Old Orchard, but it is likely the Playgroup will prefer the more enclosed site. Estate will clear the site, and erect a fence.
g) Vegetation at Peggy Bell’s Brae. We’ll have a working party on Sunday 7th November at 1.30pm.
h) ‘Comfort Break’ scheme. The Ship Inn has volunteered to participate in making their toilet facilities available to the public. A discrete ‘WC’ sign will be put on a lamp post.
i) Secretary has made contact with Transportation about additional ‘Charles Way’ sign.
j) The garden at Double Row has been cleared up as have the offensive toy animals. The dog warden is very good at dealing with dog issues discretely.
k) Secretary is trying to find who to write to to say thank you for the beach clean.
l) ‘Window’ in Mort House at Rosyth cemetery is still to be repaired. Doreen Kempsell has contacted Liz Murphy.

11. Police Report
a) Ryan has been on holiday from 9th October until tomorrow.
b) Before he went on holiday, he had arranged to do a village surgery at the Tea room on the last Wednesday of the month. Secretary will have a chat with him.
c) Cllr McMullan has had difficulty in getting effective communication with the police during Ryan’s absence when there was concern about emerging antisocial behaviour.
d) A car, belonging to a visitor to the village, was badly vandalised in North Roundall. There has been no news as to whether police have any leads.
e) The Nursery Playhouse at the school had its windows broken. Steve Adam has repaired them. This had not been reported to the police
f) The red van parked at on the pavement at Brucehaven Road is still causing a dangerous obstruction to pedestrians.
g) Community Engagement meeting is next Monday, 1st November at Cairneyhill School. Annie and Sue will attend.

12. Broomhall Estate Affairs
Tree Felling. The Estate has informed Fife Council that it is intended to fell a number of trees opposite the Cairns and on Charlestown Brae. Residents of Charles Way have concerns about a tree near 33 Charles Way. It is tall and covered in ivy and has large branches overhanging the road.

13. Pattiesmuir unadopted road
This continues to be a problem. It is very unusual to have a private road belonging to one owner, serving a number of houses belonging to others. The usual situation would be for a common or joint responsibility for maintenance of the access to the properties. Perhaps this is a situation for a community buy out, in order for residents to invest in something that is to their common benefit, rather than improving a Broomhall Estate asset.. Margaret Hemming moved to Pattiesmuir some two and a half years ago, and is keen to see progress made towards a satisfactory solution. The Community Council would be happy to facilitate a meeting of residents with the Factor and someone from Fife Council.

14. Floral displays – Progress Report
Lyndsy had convened an excellent first meeting of the floral display interest group. They had discussed locations for displays, and addressed the issues of how displays could be maintained and watered through the season. They are also exploring the availability of funding. Lyndsy will go to the Aberdour in Bloom next Monday, to see how they manage their very impressive floral displays. They are keen to see the areas (a) between the telephone exchange and the Hollies, and (b) the verge between Upper and Lower Wellheads tidies up, and will contact the Estate for support in doing this. Secretary reminded the meeting that funds had, at one stage been allocated for environmental projects. The meeting agreed that between £200 and £300 might be allocated to starting up the floral display project. We have a dormant sub group called the Charlestown, Limekilns, and Pattiesmuir Environmental sub group which is registered as an Environmental body under the Landfill Tax Scheme.

15. Proposed Container Terminal
Babcock had finally, at the end of September, brought their exhibition to the villages. It was very well attended (around 120 people) with many visitors to the exhibition querying the economic case and job numbers. Babcock had no-one at the exhibition who was able or prepared to engage with these issues. The particular issue of taking container lorries eastwards through dockyard security fence was another issue that seemed difficult to solve.

16. New Surgery Issues
a) Bins are still being put out on Fridays, despite the fact that the Surgery has been informed that they will be collected on a Monday. Cllr McMullan will investigate.
b) The architects have failed to procure lighting that is appropriate for the car park, so the lights are unlikely to be switched on again.
c) Parking. Ali needs a CAD drawing to carry out his swept path analysis on the Surgery Car Park.

17. Treasurer's Report
a) Invoice for printing done at the Church office.
b) Old and new signatories will arrange to meet at the bank to get new signatories ‘signed in’.
c) £468 in Current Account. £2500 in Building Society.

18. Secretary's Report
a) Association of Scottish Community Councils (ASCC) National Ballot. Some dissent within the organization, but we will vote as recommended by the Executive.
b) ASCC AGM in Glasgow in November.
c) ASCC local meeting in Glenrothes in the morning of 4th December.
d) Dunfermline Association of Community Councillors. Alex Falconer has been keeping this going, and now asks whether it should have a life after the inaugural meetings of new Community Councils. We believe that there is value in Community Councils getting together on matters of common interest, but this might be done by maintaining an email communication list. Graham Urquhart will email Alex.
e) Fit’n’Fun in Fife brochures.
f) Review of Alcohol Byelaws. The overall boundaries are working well. However, there are occasions when the extent of drinking outside the Ship Inn causes considerable disturbance to residents. Ali will have a word with Ian, the landlord, to make sure drinkers use the pavement area opposite the pub and do not stray along the Prom.

19. Councillor’s Report
Cllr McMullan provided information about preparation for winter gritting. He also said that the cap on availability of additional grit bins had been lifted and that we could apply for additional bins.

20. AOCB
a) Peter Curry has been appointed vice chairman of the BMA in London, which will involve monthly meetings. Congratulations, Peter.
b) Lyndsy wondered whether it would be a good idea to put out a good news newsletter with information about BT Vision and the floral display plans. Suze will design a new look newsletter.
c) The house which belongs to the Estate in Charles Way South has had a digger working in the field and garden. What is going on? Secretary will make some enquiries.
d) Dunfermline and West fife community Health partnership have been sending out a number of requests for volunteers to participate on various working groups related to particular health issues. If members of the public don’t volunteer, we will find our health service being moulded by pressure groups, rather than to the wider public benefit.

21. Date of Next Meeting Tuesday 30th November 2010

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT PATTIESMUIR ON 28th SEPTEMBER 2010

Present: Sue Hamilton, Ali MacKerron, Annie Nally, Doreen Kempsell, Lyndsy Adam, Lesley Scott, Kat Tebbutt
In Attendance: Cllr McMullan, Kevin Coffey, Kirit Rach.

1. Apologies: Peter Curry, Sheila Green, Graham Urquhart, Suze Anderson, Liz Hutchings, Beryl Leatherland, Charlie Reid Thomas, Christine Page, Alex Hill,

2. Minutes of the meeting of 31st August 2010
Following an amendment to item 8, the minutes were accepted. Proposed: Annie Nally, Seconded: Lyndsy Adam

3. Matters Arising from Meeting of 31st August 2010
a) Limekilns Pier. Secretary has still to write to the Estate. .
b) Sea Wall at Red Row. Ali agreed to take photographs month by month, to record any deterioration.
c) Cllr McMullan had spoken to Stewart Anderson of Environmental Health about the Ballast Bank. It was agreed that we should invite him to our next meeting to discuss various ideas to address the issue of asbestos exposure. Lyndsy will raise the issue of rabbit control with the Gamekeeper and Charlie Reid Thomas.
d) New Surgery Issues. No news on the Planning application for incorporation of a pharmacy with separate access. Delivery vehicles still park on the road by the footpath and cause an obstruction. Some even unload goods from the offside of their vehicle! It is possible that driver behaviour will not be changed without double yellow lines. This part of the village has lost its charm with so much traffic and street furniture, that yellow lines wouldn’t make it any worse. Access to the car park is quite awkward. Secretary will give Ali a copy of the plans, so that he can carry out a swept path analysis Cllr McMullan has resolved the issue of bins. A Martin Kinman of Fife Council says they can be put out and collected on a Monday. Car park lights are to have more effective louvers fitted. Car park lights should only be switched on when the surgery is open during hours of darkness.
e) Speed tables. Scott Blyth is progressing to a traffic order. There will be objections, so a supportive letter from the CC will be useful. Speeding is still an issue on the Promenade – particularly with buses and commercial vehicles. The camera action team had been down. Had caught four local drives between 8.30 and 9am. All given warnings. They will return. Suggested they should come even earlier. Kat had phoned Stagecoach about a particular driver who has now received a written warning
f) School brown bin. Cllr McMullan thought this had been sorted. Lyndsy was not sure it had. She will check.
g) Area behind the Manse. Charlie Reid Thomas had forgotten to meet Lyndsy on site as arranged. Will meet next Monday. He doesn’t seem to think there would be a problem for Estate employees to tidy up this site for Playgroup use.
h) Floral displays in the villages. Needs a group of enthusiastic volunteers. Lyndsy will contact Bill McKissock and others to arrange a chat about ideas for a way forward.
i) Peter Curry had attended NextGen Broadband event. It looks as if, for communities like ours, who already have Broadband, albeit not very fast, it will be at least 5 years before optical fibre comes to each house, possibly in water pipes.
j) Vegetation at Peggy Bell’s Brae. Lyndsy could help, but only on a Sunday afternoon. Sue will get a group together.

4. Police
a) Ryan had tried twice to phone Secretary while she was on holiday to tell her about plans for a monthly village surgery – apparently to be held at the Wednesday tea room. She had emailed him to ask that he give details by email, but there had been no reply.
b) Another Police in the Community programme is starting again on November 1st. Suze has applied for a place.
c) Lyndsy reported that a group of youngsters had begun to be somewhat antisocial in Limekilns park and the surrounding streets. Knowing the children involved, she thought it would be a good idea if Ryan was to have a general chat with them before they grew older and less biddable. Lyndsy will give information to Ryan.
d) There are various problems where cars are habitually parked on pavements. A red van is persistently parked so as to completely block the pavement outside 27 Brucehaven Road. Beavers are experiencing particular difficulty in negotiating their way to and from meetings. We will ask Ryan to have a word. Ryan can probably have a word with persistent ‘offenders’.

5. Container Port
Secretary summarised some of the activity since the last meeting.
a) Thomas Docherty had followed up the meeting with Secretary and Beryl with a letter saying he had spoken to Mike Pettigrew, and that the exhibition will be brought to the villages.
b) Despite Ali having contacted David McGinley to say Secretary was on holiday, he had still mailed a letter to the Secretary’s address giving information about arrangements for the exhibition to be brought to the Elgin.
c) We had difficulty in confirming the date of the exhibition.
d) We distributed a flier to all households in the villages
e) 120 people attended the exhibition between noon and 8pm on 30th September.
f) There was reluctance on the part of Babcock and Citigate personnel to engage in discussion relating to the demand for the facility or the business case. The information about the Harbour Revision Order was less than revealing!

6. Community Council Elections
a) Despite our best efforts, we only managed to get nominations for 11 of the 13 available places on the Community Council. We thank Liz Hutchings, Doreen Kempsell and Linda MacPhee who are standing down. Sarah Angell did not put herself forward for nomination. We welcome Kat Tebbutt and Lesley Scott as new members. Administrators at Fife Council caused huge confusion by deeming that Suze was not eligible to stand or nominate anyone else, despite all our efforts to get the boundary changed to include Hilton, and the Secretary having verbally confirmed that it was all sorted before she went on holiday!
b) The new membership is as follows: Ali MacKerron, Sue Hamilton, Beryl Leatherland, Suze Anderson, Graham Urquhart, Peter Curry, Annie Nally, Sheila Green Lyndsy Adam, Kat Tebbutt, Lesley Scott. There are two vacancies.

7. Community Council e-Communication
a) We now have 89 friends on Facebook.
b) Suze has worked out how to add document links to Facebook.
c) We have 92 email contacts.
d) Two ‘News Blasts’ were sent to them in September as well as information about the exhibition and the agenda for tonight’s meeting.

8. Pattiesmuir – Unadopted road.
Liz Hutchings had emailed to say: ‘Mr Wilson, who lives right at the end, was unfortunate enough to fall off a ladder and hurt his back a wee while ago. The ambulance men refused to drive him back down the track and an air ambulance was called. Questions have been asked because of the great expense involved in such a “rescue”. Also, Mrs Wilson, has fallen in the “road” and suffered substantial injuries to her face. It does seem a shame that the repair was stopped by the Estate because of their building plans which do not appear to have gone any further.’ This is all the information we have.

9. Treasurer’s Report
Fife Council grant has now been paid.

10. Secretary’s Report
a) Information about recruitment for members of the Children’s Panel.
b) Information about recruitment of ‘Independent custody visitors’. Deadline for applications is nigh.
c) Letter about the Review of Supplementary Guidance on Affordable Housing.
d) Fife Elderly Forum newsletter.
e) Diane Brand of Fife Council had contacted secretary to inform us that the Ship Inn is participating in the ‘Comfort Break’ scheme (provision of public access to their toilet facilities in exchange for a payment from Fife Council). The wanted our opinion on proposed signs

11. Councillor’s Report
Nothing more to report.

12. AOCB
a) Request for additional signage at top of Charles Way to indicate where Nos 1 – 15 are. Secretary will contact appropriate officer at Fife Council.
b) A family with a tendency to antisocial behaviour have moved into one of the council houses on Double Row. A satellite dish has been erected. There is rubbish piled in the garden, and various toy animals are left in compromising positions in the garden. This is causing offence to other residents. Cllr McMullan will contact Housing, and we will mention it to Ryan.
c) Beach Clean. We had received very late information about a beach clean being carried out by the Co-operative Group from Rosyth last Sunday 26th September. Secretary will write to thank them and apologise for the absence of local support.
d) Doreen Kempsell reported that the ‘window’ on the Mort House at the cemetery has still not been repaired.

13. Date of Next Meeting: October 26th 2010. 7.30pm. Queen’s Hall

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE QUEEN’S HALL ON 31st AUGUST 2010

Present: Sue Hamilton, Ali MacKerron, Sheila Green, Peter Curry, Doreen Kempsell, Annie Nally, Graham Urquhart, Suze Anderson, Liz Hutchings, Lyndsy Adam, Beryl Leatherland

In Attendance: PC Ryan Hutchison, 7.30pm – 7.50pm, Cllr McMullan, Lesley Scott, Alex Hill, Bill McKissock, Stewart Webster, Dot Jamieson. Dr Chan and David Tibbs (Oliver and Robb, architects) from 8pm to 8.30pm

1. Apologies: Sarah Angell, Cllr Walker, Charlie Reid Thomas, Christine Page,

2. Minutes of the meeting of 20th July 2010
Proposed: Suze Anderson, Seconded: Liz Hutchings.

4. Police
a) The Community Council was delighted to welcome PC Ryan Hutchison (Community Constable) to the meeting. Inspector Mitchell and Sergeant Day had met with three members of the Community Council on 16th August to discuss ways in which Ryan might be more visible to the community. He had been very visible on Gala day, and the police were thanked for their help in managing the parades.
b) Ryan will hold a surgery in the villages – possibly in conjunction with the Wednesday tea room.
c) He will drop in briefly to Community Council meetings on an ad hoc basis. (We will not expect him to attend every meeting – just if he is on duty and it suits his schedule.)
d) There will be a photograph of him on village notice-boards.
e) There are currently no priority issues for our villages, but Ryan has responded when villagers have contacted him about issues such as speeding and possible undesirable activities going on in cars parked at the turning circle.
f) Parking at Limekilns School was a priority in May and June. He has asked for double yellow lines on either side of the crossing to give the crossing lady more visibility, and also at the junction with North Loanhead to prevent parking near the corner. Community Traffic Wardens will monitor compliance.
g) The next community engagement meeting is on 6th September at Cairneyhill School. It is planned that at least one CEM per year could be held in the villages.

3. Matters Arising from Meeting of 20th July 2010
a) SESPlan consultation. This is a new overarching planning system intended to co-ordinate planning across Borders, the Lothians, Edinburgh and South Fife. John Hoyes had read and commented on the document. Secretary and Beryl Leatherland had attended a meeting. The whole thing is aspirational, and the only figures and dates relate to housing. It states that housing should be near employment and should not be on prime agricultural land! Everything that is in the existing Structure Plan remains. We have sent in a response.
b) Limekilns Pier. It seems that whichever way we go for funding, we will still come up against the problem of ownership.
c) Sea Wall at Red Row. Secretary had asked Factor about the Estate’s view on this matter which is becoming of increasing concern to villagers. Reply had not been helpful. It was suggested we take photographs month by month, to record any deterioration.
d) Cllr McMullan had not yet contacted Environmental Health about the Ballast Bank.

5. Surgery issues.
Old Surgery site.
David Tibbs explained that this visit to the Community Council was part of the Pre Application Consultation. He explained that an application, in principle, has been approved for change of use to residential. The existing building does not lend itself to alterations to turn it into a residential property. Designs have been drawn up for a pair of ‘amenity’ cottages. The designs were in sympathy with the cottages which had once occupied the site, and in keeping with the neighbouring conservation area. Although the planners preferred the cottages to be offset from each other, the meeting thought there was merit in adopting the continuous frontages of cottages such as those in Orchard Square. This might also provide the potential for an additional parking space. The provision of just one space per dwelling is likely to exacerbate the parking problems that already exist in the area.
Dr Chan and David Tibbs left the meeting.
New Surgery Issues
a) Planning application has been submitted for incorporation of a pharmacy with separate access. The Community Council welcomes the additional service in the villages, but has very serious concerns about issues that have yet to be resolved following the opening of the new surgery building.
b) Delivery vehicles still park on the road by the footpath and cause an obstruction. Some even unload goods from the offside of their vehicle! It is possible that driver behaviour will not be changed without double yellow lines. This part of the village has lost its charm with so much traffic and street furniture, that yellow lines wouldn’t make it any worse.
c) Bins are still regularly left at the roadside for several days after they are emptied on a Sunday.
d) We had been told that one of the car park lights which had louvers fitted would be switched on on Monday night. It was not. Tonight, that light is switched on, but so are most of the others, making it impossible to judge the effectiveness of the louvers in directing light downwards. The glare of these lights is distressing to residents of South Row. Various planning conditions were imposed to make the building in keeping with the adjacent conservation area. The design of these lamps is quite inappropriate for the conservation area, and the illumination excessive. As the building and its surroundings are illuminated by two street lights, we fail to see the need for any car park lighting except, perhaps, in winter when the surgery is open during hours of darkness.
e) Chairman has written to planning expressing our concern that the pharmacy operation could exacerbate all these problems, and should not go ahead until they are resolved.

6. Other Planning
a) New application for 7 Main Street, with Velux windows rather than dormers. No problem.
b) McCafferty process. Broomhall submission of its objection to the Local Plan is now available, not just the raw data which was the appendix to the submission. Lots of words, and substantial proposals for housing beyond the cricket pitch and east of Limekilns. We reserved the right to comment on the extent to which the Broomhall proposals reflect the views expressed at the consultation. It is late in the day, but Ali will draft a letter. This would be unacceptable in the new context of SESPlan policy which firmly opposes building on prime agricultural land.

7. Traffic Management
a) Speed table site meeting had happened. Secretary, Lyndsy Adam and Norman Grant were in attendance. Iain Henderson seemed willing to consider speed tables at the foot of Church Street and on the bend.
b) Yellow markings have now appeared on the road to indicate the locations. Community Council is delighted that something is happening at last. We find that Scott Blyth, formerly of Charlestown is the technical guy who marked these proposed locations. He is happy to discuss any concerns we have, but could not come to this evening’s meeting.
c) Concern was expressed that the speed tables might be continuous with the kerb – which might allow pedestrians to stray onto the roadway. CC understands that this will not be the case.

8. Container Port
Secretary summarised some of the activity since the last meeting. .
On July 27th nine CC members and Cllr McMullan attended a meeting at
Babcock. Although we hadn’t asked for a site visit we were kitted out and shown around RD57. The plans were discussed in some detail. Presentation by Ted Keegan addressed some of our questions but recognised that some of the issues we raised had not been resolved or they hadn't been aware of them. Following the site visit, the discussion extended nearly an hour beyond allocated time. Babcock PR people (Citigate Dewe Rogerson) clearly had no idea of community engagement beyond putting on the exhibition. Despite Mr McGinley promising that this meeting would allow them to 'sketch out a road map' for a village meeting, they still refused to commit to a meeting.
They did say they would make their exhibition boards available for the village, but made no commitment for any of them to be present.
On August 17th the CC submitted, by email, its response to the Pre-application Consultation at 2.20pm. Acknowledgement from Ted Keegan at 2.29pm and David McGinley at 2.54pm. Complimentary acknowledgement from Jim Birrell, and out of office reply from Mary Stewart. No acknowledgement from Keith Winter.
On August 19th Beryl and Sue met Thomas Docherty MP and John Park MSP. They said they would get Babcock to bring their exhibition to the villages and ask that Mike Pettigrew comes to a CC meeting.
August 20th – 22nd Unsatisfactory attempt on Secretary’s part to get any acknowledgement form Keith Winter to points raised with him in emails.
August 20th Ted Keegan of Jacobs visited Charles Court and Charles Way to understand proximity and dredging issues.
August 27th Ali met John Mullan of Citigate Dewe Rogerson and Ted Keegan at Ali’s office to be told that Babcock were not going to pursue a planning application, but rather go for a Harbour Revision Order. We have to wonder whether this is to avoid any democratic process whereby they have to address the issues we raise?

9. Biomass Plant.
Some CC members had visited the exhibition put on by ForthEnergy in Rosyth last week. The size and scale of the proposed plant is more evident. Chimney height and technology means that negligible smell or emissions will come in our direction. Concerns still expressed about the overseas sourcing of the biomass.

10. Gala Stall; Community Council Communication
a) We had an excellent presence at the Gala, thanks to Suze. Many email addresses collected.
b) Need to consider how we use these and how we best develop our communications strategy.
c) A huge vote of thanks was proposed for the Gala Committee who had run a series of fantastic events for the community.

11. Community Council Elections
Date of Community Council elections is 14th October. Despite our higher profile we have not attracted huge interest in membership. Existing members will need to fill out forms. Secretary has electoral roll numbers.

12. Treasurer’s Report
a) Fife Council grant has still not been paid in. Liz has subsidized with £50 of her own. She has chased it up. Thinks it’s sorted. Gerry will check.
b) Liz will not be standing for re-election. We will miss her and thank her for all the hard work she has done, both as Treasurer and in relation to Limekilns Pier.

13. Secretary’s Report
a) Thomas Docherty MP had invited Ali and one other to a reception at East End Park tomorrow evening. Ali is no longer able to attend. No-one else was available to accept the invitation.
b) ‘Fife Cares’ home safety information pack.
c) Fife Council is carrying out a review of polling places. We are happy with ours.
d) Vegetation at Peggy Bell’s Brae is in serious need of trimming. Saffron McCluggage in the adjacent cottage had phoned to say she could not get access to have her hedge trimmed.
e) A number of large trees at Windylaw had been felled, possible because of public liability. Not a very tidy job.

14. Councillor’s Report
a) Gerry had enjoyed judging the Fancy Dress competition.
b) Gerry would be meeting Angus Dodds tomorrow, to discuss changes of Babcock’s approach.
c) Is requesting speed monitoring along the Prom.
d) Lyndsy explained that the school’s request for a brown bin had been refused on the grounds that their compost bin was attracting rats, and that they have huge volumes of leaves to deal with from surrounding trees. Gerry will sort it.

15. AOCB
a) There appeared to be a threat to direct rail services to London from north of the Forth, meaning that everyone would have to change at Waverley. Scottish Chambers of Commerce are on the case.
b) Why don’t we have floral displays like there are in other villages? Someone needs to do the hard work. Maybe there is a group of folk who can get together to think what can be done. The Garden Club could be asked. Grants are available from Fife Council for purchase of plants etc.
c) Lyndsy asked again about the land at the top of Church Lane, which the playgroup would like to use as a grassed area. Can she approach the Estate. Yes, by all means.
d) Peter is attending a NextGen broadband meeting for the CC.

16. Date of Next Meeting: September 28th 2010. 7.30pm. Pattiesmuir.

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE QUEEN’S HALL ON 29th JUNE 2010

Present: Sue Hamilton, Ali MacKerron, Peter Curry, Doreen Kempsell, Sheila Green, Annie Nally, Graham Urquhart, Suze Anderson, Liz Hutchings, Linda MacPhee, Lyndsy Adam, Beryl Leatherland

In Attendance: Cllr McMullan, Dr Chan (from 8pm) Jim Tolson MSP (from 8.30pm), Frank and Margaret Tait, Bill McKissock, Martin Bald, Sam Thorley, Moray and Kate Gilmour, Chris Oliver, Adam and Jacki Winski, Bob and June Edminson, Mr and Mrs John Barbour.

1. Apologies: Sarah Angell, Charlie Reid Thomas, Christine Page, Alex Hill.
The meeting recorded best wishes to Charles Reid Thomas on the birth of a son.

2. Minutes of the meeting of 25th May 2010
Proposed: Suze Anderson, Seconded: Sheila.

3. Matters Arising from Meeting of 25th May 2010
a) Traffic management – Iain Henderson is happy to bring a technical guy along to a meeting.
b) 76 bus. Steve Walker of Stagecoach had told the Secretary that he would be moving to a job outwith Fife. His role has passed to Douglas King. Secretary emailed the latter to ask whether the only news we would get was what we had received from Fife Council. He sent the new 76 timetable. The through route to Crombie has been restored throughout the day. Must encourage its use. Each concessionary fare still provides 72% of the full fare income to Stagecoach, so the more who travel, the more secure the service will be.
c) McCafferty Consultation process. We still need to view the Community Consultation raw data to as what the McCafferty submission states is supposed to reflect our views. Andrew McCafferty has now disappeared from the scene. To date, only one of the Community Council’s two letters is on the Web site and none of the McCafferty material. Secretary will enquire what is happening.
d) West Fife Community Education Resources. Secretary had contacted one of the full time workers to say we needed to hear more about what they do.
e) Trailer obstruction in North Loanhead had been removed.
f) Brucehaven Road house extensions. Planning Officer has visited Mr Grant, but there is no action that can be taken to reverse the planning permission, despite the failure of the neighbour notification process. Henceforward, Fife Council is responsible for neighbour notification. In general terms, we have to remember the mantra that ‘no-one is entitled to a view’.
g) Limekilns Pier. Our application to the Big Lottery Investing in Ideas for a grant towards a feasibility study for Limekilns Pier had been refused. The £2000 requested from Broomhall Estate Conservation Trust had not been forthcoming. The assessors had concerns about ownership and whether the owner might be the ultimate beneficiary rather than the community. The Community Council formally thanked Liz Hutchings for all her hard work. We will formally write to the Estate to inform them. Liz will talk to the LEADER people again. Gerry will speak to Lynn Hoey. A member of the public said that ‘Limekilns Pier was now in the hands of the Forth Cruising Club’. If this is the case, it would have been helpful if we had known. Secretary will enquire.
h) Sea Wall at Red Row. Owners of several properties had, in response to the Community Council’s letter, examined their title deeds, and found that their property extends up to, but does not include the sea wall. Liability for the sea wall is therefore likely to lie with the Estate, particularly in view of the fact that the Estate owns the foreshore. Secretary will write to the Factor.
i) New lighting in Brucehaven road. Lamps are very bright, indeed too bright. Secretary will ask John Anderson if we can have a dimmer.
j) Ballast Bank. Cllr McMullan was asked to contact Environmental Health to arrange for a site visit to assess the asbestos exposure.

4. Police Newsletter.
Secretary explained that we no longer have a police presence at Community Council meetings, because our Community Constable, Ryan Hutchison holds a ‘Community Engagement’ meeting once every two months in Cairneyhill. Secretary had (reluctantly) attended for a third time, and eventually got school parking at Limekilns as a priority. Although we understand that Ryan has spent time in the villages, and at the school, there seems, sadly, to be no communication at all with the Community Council. Inspector Mitchell tells us we have to look on the web site to see what Ryan has been doing. Secretary has asked that Ryan drops her an email when he puts something new on the web site. This hasn’t happened. The monthly police electronic newsletter usually arrives a few days after our CC meeting. None arrived in June until Secretary requested it.

5. New surgery issues.
a) Chairman welcomed Dr Chan to the meeting.
b) Dr Chan explained her rationale for applying to run a pharmacy. Her application to Fife Health Board had been approved. She would now apply for Planning Permission. There is some urgency because the licence will be revoked unless the pharmacy is operational within 6 months.
c) A full pharmacy service (eg Pharmacist always available for advice, minor ailment service etc.) is currently denied to villagers.
d) No planned changes to the outside of the building. Internal alterations and a separate door. No signage on the outside.
e) Dr Chan does not anticipate more patients or traffic. She does not intend that there be sales other than patient medical products (so no toothpaste and sun-tan oil). Have not opted for 24 hour service. Has an option for Saturday morning opening if there is demand.
f) There are still unresolved issues for neighbours. The car park lighting has not been resolved, despite a plan for a test light to be switched on for the night of June 2nd. Delivery lorries still park on the bend beside the pedestrian access rather than in the car park. There is no greater issue of likelihood of damage to other vehicles if they use the car park than on the road. The car park will have been properly constructed by Muirs to bear 7 and 10 tonne trucks. No issue there. Extensive and adequate parking areas had been part of the planning stipulation. It is sad that it is not being properly utilised. Dr Chan stated that she would not insist that parking should be in the car park. However, it was suggested that she could advise that parking should be in the car park.

6. Container Port
a) Chairman gave some background. Babcock had actively sought the support of the Community Council when they were seeking a Harbour Empowerment Order. In November 2007, they attended a CC meeting to try and explain their case, but never mentioned containers. Despite our less than whole-hearted support for their case, the HEO was granted in 2009. The NPF2 National Planning Framework suggests the possible need for additional container capacity on the Forth. This has now become Babcock’s proposed International Container Terminal. The concerns of this community are many. Houses in Limekilns are closer to the site than any in Rosyth, and will be subject to huge noise and other impacts, and yet we were not, unlike Rosyth CC, sent the Scoping Report in January. We only discovered by chance at the beginning of May that anything was happening about this proposal. We further understand that a PAN (Proposal of Application Notice) was submitted to Fife Council in mid May, and should have been sent to us, but it was not. The distribution of this PAN to consultees should signal to them the start of a 12 week Pre Application Consultation (PAC). Failure to distribute it means we had no idea the PAC had begun, and have written to say the PAC period would be started again. In order that discussion of matters relating to the proposed Container Terminal does not take over all CC meetings, we have convened an informal working group which will report its deliberations to the full CC each month.
b) Secretary summarised some of the correspondence during the month. Babcock would not give us the dates of the Rosyth exhibition, saying we would be able to read the notices in the local Press! Luckily we had found them from elsewhere, and were able to put them in the newsletter and get it round the village. We are told that there had been 150 (?) visitors to the exhibition in Rosyth. 38 of them were from Limekilns, 10 from Charlestown, and 1 from Pattiesmuir. The population of Rosyth is about 12,500. The population of our villages is around 2000! Despite this evidence of proportionately far greater interest in the proposals from our villages, they have not yet agreed to bring the exhibition to Limekilns! I thanked them for sending me a CD of the material on the exhibition boards, but said it would not help others who could not get to Rosyth for a variety of reasons. Babcock were given the date of this CC meeting on 11th June. They did not seem optimistic about getting themselves together for it. In the end, they tried to blame me by saying that they were waiting to hear from me if it was OK for them to come. I replied saying that they were welcome at any of our meetings, and that it would be good if even one of them could attend, even briefly tonight, so that we could agree a date for the presentation they wished to make. In reply to this invitation, I was told ‘we will be unable to send a representative to attend the Community Council meeting on the 29th as we are engaged elsewhere on business matters’
c) Jim Tolson MSP thanked the Community Council for the opportunity to address the meeting. He said he was ‘a bit at odds’ with the Community Council’s position. He fully backed the project and had hosted Babcock executives in events at the Scottish Parliament to promote the project to MSPs. He had met Forth Ports and understood their reasons for opposing the project. He said there would be mitigation measures. He also said that Babcock will not operate the site themselves, but lease the facility to an experienced operator. He had been under the impression that this community had been fully aware. No-one had contacted him to express their concerns. (It was pointed out to him that this was because we had no idea as to what was going on!). He now wanted to listen to our concerns. He heard a few:
• Frustration at the very poor communication with Babcock, and their apparent reluctance to engage with us. They have refused to bring their exhibition to Limekilns, and have not yet managed to come to a Community Council meeting.
• Fife Council excluded us from the initial scoping report consultation.
• We seriously question the number of jobs that are promised.
• The additional road haulage costs incurred would be huge.
• It’s not significantly nearer the open sea than Grangemouth.
• Massive requirement for dredging – with unknown consequences for the movement of sediments and stability of our sea defences.
• The suggestion of 24 hour operation and the accompanying noise does not bear thinking about. Huge diesel powered cranes, with constant bleeping when they are in motion. Truck movements involving similar bleeping noises in reverse. Ship and tug engines. Dredging activity. Clanking of containers as they are stacked.
Jim Tolson said he would encourage Babcock to have a public consultation in the villages.

7. Treasurer’s Report
No significant expenditure since the last meeting.

8. Secretary's Report
a) Some very complicated information from Entrust on revised guidelines for Objective D projects.
b) Two ex Fife Council employees, Donald Murdcoh and Andy Easton have set themselves up as a consultancy called ‘Community Project Partnership’.
c) Dunfermline Association of Community Councils meeting tomorrow.

9. Councillor’s Report.
a) Cllr McMullan dad been chasing up repairs to street lighting. Fundamental electrical fault.
b) West Fife Villages Community Council Forum had again asked why we do not attend.
c) We (and Cairneyhill) are getting left out of Locality Funding because we don’t ask often enough.
d) Gerry will meet Doreen about a dog bin.
e) Gerry is judging the Gala Fancy Dress.

10. AOCB
a) There had, during the month, been enthusiastic email exchanges between CC members on the subject of Big Lottery funding for Community Wildlife Projects. Lyndsy will investigate. Need to talk about it with the Estate.
b) Lyndsy also mentioned the patch of land that had now emerged from the brambles at the northern end of Church Lane. Playgroup would like to tidy this up as a potential grassed area for activities.
c) Gerry will have a walk round with Lyndsy and see whether it could be a Locality budget project.
d) Fife Outdoor Access Festival 31st July – 8th August.

11. Date of Next Meetings: Extra meeting on July 20th and regular meeting on August 31st 2010.
7.30pm. Queen’s Hall

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE QUEEN’S HALL ON 25th MAY 2010

Present: Sue Hamilton, Ali MacKerron, Peter Curry, Doreen Kempsell, Sheila Green, Annie Nally, Graham Urquhart, Suze Anderson,

In Attendance: Cllr McMullan, Christine Page, Ronnie Watt

1. Apologies: Liz Hutchings, Linda MacPhee, Lyndsy Adam, Beryl Leatherland, Sarah Angell, Charlie Reid Thomas,

2. Minutes of the meeting of 27th April 2010
Following the addition of an item that had been omitted from Matters arising, viz: ‘Chairman had drafted a response to the letter from Broomhall Estate. This had been circulated to members and approved. It had been emailed to The Factor, but it had not been acknowledged. Chairman will post a hard copy, and request an acknowledgement’ the minutes were approved.
Proposed: Graham Urquhart, Seconded: Sheila.

3. Matters Arising from Meeting of 27th April 2010
a) Trees at Braehead. Annie had spoken to Factor about perhaps getting volunteers to clear the scrub behind the surgery car park area. The scrub had now been cleared, probably by the Estate, but it would be good to remove one or two of the more substantial trees. There would be no damage to the stability of the bank if roots are left in place.
b) Traffic management – speed tables. Secretary had phoned Iain Henderson. The design guys had still not produced plans. He suggested that he meet us and mark on the road where we think the speed tables should be. The Community Council agreed that we did not have the expertise to know about distance from junctions etc. We will ask that a technical guy come along to the meeting as well.
c) Conservation Area appraisals have been finalised and will be put on Fife Direct.
d) New surgery issues. Chairman had written to Doctor Chan, following up Annie Nally’s correspondence. Stewart Anderson of Environmental Health says that, on the night of June 2nd and possibly subsequent nights, one light, to which louvres have been fitted will be left on all night, so that we can see whether louvres would solve the problem of glare. The Community Council agrees with him that there is no need for any car park lighting to be switched on, other than on winter evenings and mornings when the surgery is open during the hours of darkness. The commercial waste bins – one blue and one yellow are put out on the pavement and remain there for emptying on Sunday (why Sunday?) and are not always put away on Monday morning. As there is a dedicated bin store in the car park, the refuse lorry should be able to access the bins from there. Traffic is still a problem with vehicles failing to use the car park and delivery lorries often parking at the end of the footpath near the bend, thus causing a hazard. Various ideas for dealing with the problem were discussed. It was agreed that we should invite Dr Chan to our next meeting, explaining to her in advance what concerns we wished to raise.
e) 76 bus. No word from Stagecoach about their consultation, but, at very short notice, and with little publicity, Fife Council Transportation service had, for one hour this morning, at Limekilns, held a consultation about its ‘supported’ (ie subsidised) services. Questionnaires are available or responses can be made on line. It was noted that the questionnaire mentioned the availability of travel by school bus if necessary.
f) Mike Shirkie, chairman of Rosyth Community Council had given us some literature about the Scarborough Muir proposals for Rosyth Waterfront. There is currently an impasse with Fife council, which might be submitted to Scottish Government Planning Mediation Service for attempted resolution.

4. Broomhall Estate.
a) Collapsed wall by Rosyth Churchyard is in danger of further collapse. Ali will inspect
b) Chairman has drafted a letter to the owners of properties at the east end of Red Row. Letters will be delivered this week. The meeting agreed that the wall could undergo catastrophic collapse in a storm, as did the end of Limekilns Pier. The meeting asked Gerry and Ali to investigate where responsibility for public safety would ultimately lie if there were to be a collapse of the sea wall.
c) Appreciation was expressed for the Estate’s speedy response to the small holes appearing in the sea wall at Rosyth churchyard.
d) Fife Council’s work base for the Brucehaven Road, (Storage containers and toilet) had been moved from the Soapworks to the grassed area at Upper Wellheads. It is understood that his was because the Estate had threatened to charge Fife Council rent for using the area at the Soapworks!

5. Local Plan
a) The Community Council responses to the Local Plan have yet to appear on the web site.
b) The Broomhall objection resulting from the McCafferty process had also not yet appeared. Secretary had been assured by Jim Henry of Fife Council that the whole document together with the appendix, consisting of raw data would eventually be posted on the site. In the mean time, Secretary had contacted Andrew McCafferty to see if he could send us an electronic copy. He had tried but failed, apparently because of the size of the files. Ali suggested we ask him to send it to Ali’s business email address, which routinely handles big files.

6. Replacement of Footway and Lighting at Brucehaven Road
a) This has been a major project (and we have as many dropped kerbs in Brucehaven Road as we have in the whole of the rest of the villages!)
b) People like the lamps. They give lots of light (or too much!)
c) Peter Curry made a heartfelt plea for some co-ordination between Transportation and Refuse collection. They managed to close the road completely on a Tuesday, thus preventing the bin lorry from getting along, and bins were not emptied. This is not acceptable when bins are only emptied once a fortnight.

7. Planning Applications and Building Works.
a) The application at 10 Main Street with dormer windows has been withdrawn.
b) Numbers 21 and 23 Brucehaven Road began their respective projects to add another storey to their bungalows within days of each other. 23 is particularly controversial, as there appears to have been some sort of shortcoming in the neighbour notification process. Gerry had spoken to Angus Dodds about the matter. Ali explained that the Community Council generally only objects to domestic planning applications when there is a conservation area issue or where neighbours come to the Community Council for support. In this case, the neighbours may not have been sufficiently informed!

8. Limekilns Pier
a) Lottery application to Investing in Ideas for a feasibility study has, been accepted! We will hear a decision within 8 weeks of the day it was registered.
b) Six months on, we still await a date when Broomhall Estates Conservation Trust trustees will meet and determine whether they will contribute £2000 for the study.

9. Container Port Scoping Document
Secretary had, three weeks ago been asked if she’d like to be passed copies of the Rosyth Community Council newsletter. In the February edition, she read that ‘Babcock Marine Rosyth Limited is seeking consent to construct a new freight facility’ on the RD57 site. It said that they had submitted an Environmental Impact Assessment to Fife Council. On investigation, this turned out to be a Scoping Report which outlines the issues that they suggest should be addressed in the EIA. This had been sent to ‘statutory and non-statutory consultees’ at the beginning of January. Secretary initially borrowed Rosyth CC’s copy, and was subsequently and immediately sent another after she had telephoned Angus Dodds in planning, Mike Murray at Babcock, and Ted Keegan at Jacob’s to express our dismay at having been excluded from this consultation. Gerry was sent an electronic copy when he inquired shortly thereafter. This had been circulated to CC members. Secretary summarised some of what was implied by the document:
• A tidal basin to be formed by opening up the RD57 ‘big hole’ to the south and dividing it in half to provide two ‘load on load off’ berths. Lots and lots of piling involved.
• 600,000m3 of material to be dredged from the sea-bed to form an entrance channel at least 10m deep. Lots of questions arise about where this would be dumped, and the effect of disturbance of the sea bed and tidal flows. Thereafter maintenance dredging would be needed ‘every two or three years’.
• A paved container storage area of 175,000m2 where containers will be stacked up to five high by Rubber Tyre Gantry Cranes and/or Reach Stackers.
• Lighting stacks to illuminate the site will be approximately 45 metres high.
• Three Dockside Cranes will be required, each reaching an approximate height of 40 metres.
• The Scheme will receive an annual throughput of 400,000- 500,000 TEU’s (TEU = Twenty Foot Equivalent Units. A full length container is 40 foot long).
• This could necessitate up to 750-900 vehicles entering and exiting the site each day when the facility is fully operational.
• 60% of the traffic would be destined for the west around Glasgow. 20% for Edinburgh and Livingston, 10% for Aberdeen via Stirling and 5% each for Fife and the north of England. It seems that this would all exit onto the A985.
• ‘Opportunities to utilise the existing rail infrastructure for transportation of goods are being investigated.’ Aye Right!
• And so it goes on………..
Beryl Leatherland and her husband Tom have a copy of the report and we anticipate that they will have drafted an initial response later this week. In the mean time, secretary will write to Keith Winter, head of Development Services expressing our displeasure at being excluded from the early stages of this planning process and asking that our response will be incorporated into the plan for the EIA

11. Treasurer’s Report
No significant expenditure since the last meeting.

12. Secretary's Report
a) Fife Councillors had expressed their displeasure at the way BT handled the matter of red telephone kiosks in their contact with Community Councils.
b) Acute Hospitals newsletter

13. Councillor’s Report.
a) Gerry shared with us information about the scale of Community Education resources allocated to West Fife and questioned why so little of it seemed to be visible in our villages.
b) High Hedges campaign seems to be making good progress towards some sort of legislation.
c) Gerry offered to walk round and identify possible projects for which we could apply for funding from the local area budget.
d) Gerry had enjoyed the College Club’s 25th birthday party.
e) Church fund raising. Gerry had offered to organize (celebrity?) speaker evenings to raise funds.

14. AOCB
a) An unlit trailer parked in North Loanhead is a hazard to traffic. Doreen will ask Pamela Griffiths if she knows who it belongs to.
b) Concern was expressed at the continuing attrition of the Ballast Bank and possible exposure of asbestos. It may be time to ask Environmental Health to make another assessment.
c) Police. Secretary had attended the police community engagement meeting at Cairneyhill for the third time. Once again, all the discussion was about Cairneyhill issues. The meeting had, nevertheless agreed that Limekilns School parking should become one of Ryan’s priorities for the next period. Secretary had suggested that he talk with us so that the various parking issues and traffic problems at the school could be discussed.

Date of Next Meeting June 30th 2010. 7.30pm. Queen’s Hall

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE QUEEN’S HALL ON 27th APRIL 2010

Present: Sue Hamilton, Ali MacKerron, Peter Curry (from 8pm), Doreen Kempsell, Sheila Green, Annie Nally, Liz Hutchings, Graham Urquhart, Lyndsy Adam (from 8pm), Suze Anderson,

In Attendance: Cllr McMullan, Alex Hill, David Hutton, Louise Trow (Fife Cultural Partnership)

1. Apologies: Linda MacPhee, Beryl Leatherland, Charlie Reid Thomas, Cllr Walker, (Christine page, Ronnie Watt)

2. Minutes of the meeting of 30th March 2010
Minutes were approved: Proposed: Graham Urquhart, Seconded: Annie Nally.

3. Matters Arising from Meeting of 30th March 2010
a) Bus shelter. Iain Henderson still has it on his agenda. (Footnote from history. Secretary read from a piece of Community Council correspondence in 1983, when a new bus shelter had been installed, and the Community Council requested that it be turned round to provide effective protection from the elements. After protracted correspondence, the request was refused! How do we make sure they do the job right next time?)
b) Trees at Braehead. Scrub behind the car park area has still not been cleared. Secretary had asked that it be done before the foliage grew on the bushes.
c) Lowered kerbs. The lowered kerbs that we requested have all been installed. Secretary has tested the routes with a borrowed mobility scooter.
d) Road and Footway at the Sutlery. Work has been completed beautifully!
e) Traffic management – speed tables. No further communication from Iain Henderson. Men with a surveying poles have been seen in Church Street.
f) Old surgery car park. The Community Council is delighted that the wooden fence has been removed and that the coping stones have been stored safely behind the wall.
g) Conservation Area appraisal. Secretary had noted that, in the short report to the South West Area committee there had been included a sentence about perhaps establishing a community garden on Charlestown Green. Secretary had indicated to Diane Barbary that such an alteration to the look and use of the Green would be unlikely to find favour with residents.

4. Police News.
a) No contact at all with Ryan Hutchison during the past month. Police newsletter will, no doubt, arrive just after our meeting.
b) Ryan’s priorities have still all been in Cairneyhill. His presence has not been particularly evident in our villages, although it’s understood he does visit the shops on a regular basis. A phone call to the Secretary towards Community Council time might be a good idea.
c) It’s a bit of a chore to have to go to the police web site and check whether there is anything relevant to us. There is, apparently, something called an RSS feed which can alert people to a new posting on a web site they are particularly interested in. If they’re serious about really being in touch with communities, perhaps the Police should investigate the value of this for Community Councils

5. Louis Trow. Fife Cultural Partnership
Louise is the Area Cultural Co-ordinator for South West Fife. She explained that there are 7 themes for Celebrating Fife 2010. There were large-scale flagship events as well as community strands. £100 - £2,500 grants for small scale events. All grants are subject to matched funding – which may be in kind. There are two themes for smaller events - Extravagala for enhanced Gala events and Community Spirit. Initial step is to fill in an ‘ideas’ form before the end of June. The Celebrating Fife event has a £1m fund, mainly from Fife Council.

6. Broomhall Estate.
a) Collapsed wall by Rosyth Churchyard has been tidied up.
b) Roadway at Pan Knowe at the east end of Red Row has collapsed into a large void. Secretary had contacted the Factor, who says that the Estate is currently investigating its liabilities. This is potentially a very serious issue, since this track, bounded by its sea wall is part of the fabric of our villages, quite apart from also being part of the cycle track. If the sea wall were to collapse, the track would also collapse, and then threaten the foundations of the boundary walls of properties. Chairman will draft a letter to the owners of properties that are affected.

7. Draft Local Plan
a) Community Council had submitted two letters in response to the Local Plan consultation – one concerning the content of the Plan and one concerning the unsatisfactory nature of the process of consultation and communication with Development Services.
b) All responses to the consultation are being put on the web site. To date, there is no document visible in the Andrew McCafferty response to the plan. We will ask to see the raw data and to be given the opportunity to comment on how the views expressed by the community have been interpreted in the response.
c) Advice from Planning Aid. Secretary had sought Planning Aid advice about the legal status of the so-called ‘Strategic Land Allocations’. The adviser said that Fife had, unusually, allocated specific land areas in the Structure Plan, rather than leaving the definition of particular sites to the Local Plan stage. Community Councils had not been properly informed about this change of approach, and many are feeling short-changed by the consultation process – as we are. Fife Council places huge burdens on house-builders in terms of the provision of infrastructure and facilities – and in the current economic climate it is unlikely that developers will be in a position to make such substantial upfront investment in roads, schools etc.

8. Limekilns Pier
a) Lottery application to Investing in Ideas for a feasibility study has returned because –‘for the purpose of Investing in Ideas applications, Community Councils are not considered to be statutory bodies’. They are therefore demanding all sorts of extra paperwork which Liz is sorting out.
b) Still awaiting a date when Broomhall Estates Conservation Trust trustees will meet.

9. New Surgery Issues
a) Lighting. James Forbes, Planning Enforcement officer, said the lights were OK because there had been a drawing (that had never appeared on the web site). On the drawing, it gave no indication of the style of the posts, but merely marked their positions as dots, and gave the manufacturer’s catalogue number. Secretary had spoken to Stewart Anderson of Environmental Health, and reiterated that the lights were totally unacceptable in their present form.
b) Annie Nally, who lives in South Row in the property which is probably the most affected by the new surgery, reported to the meeting her grave disappointment with Dr Chan’s response to her carefully written letter, inviting Dr Chan to visit her property and see for herself why the quality of life for Annie and her son had been so very seriously diminished. Annie has lost her light, her view, the relative privacy of her garden, and her peace. Traffic is constant during surgery hours. A significant number of vehicles park on the road, or on the pavements, rather than in the car park. Some leave their engines running, some are large, and one delivery van apparently parks at the path end and toots its horn until the receptionist comes out. And on a Sunday afternoon when there should have been some respite for local residents, a group of youths had sat in the sun in the car park with their car radio playing loud music. Annie’s request had been for help in providing a small amount of appropriate planting or screening so that she could reclaim some of her garden space for her and her family. Dr Chan had refused to help, saying that, over the years, the beech hedge would grow to screen the building. There had been a suggestion of double yellow lines to prevent inappropriate parking. We have resisted such lines in the villages, and there is, in any case, not the man-power to enforce compliance. Annie had suggested Dr Chan put a notice inside the surgery asking patients and their drivers to use the car park, rather than parking on the road, however short their visit. She didn’t seem to respond positively to this suggestion either. Annie had had some support from Willie Rennie’s office, but they are, understandably preoccupied with election matters just now. Ali will draft a letter to Dr Chan, supporting Annie’s request for action to restore some of her quality of life.

10. 76 Bus Service
A number of MSPs had responded positively to receiving a copy of our letter to Stagecoach. Murdo Fraser’s researcher had been particularly helpful in ascertaining that there was nothing in law which precluded a bus company from cross subsidising between a profitable and a less profitable service. Secretary had written to Steve Walker of Stagecoach with this information, and he had replied that he had always been under a misapprehension about this matter!

11. Treasurer’s Report
a) Beryl Leatherland had been added to as a third signatory to the Dunfermline Building Society Account. Liz will make arrangements for the HBOS account
b) Year end is approaching. Accounts are ready for audit.
c) Income (grant) was £489.18
Expenditure was £753.07 (£250 to Scouts for fireworks)
Balance (bank) £103
Balance (building society) £2451

12. Secretary's Report
a) BTCV Volunteers. Secretary had received an email yesterday from them seeking ideas for environment projects. Secretary had said she would ask about the Lime Heritage Trail path clearing.
b) Right of way query at Pattiesmuir. It was agreed that the path along the boundary of Craigie Cottage to the main road was now redundant and would not be suitable for signposting.
c) Fife Access Forum Seminar June 10th. Rothes Halls.
d) ‘Connect’ magazine. Health Council communication
e) Royal Dunfermline project. This is being revived with an ‘Imagine Dunfermline’ theme. Secretary had asked where to get more postcards, but had no reply. We would like to imagine Dunfermline without any threat of south western expansion.

13. Councillor’s Report.
a) Scarborough Muir Rosyth Waterfront. Still fighting for mixed use development into the Local Plan. We would probably support that, but have not received any communication about it.
b) Culross Festival is happening.

14. AOCB
a) There is a very large pothole on the edge of the road at 13 North Row. Gerry is talking to the Estate and Transportation about.
b) There will be Community Council elections in October this year.
c) Charlie Reid Thomas had been seen behind Charles Court, apparently looking at trees that had been cut down in the planted copse.
d) There are orange spots on several trees in the woods at Windylaw. Some trees look dead but others don’t. What do the spots indicate?
e) Appreciation was expressed about the maintenance of the Play park and surrounds. New bark had been laid and various minor things fixed. There was a particularly nice grass-cutting man.
f) Litter on the main roads outside the village is appalling. There is a particular feature of nappies being discarded on Hilton Road on a regular basis!

Date of Next Meeting May 25th 2010. AGM at 7.30pm. Ordinary meeting at 7.50pm

CHARLESTOWN, LIMEKILNS AND PATTIESMUIR COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING HELD AT THE GELLET HALL ON 30th MARCH 2010

Present: Sue Hamilton, Ali MacKerron, Linda MacPhee, Peter Curry (late), Annie Nally, Liz Hutchings, Graham Urquhart (late), Beryl Leatherland, Lyndsy Adam, Suze Anderson,

In Attendance: Cllr McMullan (late), Andrew McCafferty, Ed Dunbar (Broomhall Assistant Factor), Lesley Scott, Katrina Tebbutt, Alex Hill, Ronnie Watt, Bill Runciman, Paul Spriddle, Jamie Spriddle, Charina Beswick (for item 9).

1. Apologies: Doreen Kempsell, Sheila Green, Sarah Angell (belated), Charlie Reid Thomas, Cllr Walker,

2. Minutes of the meeting of 23rd February 2010
Minutes were approved: Proposed: Annie Nally. Seconded: Liz Hutchings

3. Matters Arising from Meeting of 23rd February 2010
a) Bus shelter. Iain Henderson still has it on his agenda. No money this year!
b) Trees at Braehead. Scrub behind the car park area will be cleared. Is on the work programme.
c) Lowered kerbs. Six had been installed in Limekilns, but not in the locations we had requested. Most were not sufficiently flush (6mm) with the carriageway for mobility scooters to pass safely. Cllr McMullan had contacted various transportation officers and expressed his displeasure at the situation. We are now getting all the ones we asked for properly installed this week! (Two requested by John Hoyes at East Harbour Road have been beautifully installed in the right places!)
d) Road and Footway at the Sutlery. Big works here started on Saturday and will last for 5 days.
e) Traffic management – speed tables. No further communication from Iain Henderson.
f) 7 Hall Row. This application to build two houses in the garden of a cottage in the Conservation has been refused.
g) Charlestown toilets. Now reopened – following phone calls from the Secretary.
h) Rosyth Biomass plant. Beryl and Tom Leatherland had drafted a response to the scoping report, reflecting a lot of the questions and answers from ForthEnergy presentation at the February meeting. This had been supplemented and approved by members of the Community Council and sent to the Scottish Government Consents Unit with copies to Fife Council and the developer.
i) E-communication. The Community Council is now registered as a data handler and pays an annual fee of £35 which is refunded from Fife Council. The CC Facebook site is going well with more than 50 fans.
j) Obtrusive textile recycling bin has been replaced with a smaller one.
k) There doesn’t yet seem to have been proper resolution of the buckshot issue. Pheasant shooting does not begin again until the end of October. The Estate is carrying out a Health and Safety audit of all activities. Residents want a written guarantee that the incidence of buckshot landing on private property will never occur again.
l) Conservation Area appraisal. Ronnie Watt has made a useful response to the consultation.

4. Police Report.
a) Police newsletter seems to come out at the very beginning of the month, just after our meetings. Secretary had omitted to forward the last one to CC members. A second one is expected shortly and will be forwarded to members immediately.
b) Ryan’s priorities have all been in Cairneyhill. He feels he is making progress with the school parking issue there, and is now aware that we have a similar problem. Secretary and Doreen Kempsall had attended the second meeting in Cairneyhill. These meetings need a chairperson, to stop them becoming dominated by one or two individuals to the exclusion of others. Secretary had also suggested that some meetings should be held in other locations than Cairneyhill.

5. Broomhall Estate. Various wall issues
a) Old Surgery. Coping stones on wall need resetting. Fence has been erected until Lord Elgin decides what to do with the land. Fence was vandalised. Fence has now been propped up with coping stones. Secretary suggested that coping stones be stowed neatly and not be left in a heap to tempt folk who might be building a rockery!
b) Secretary had emailed the Factor about the wall by the Rosyth Churchyard last week, because so many people were worried that it might fall on a dog or a child. Ed had visited last week and also sought advice from the Lime Centre. The wall fell down today. Fortunately, no-one was injured. The Estate agreed to make what was left of it safe.
c) A resident has had part of an Estate wall collapse into his garden.
d) Water is flowing under the wall into the school playground in several locations. May be to do with silting up of drains.
e) Lady Martha had indicated to the Secretary that there was an intention by the Estate to make an opening in the school playground wall to provide access to a piece of land to be used as an outdoor classroom. This was welcomed.
f) Bill Runciman reported that the maintenance work carried out on ‘The Run’ seemed to have disturbed the drainage of water from the path under the bridge. In frosty weather it was a sheet of ice.

6. McCafferty Associates Submission.
Andrew McCafferty referred to his list of draft proposals, emphasising that the submission had not yet been signed off by the Estate. He mentioned 13 locations:
a) Scottish Lime Centre behind the Sutlery, identified as a brownfield site with a potential for 5 housing units combined with other uses.
b) Charlestown Green is already designated as protected open space,
c) Ballast Bank. Brownfield site. Up to 30 housing units with a mix of other uses: open space, parking, leisure, tourism, heritage interpretation and viewpoint.
d) Harbour. Repair and restoration must be secured. Public access all round the harbour. Secretary mentioned the need for public slipway access to the water.
e) Kilns. Repair must be secured.
f) West Charlestown (beyond the cricket pitch). Up to 20 housing units. Low to medium density around a green
g) Land north of Charlestown. Rural tourism destination: farm shops, children’s indoor play area, outdoor adventure centre, rock climbing, cycling, farm restaurant, garden centre, holiday homes and chalets.
h) Charlestown Cricket club. Protected open space.
i) Cairns grass area. Protected open space.
j) Limekilns east. 120 housing units. Counted as part of West Fife villages strategic housing allocation. Would involve junction improvement, pedestrian access, permeable street pattern, woodland and habitat areas to encourage biodiversity, and screen from the A985. Play facilities, mix of housing types. The precise boundary would be subject to a detailed masterplan.
k) Brucehaven harbour (Soapworks). Small-scale harbourside uses.
l) Limekilns Pier. Repair, restore – protected open space.
m) Limekilns Park. Protected open space.
It was pointed out that he had mentioned some 170 housing units. What about capacity of the school? ‘School could be extended’.
Chairman suggested that the green belt should extend south of the A985 to the shore. Andrew agreed that this might be a good thing.
It was agreed that the Cowfield needed some management if it is ot remain an attractive open space.

7. Draft Local Plan
After much quizzing of Fife Council planners by the Secretary, the Community Council was now beginning to interpret the Draft Local Plan. The appearance of a notice of a proposed green belt pinned to a tree on the Limekilns Road signalled to us that this was to define the western boundary of a south westerly development of Dunfermline. A very large area south of Dunfermline, not coloured in any way on the map, and marked only with thin vertical black lines and the legend ‘DUN084’ is described elsewhere in the text as being part of the Dunfermline Strategic Development Area, and is proposed to accommodate 2000 houses, two schools, together with new roads and employment land. It is all within our own Community Council area and owned by Broomhall Estate. Neither Fife Council nor Broomhall Estate have been particularly forthcoming when there have been opportunities for them to be so. The proposals will impact on our relationship with Dunfermline, on our separate identity, on the historic SW aspect of the town, on the historic views from the town, on traffic patterns etc etc.
The Community Council had produced a short newsletter alerting villagers to what we had missed. The Estate had been perturbed by our suggestion that villagers who had participated in the consultation may have had a different attitude to development close to the villages if they had been aware of the likely development potential elsewhere on Broomhall land. Ed Dunbar read out a letter from Charlie Reid Thomas to be attached to the minutes of this meeting. The chairman emphasised that the Newsletter had expressed our views, our beliefs, and our understanding of the situation. The community council has tried to encourage villagers to engage in and comment on the Local Plan consultation. They deserved as much information as we could provide.
There are very serious issues for Fife Council about how information had been presented in the paper document and on line. There was a huge amount of information to navigate through, with little by way of an easy access summary, for those looking for big impact stuff. Other communities had encountered similar problems with the document and with the unhelpful attitude of Fife Planning officers. Regret was expressed that the Andrew McCafferty process may have been undermined by the absence of information about development land elsewhere on the Estate. It seems that reputations may have been damaged all round.

8. Limekilns Pier
a) Lottery application to Investing in Ideas for a feasibility study has been sent off.
b) Still awaiting a date when Broomhall Estates Conservation Trust trustees will meet. Ed Dunbar does not know who they are.

9. Planning
a) New Surgery Lighting. Soon after the opening of the new surgery, car park lights were switched on. There were 15 of them shining bright white light into the houses in South Row and into the eyes of passing drivers. Secretary has phoned Gerry who had driven down to have a look. The next day both an Environmental Health and Planning Enforcement Officer had paid a visit. The lights are switched off in the mean time. One of the conditions upon which planning permission was granted was that any external lighting be approved in writing before installation. There was no evidence that his had been done. Secretary had written a formal letter of objection to the lighting.
b) 7 Main Street. Secretary provided back ground and reported that CC members had examined the plans on line, and agreed that, in view of the comments about large dormers made in the very recently published Limekilns Conservation Area Appraisal, an objection should be submitted. Charina Beswick, the applicant was in attendance. She described all the work they had done on the house, their professional qualifications and experience as architects, their desire to stay in the village, and their need of more space to accommodate a growing family. The dormer to the street was to provide headroom to a new staircase. It was suggested that CC members re-examine the plans in light of the discussion and consider whether their objection still stands.

10. 76 Bus Service
Secretary had carried out research on how bus services were financed, and had drafted a letter to Steve Walker (Stagecoach East Scotland Operations Director) which had been discussed and amplified by members. Copies had been sent to Stewart Stevenson, Councillors, MSPs and Willie Rennie. Several supportive replies had been received.

11. Treasurer’s Report
a) Dunfermline Building Society insists that we have three signatories. This means that the third signatory has to go along together with Liz and Sue to prove their identity and sign on the dotted line. The meeting agreed that Beryl Leatherland (Vice chair) should be the third signatory. Liz will arrange a date.
b) Year end is approaching, so accounts will be finalized.
c) Secretary had received application form for our Annual Grant which she passed to Liz.

12. Secretary's Report
a) Visit to new fire station. Secretary and Sheila Green had attended a visit arranged by West Fife Villages Community Councils Forum. Most of the work of firemen is now to do with prevention, with a great deal of data analysis to anticipate problem areas or situations before they arise. They reckon a fire engine going out is a failure of their prevention strategy rather than a routine occurrence. Only 7.5% of their time is spent on actual emergency call-outs. Firemen have visited every house in West Fife to offer fire prevention advice and free smoke alarms. They have a red, amber, green code for each house, depending on the success they have had in getting the fire prevention message across.
b) Rabbits. There are plagues of rabbits in the gardens of South Row and of East Harbour. Secretary had contacted a pest control person who advised that they used ‘any legal method’ but that this was not a good time of year because rabbits were already breeding.
c) Entrust. Secretary had completed ‘Form 4’ – the annual Entrust renewal to retain our recognition as an Environmental Body.
d) DWFCHP. Four copies received of their very glossy newsletter.
e) Fife Culture Strategy. Lousie Trow had asked if she could attend a meeting. Katrina said she would be meeting her next week about Gala and Garden club applications, so she would check out other ideas which might be appropriate for the Community Council to consider.
f) The 9.30 am bus last Saturday had failed to appear. Apparently, part of the gear box fell off, and there was no replacement available.
g) Development Services had written giving a list of forthcoming consultations.

13. Councillor’s Report.
a) Dead Seal. A dead seal had been removed by Environmental Health Officers from the beach at Red Row, after some discussion as to whether it belonged to the Estate or not!
b) Gerry had sent Secretary information about West Area Transportation’s plans for dealing with bad weather that is forecast for tonight!

14. AOCB
a) Dr Chan had contacted the chairman to report that there had been an application to open a pharmacy in the villages. This would have serious implications for the GP practice.