Last night I attended the NKRCC meeting at Cookney Hall. Cllr Burnett was also in attendance, as were quite a few members of the public.

Planning matters took up the bulk of the meeting. Residents from Altries Wood were present to express their opposition to the proposal by developers to building another 45 houses, rather than the 10 they originally planned. No planning application for this area is ‘live’ at the moment. I advised that any objections to planning applications need to reference specific planning rules, rather than being an emotional argument. Councillors and council officers are not allowed to make judgements based on feelings, but on how the proposal fits the current rules and Local Development Plan.

The recycling centre at Portlethen has a proposed expansion. Concerns raised that the solar panels would be in the wrong place for maximum benefit, and also that the expansion would encroach on the green belt. Comments are due in by the 8th of September, so the committee will discuss this further and decide on a response.

There has been good communication with community councils during the development of the incoming Local Development Plan. No major changes to our area have been made by the Scottish Reporter, and it is expected that the new plan will be adopted by the council later next month.

Information has now come back about the Blairs developer obligations. The path to the footbridge site should have been started after the 23rd house was built and the bridge itself should have been built after the 40th house was completed. The development is now at 43 houses. A bond (of unspecified value in the information given) should also have been transferred by now. The planning department is looking at its enforcement options and I will follow up on this.

Templars Kirkyard – the council will keep the maintenance of this area, rather than passing it to the CC, as they have concerns over the proper preservation of the headstones and of some rare yellow snowdrops that grow there. The CC will be asking Landscape Services to put a bench in an appropriate spot either in or at the entrance to the gravesite.

The current head of Lairhillock Primary is moving to another position. Interviews for his replacement should be held on the 1st September.

Chapelton road naming – one extra road needs a name just now. ‘Aikman’ was proposed, but I sent in an objection. Extra time was granted to allow the CC to discuss this. The problem I have is that the person this is intended to honour (a VC recipient from the India Mutiny) should not be considered in this day and age. Naming a road after someone who got his award for occupying India and killing people fighting for independence isn’t appropriate. The person also had no connection to this area. The CC agreed with me that a better, local name should be used instead. The Chair had been informed that this name was actually suggested due to an Aberdeenshire Council policy of going through all the Victoria Cross recipients. This is the first I’d heard of it – again, something to follow up!

The South Deeside View is looking for a new name, more distributers and more people for the team. The proposal is to produce a simple A4 printed newsletter, perhaps folded and stapled if several pages of content are produced. There will be no advertising in the first issue, which would probably go out in the spring (or autumn if volunteers come forward quickly enough).

The dangerous section of road near the Ardoe House Hotel has had 40mph signs put up, and will be resurfaced with high-friction coating this season. Unfortunately, local residents pointed out that the signs are in the wrong places – too close to the danger zone and to each other. Another accident occurred yesterday. I suggested that a site visit with an appropriate officer and a representative with the CC would be useful. That was thought a good idea, so another job on my to-do list is to email and ask!

There will be a first aid (full day) course held at Cookney Hall on the 30th September. Five places are still available.

Deer poaching – PC Charnley is both the community officer for this area and the wildlife crime officer. Unfortunately he couldn’t come to the meeting this time, but should be present next month. There was a request to find out what the outcome was for the deer poachers who were identified and had their firearms confiscated.

The next CC meeting will be at 7:30pm on the 19th September. All CC meetings this year will be held in Cookney Hall.

On Monday 20th June I attended the AGM and regular monthly meeting of the NKRCC, in person (Corbie Hall) for the first time since the pandemic started. They have a very comprehensive website NKRCC – North Kincardine Rural Community Council with information, past minutes and police reports.

Slow progress still on the broadband rollout. You can find out information on this here

War memorials – a work party will be organised after the summer to clean them up. The Cookney one needs some minor repairs.

The Cookney Cuppa – part of the Jubilee celebrations – raised around £120 for charity.

South Deeside View – the biannual community magazine hasn’t been printed for a couple of years now. A new team is needed to learn the ropes from the previous editor. The network of distributers and deliverers needs to be reactivated.

Chapelton solar panels – permission for all south facing solar panels (visible from the A92) have been rejected by the developers. There was general consternation that a minority and outdated view that solar panels ‘spoil’ the aesthetic of the new town was preventing householders from opting for an eco-friendly electricity source. “When does a community become a community, not just a vision of the developer?”

Blairs development – footbridge to the north side of the river still not being progressed. A condition of planning for the new houses was a footbridge over the river. There has been no response from the developers to residents to enquiries about the timetable for getting this built. The CC will write to both the planning department and Muirs for more information, and to request a public meeting on this issue.

Deer poaching – two separate incidents have come to the attention of the CC, one of which was reported to the police.

Plant sale – the annual plant sale will restart in spring 2023. Start thinking now about splitting your plants in preparation!

On Wednesday 15th June NMCCC had their AGM and usual monthly meeting. I arrived late, so didn’t get the police report (it tends to be the same report for all the area CCs, so I will hear it on Monday at the Rural meeting).

There was talk of a possible change in supplier of the entrance stones to a local company that uses Scottish, not Indian, stones.

Lots of discussion around local empowerment – or rather, the lack of it. There was a general feeling of dissatisfaction with both Edinburgh and Aberdeenshire Council. Concerns raised about the link road on the Barratts estate still being blocked, the lack of insulation going into new build houses, lack of librarians (Portlethen library has to close to allow Newtonhill to open), travel difficulties for those relying on public transport to get to the vaccination centre in Stonehaven, and poor communication/unsatisfactory responses from the roads department.

On the brighter side, the plan for the Newtonhill underpass is going well. The lead engineer has been identified and just needs to finish up her current project in Stonehaven. A suitable grant scheme that opens in around eight weeks time has been found. All the owners of the surrounding land have already been identified as part of the the works needed for the Chapelton development, which really helps the council’s new team for these kind of projects.

It appears that the school bus from Chapelton to Newtonhill Primary will be discontinued, without any consultation with parents taking place. Although Chapelton is not in the NMCCC area, Newtonhill Primary will be affected as an estimated 25 extra cars might need to do the school drop-off/pick-up if the bus is stopped. It was not felt that the route to walk – although under two miles – was safe enough for primary aged children to do by themselves. Suggestions of a commercial bus, e.g the 7B, scheduling an appropriate time on their existing route. As all under 22s are now eligible for free bus travel, this might be a viable alternative.

Advertising attached to ‘street furniture’ (lampposts) was raised. I will enquire whether this is now allowed, and if not, if anyone – or just council officers – can remove them.

In-person meeting at Skateraw Hall, Newtonhill. 18-05-22

POLICING: PC Marc Camus gave his final update to the NMCCC. Several thefts across the area, including copper wiring and dumper truck parts. Owners of equipment like mini diggers were urged to install tracking chips. An enquiry was made about any action against the owner of an aggressive dog in the area. More information will come back to the next meeting, but in the meantime the advice is to always contact the local dog warden* about any incidents. PC Camus was thanked for his presence at meetings and wished well on his retirement.

*Dog Warden (South)
Aberdeenshire Council
Environmental Health
Viewmount
Arduthie Road
Stonehaven
AB39 2DQ
Telephone: 01467 539039

The Peace Sign by Muchalls has had an expert inspect it. Work to restore it should take place over the summer.

The Aberdeen South Access Panel has started up again, with representation from the NMCCC. It looks at issues such as dropped kerbs, wheelchair access, disabled toilets.

The proposed pull-out section for the Newsey was discussed. Aside from questions relating to the Local Place Plan, feedback on where to spend developer contributions will be sought.

The meeting expressed a desire for increasing the hours and activities at Newtonhill Library. With the old library building no longer fit for purpose, it was suggested that perhaps a larger library area could be incorporated in the Bettridge Centre if phase 3 (expansion) is ever undertaken.

Barratts development – still no date for the link road to be opened. The storage compound for the development is currently sitting on where the road should be.

The survey of the underpass to Cammachmore and Chapelton will not be undertaken until near the end of the year. A new team at Aberdeenshire Council has been formed to tackle projects such as these, and will need to work through a backlog of cases first.

The tennis courts need revamping – especially the fencing surrounding it. Match funding from the council’s area budget was suggested. Live Life Aberdeenshire might have some interest, but it was pointed out that the village, not the council, owns the courts.

The local area leaflet is progressing well. It is anticipated that it might be published in July, with the plastic disks and posts for points of interest also up at that point.

The new councillors present (myself, Cllr Victor and Cllr Burnett) were welcomed, with extra explanations of area issues given to the two who were new to the meetings. The next meeting will be the AGM on the 15th June, which will see the retirement of Rob Peaker and chair Michael Morgan.

Zoom meeting 16-05-22

POLICING: PC Marc Camus gave his final update to the NKRCC. Several thefts across the area, including copper wiring and dumper truck parts. In the latter case, it was unclear when the theft had occurred. A handful of driving offences had been detected, including two of driving under the influence. Sadly, some of the cherry trees donated to Stonehaven by the Japanese embassy have been deliberately damaged. Two children were responsible for at least one tree, but would not have been capable of damaging all. PC Camus was thanked for his presence at meetings and wished well on his retirement.

COUNCILLORS: Three of the new councillors were present (myself, Cllr Burnett, Cllr Aitchison) and were warmly welcomed.

PLANNING: Nothing of interest to report.

TEMPLARS KIRKYARD (MARYCULTER): The council has allocated some funding this financial year to get the graveyard tidied up. A bench is also available – no confirmation yet when that will be sent over. A brown tourist sign from Visit Scotland would cost £130 a year. It was felt that this wasn’t for the NKRCC to fund. Suggestions of seeking involvement from Archaeology Scotland or Aberdeenshire council’s archaeologist for help to preserve the headstones.

ROADS: Temporary repairs to Cookney Road were carried out before the local elections. Once the roads department has published its plan of works for the summer, the CC would appreciate an update from councillors. Chapelton road names (discussed the previous meeting here) would only be used once, to save any confusion for emergency services. Aberdeenshire Council has asked ALL community councils to come up with appropriate potential street names for their area for when the occassion arises. This list would be refreshed as necessary.

BROADBAND: No discernible progress made.

WAR MEMORIALS: New councillors brought up to date with the rust problems (see photo below).

DEVELOPER CONTRIBUTIONS: Approximately £1700 is available for community and sports in the area. It was agreed that this should go to Corbie Hall.

AGM/MEETINGS: The NKRCC wishes to return to in-person meetings to hopefully restore attendance from members of the public to pre-pandemic levels. Corbie Hall, Cookney Hall and Chapelton’s Hut were all suggested as venues. The decision will be made at the AGM next month. Four spaces are available for community councillors. Forms available here

JUBILEE: No local plans known of, bar Chapelton residents’ picnic.

SOUTH DEESIDE VIEW: Any interest in restarting a print edition of the local community magazine? Volunteers needed.

PLANT SALE: This needs some volunteers to take it forward for next spring. This will be raised again in October, to give plenty of time.

NEXT MEETING will be the AGM at Corbie Hall on the 20th June, 7:30pm

Yesterday (16th March) I attended the CC meeting at Skateraw Hall. A special guest from Stonehaven Rugby Club came to update the committee on its relocation and development plans. The club has the second largest youth section in Scotland, with its ‘catchment’ extending well beyond Stonehaven. Many children from North Kincardine have been through, or are currently members of, the club during the last 45 years. They have an asset transfer application for land off Forest Drive in Stonehaven. This isn’t the best land for a rugby pitch and will require a lot of investment in drainage works, but it is the only available option for a new home after the club’s current lease runs out in 2026. If the asset transfer is approved next month, then the rugby club will apply for the relevant planning permissions for drainage, fencing, etc. A letter of support from the CC was asked for (and granted), as demonstrating community support can reduce the cost of planning permission. The ruby club intends to ask all community councils in the area for this support.

Newtonhill Library now has a temporary home in the Bettridge Centre. It will only be open for click & collect for five hours a week though (times to be confirmed).

No police report submitted. A Freedom of Information request has been submitted to find the annual statistics for crimes in the area. A monthly update is usually sent to the CC, but no yearly summary. (If a crime is reported one month, but not ‘detected’, or solved, until another month, this would not show up in the information the CC is currently given.)

On the 1st of April, Stonehaven Town Hall will no longer be the area’s vaccination centre. Doubts were raised whether there was any chance of Invercarron Resource Centre being ready to open as the new hub in time. One of the schools might have to be used as a temporary vaccination site during the Easter holidays (first two weeks of April).

Concerns were expressed over the proposed ‘phase 2’ of building housing to the south of Newtonhill, against community opposition. We won’t know for some months yet whether the Scottish Government will again override Aberdeenshire Council to permit more development. It appears that the developers seem to be behaving as though they know they will ‘get the nod’, with suspicious activity regarding their compound now completely blocking the access road that is supposed to be open by the 101st house being occupied. Cllr Pike will be taking forward enquiries to ensure that current planning conditions are being fully adhered to.

Good news and bad news in Muchalls – the worst of the potholes have been fixed, but there is a drainage problem creating a large puddle across one of the roads. The last similar problem took two years to fix!

A lot of anger was expressed at the management of the Roads Department of Aberdeenshire Council. Allegations that promises were made and broken, and that assurances made must have been untrue, as contradicting announcements made within days. The lack of communication from the department was complained about, with the general consensus being that in order to get anything done ‘you have to make a pest of yourself’. Murray Road is no closer to being repaired, the safety bollards also need replacing. Permanent road repairs need to wait until the new financial year.

On a much more positive note, some reclaimed granite has been bought for making the entrance stones to the villages. Newtonhill Primary pupils submitted designs for Newtonhill’s stone, with the staff sending the best seven for judging by the community council.

Unfortunately I had to leave the meeting, just as a discussion on ‘resilience planning’ and lessons learned by Aberdeenshire Council in the aftermath of our winter storms was taking place. I did hear that there is now a 24 hour emergency help line open, rather than office hours being kept.

The minutes of the meeting will be published in due course on Newtonhill, Muchalls & Cammachmore Community Council | Facebook