Monimail Community Council Minutes of meeting, 10th August 2009 1.
Present : A. Arbuckle; D. Dallas; J. Fairley; W. Fenton; B. Forrest; J. Gordon; D. Hamilton; B. Holden; S. Jones; H. Laidlaw; P. Laidlaw; S. McCann; G. MacLean; K. MacLean; N. Mossman; B. Robertson; J. Rotheram; B. Service; G. Smith; J. Vaughan
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Apologies :
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Minutes of Previous Meeting : accepted
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Matters Arising Letham Toll : BEAR Scotland : there are some white markings sprayed on the road therefor looks like some work is due. Three emails have been sent since the last meeting with no response! There are still issues being raised about parked/stopped vehicles in the “run-in” area at the Toll – BEAR to be written to again to re-emphasise Cllr Arbuckle is due to meet BEAR representatives this week about other issues so will mention our issues then. - Travel Plan : no update. Whinney Park : after discussions in April a work order was raised. This is to be chased up as nothing has been done as yet. Cllr Arbuckle to chase this. Monimail Cemetry : collapsed grave still to be repaired, manhole cover at the letterbox is still broken. Colin Gilbert is to investigate this. Tree Trimming : Issue with trees in The Row growing and telephone wires now running through the branches. BT state it is not their responsibility however if the Village was happy for the trees to be trimmed it would not be an issue – BT will not do the work though. Not sure if the Council would do this – AA to find out - The Row Verge – Council trim twice per annum, once at the end of May and again at the end of the season Ballantager – Letham Path : This was included in the various letters to BEAR – still no response. Bow Road Sewage : A letter has been received stating raw sewage in the roadside burn not really being an issue! This is to be taken up with the water board as this will only get worse with the few extra proposed houses in the area. Could be a long-term issue.
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Planning Fife Council Planning were contacted about the Satellite Dishes at The Toll and The Row. They have no record of either being requested through planning. Unfortunately we did not have the response from planning at the meeting, however, for the record the response states that “… satellite dishes are acceptable in Conservation Areas as long as they are not within view of a public road” The owner of one of the properties commented that she was unhappy about how this issue has been raised and surely the tenants of her property should have been contacted as they are very unhappy about what was in the minutes. It was pointed out that the job title of “Enforcement Officer” seems a bit harsh however all they do would view the property and if deemed inappropriate, then further discussion would take place. Councillor Arbuckle pointed out that it is the responsibility of the Householder and not the tenant to ensure any planning regulations are complied with. It was suggested that the dish should be moved away from it’s current position so that it is out of site like the rest of the dishes in the village which are generally in people’s back gardens! It was agreed that the Tenants are contacted before taking the matter further with Council planning. It was agreed that it is unfortunate that this had been taken the wrong way and it certainly was not trying to alienate new people in the village, however, this is yet another instance of work being done without permission and it was felt that “enough is enough”. The Planning Department are to be contacted with regard to coming out and looking around the Village at recent work to see what is/is not acceptable. It was also suggested that the Community Council produce some sort of “welcome pack” for people new to the village. This would include information on local services, shops, libraries etc as well as a reminder that Letham is a Conservation Area and as such, alterations/additions to property must be put through planning.
C. Gilbert; M. Grossert; L. Harvie; A. MacGilchrist; G. Mossman
The installation of New Play Area, Shelter etc in the Park is currently going through Planning 6.
Treasurer’s Report : The account balance stands at just over £1532.
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Village Hall Report : Nothing specific to report regarding renovations. There are a couple of events coming soon, including an “Old Letham Night” in October and a “Silent Auction/Auction of Promises” in November. More details will be distributed with the next distribution of minutes.