PRESENT:

 

Brian Pearson (BP)- NLCC / NLCA

Kathleen Cameron (KC) – NLCC / NLVH

Marilyn MacDonald (MMD) – NLCC / NLVH

Marie MacLachlan (MML) – NLCC / NLVH

Lisa Glaze (LG) – NLCC / NLCA / NLVH

Elizabeth MacLellan (EM) – NLCC

 

PUBLIC ATTENDANCE

 

Stewart Livingstone Chair of the Nether Lochaber Village Hall Committee.

• Apologies

 

Karl Speirling (KS)

 

• Minutes of Last Meeting

The Minutes of the Nether Lochaber Community Council Meeting held on 6^th June 2024 were proposed by LG and seconded by MML.

• Matters Arising

 

• Cuilcheanna Noticeboard - The Meeting noted from MMD that the Men’s Shed had agreed to make the notice board for Cuilcheanna as long as NLCC were not in a hurry for it.
• Glen Righ Hydro Scheme – Agreed that as nothing had been received re the Glen Righ Hydro Scheme LG and MML would liaise to try and progress this outstanding matter.
• Coffee Morning – noted that the recent Coffee Morning organised by MMD in aid of the new Village Hall had been a great success with people attending from all round the area and had raised the sum of £851.

 

The Committee then agreed to change the order of the Agenda and deal with Item 5 (Action Points) next.

 

 

 

• Action Points

 

• Newsletter – Noted the following - (i) BP had been unable to contact Cllr Sarah Fannet re funding for the Newsletter; (ii) MMD had received an article from the Rev Dr. Malcolm Kinnear and had passed this to MML; (iii) MML was still waiting on an article from the Chair on behalf of the NLCC and also from the NLCA; (iv) Agreed to include articles on presentation to Ann Marie and also the 25 years celebration of Kate Ward’s Afternoon Club; (v) The Chairman of the VHC would prepare an article on progress with the new Village Hall but this would be on a separate sheet from the Newsletter; (vi) MML had created a Logo for the Newsletter which she kept simple in order to keep printing costs down and would now get in touch with Don Michie with regard to having the Newsletter printed; (vii) Jan Wrigglesworth had given MML a pile of envelopes and stamps left over from a previous circulation; (viii) MMD would speak with Ann Marie regarding the labels list she previously used for circulation; (ix) MML was going on holiday in four weeks time for two weeks so it was agreed to try and get the Newsletter ready for the end of August. To this end MMD, EM, KC and LG offered to assist with putting the Newsletter in envelopes for posting.
• Notice Boards – Noted MML had organised the zipped polypockets for displaying the Community Council Minutes on the various notice boards. MMD advised the Meeting that members of the public had been complaining that notices placed on the notice board at the old Post Office were being removed. Following general discussion and in noting that in many cases it was the wind that whipped the notices off the board, it was agreed that the way forward may be for a Perspex door and hook to be added to the notice board. It was agreed to check with KS regarding this and that in the meantime MML would staple the new polypockets to the board to hopefully make them more secure.
• Cycle Path – The Committee noted from MML that following her recent e-mail to Ian Cameron, Highland Council Roads Department and the Area Manager of Bear Scotland pointing out the hazardous state of the cycle path with overgrowth and lack of sweeping and the fact that the NLCC had to regularly contact them to try and get this work undertaken, she had recently received an e-mail from Ian Cameron confirming that the cycle path would be swept as soon as possible and the works would be included in a rolling programme for the future.
• Police Presence – In noting that in previous years there had been a local Police presence at the NLCC meetings, it was agreed BP would e-mail the local Policeman at Glencoe to see if he could attend future meetings or have some input into them.
• Afternoon Club – LG to check that £50 award had been issued to the Afternoon Club.

 

• Office Bearer Reports

Chair

With regard to the Local Place Plan, the Chair advised he had hoped to get a representative from Highland Council along to the meeting to discuss the possibility of NLCC preparing a Local Plan but reminded Members that the September deadline could not be met anyway.  It was also noted that Clara from the NLCA had been unable to attend the meeting.

After hearing from the Chair it was agreed however that there were a whole raft of things that could be looked at with regard to a Local Place Plan and therefore this was something worth investigating. It was also noted that if we were to proceed with this a consultant would have to be engaged and paid for.

Following discussion it was agreed that BP would get in touch with Kentallen Community Council and also invite a representative from HC along to the next CC Meeting.

.         Secretary

The Meeting noted from MML that she had spoken with Chris Boles regarding the new CC Website but that she would raise this under AOCB.

Treasurer

LG confirmed that there was a total of £3,642.32 in the NLCC Bank Account and that the only outgoing since the last Meeting had been £10 for the hire of the Church Hall for the monthly meeting.  Monies received included £410.91 in respect of the Highland Council annual grant and £50 from Ian Jenner re squirrel money.

6. Planning Matters

Noted the following Planning Applications:-

• Land 60M West of Allt-Nan-Ros Apartments, Onich

Ref No 24/03006/PIP

Siting of 4 Holiday Lodges

 

• Land South West of Inchree Chalets, Righ Crescent, Onich

Ref No 24/02565/FUL

Siting of 7 no Short Term Let Pods

 

          A lengthy discussion then followed on the Community Council’s recent objection to an application for a Secondary Letting Licence for a local property.

In noting from the Chairman that it was NLCC Policy to object to any such application and following further discussion on the relevant grounds for objecting to such applications, the Committee agreed that this was a matter that the Chairman should also take up with the Alliance who may wish to take it forward.

7. Updates from NLCA and Hall Committee

NLCA

• LG advised that she had been unable to attend the last CA Meeting.
• Noted that Lucy Cooke, Part-time Development Officer for the CA has been looking at an Inchree Eco System Project of which the Environment Department was supportive and that it was hoped the Project could be expanded upon. Following discussion with regard to the squirrel project up Inchree it was felt that this may be something that could come under the Inchree Eco System Project and LG agreed to take this up at the next CA Meeting.
• Noted LG was pushing for the Community Association to install a composting toilet at the Barn in Inchree which if it went ahead would require funding.
• There was to be a sponsored walk into the woods at Inchree on behalf of the Barn Project on Wendnesday 21^st August from 1.00pm to 3.00pm. Neil Ansell would be giving a talk on the hidden natural history in the vicinity of the Barn.
• There was to be a bio-blitz event round the Barn area sometime in September.

VILLAGE HALL COMMITTEE

The Chairman advised that the Village Hall Committee had been awarded their SCIO at long last and that he had approached two Firms of Solicitors in Fort William with a view to obtaining quotes to progress matters and that these ranged from £1,300 to £2,200.

 

It was agreed the CC did not have any available funds to assist as they only receive funding through the Highland Council or from Sarah Fannet through the Area Discretionary Budget. Following discussion it was agreed that BP would contact Sarah Fannet to enquire if any funding was possible in order to allow the CC to assist the VHC.

 

The Meeting noted from the Chairman that at present the VHC were trying to get together briefs for a business plan and for a feasibility study that would be put out to consultants and then try and get funding for that.

 

It was noted a Coffee Morning was to be held on Saturday 31^st August 10.00am to 1.00pm in order to raise funds for the VHC.

8. AOCB

• NLCC Website - MML advised that she had received an e-mail from Chris Boles asking for feedback on the new CC website to which he had transferred all the Community Council Minutes and prepared a list giving contact details for all the Members. It was noted MML would e-mail a link to the website to all Members. It was hoped to go live with the new website as soon as possible. It was noted that some members did not wish their mobile phone numbers to be published on the website and the Chairman then requested that CC email addresses be arranged for all Office Bearers
• The Committee noted from MMD that she had purchased three scoops for the grit bins provided by the Highland Council at Cuilcheanna.

9. Date of Next Meeting

It was agreed the next meeting of the NLCC would be held on Thursday 5^th September at 7.00pm in the Nether Lochaber Church Hall.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Approved by the NLCC at their Meeting held on Thursday 5^th September 2024.

 

 

 

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Chair                                                                           Date