Balintore & Hilton Community Council
Minutes of Meeting – Friday 20th September 2024, 7pm
Held at the Seaboard Memorial Hall, Balintore
Present: Kevin Kirk, Chairman (KK), Brian Gallagher (BG), Treasurer, Norma Balfour (NB), Secretary, David Smith (DS), John Friel (JF)
Apologies: Cllr. Derek Louden, Cllr. Laura Dundas
Invited: Cllr. Maureen Ross
Agenda: Approved – Chair
Declaration of Interest: No Declaration of Interest
(If any of the items of business to be considered and you are aware that you have a personal interest in the matter which does not amount to a DPI, you must make a verbal declaration of the existence and nature of that interest at or before the consideration of the item of business or as soon as………)
Welcome: KK, Chairperson, introduced himself and welcomed all to the meeting. KK advised that the meeting was being recorded and asked if anyone objected – No objections documented.
Norma Balfour, announced to the room that unfortunately Mr Jamie Stone would not be in attendance as had been planned. NB read a text she had received and stated that she had received 2 calls from Mr Stone at 17.25pm a message had been left at 17.31pm stating that he had tried to call a couple of times. ‘A problem has arisen – Kate from my office fell and possibly broke her ankle while we were in Wick this afternoon, so all has changed and I am running people home etc., This means I can’t make C.C this evening, but happy to offer a daytime meeting in Balintore over the weekend. This is my mobile. Please text if this is acceptable. Many apologies.’ NB said that she had contacted Mr Stone and advised that it would not be possible for her to arrange a further meeting with him that weekend due to other commitments and unfortunately doubted that the CC would be able to re-arrange a public meeting at such short notice. NB also asked how Kate was and if it was now known how severe her injury was…
Police Report: KK – No Report for the previous 2 months. Police had been contacted on several
occasions by the Chair and the Secretary, but no replies.
No Police present—Officer Boyd could not be in attendance tonight. However, he has confirmed that he is available to be contacted if required. KK has his contact details should this be required.
Minutes of Previous Meeting
KK requested approval for the minutes of the previous meeting.
Action – Minutes approved by BS and seconded by BG.
Finance: BG Treasurer – BHCC Financial Report Period: 22/07/24 to 20/9/24.
• Income received during period • £502.27 Annual Grant from HC
• Expenditure during period • £171.40 • £71.40 Seaboard Centre Invoices for use of Hall • £100.00 Donation to Seaboard Centre for upkeep of harbour toilets
• Restricted funds • Website maintenance £394
• Total cash in BHCC bank accounts at 20/09/24 is £2378.47 • Unrestricted funds available to BHCC at 20/09/24 is £1984.47
Planning Applications: None
Fire Service
KK gave a breakdown of the update regarding the Fire Service and Tim Kirk’s feedback:
1. New Fire Engine: The local fire station has received a new vehicle, which is essentially an improved version of their old one. It now comes with a pump on the back and drives better, but it is still not an ideal upgrade.
2. Push for Vehicle Upgrade: There is an ongoing effort to obtain a better, upgraded vehicle. The fire service has better standard vehicles in their fleet that aren’t being used, and there is a push for the local station at Balintore to receive one of these.
3. Training Barrier: The issue with receiving a more advanced vehicle lies in the training requirements. If the station receives an upgraded vehicle, the team will need to be trained in additional skills beyond their current focus on wildfires and road accident response. The fire service is reluctant to provide this additional training, which is one reason the team remains equipped with less advanced vehicles. Having outdated or less effective equipment could limit the fire team’s ability to respond to emergencies.
Bio Digester – No further correspondence and we are awaiting the Reporter to come back with his decision. BG feels that the objections raised during the scoping direction for the EIA were ignored, which is a major point of dissatisfaction. He feels the input from our side was not acknowledged in the assessment, contributing to the sense of a flawed or biased process. Although BG expressed disappointment and uncertainty about the next steps, he suggests there may still be action that can be taken despite the frustrations.
Parking – ongoing
Councillors Reports
Cllr. Ross spoke on various subjects –
1. Community Council Schemes Review of Standing Orders: H.C. (Highland Council) is preparing a review of Community Council Schemes, specifically the Standing Orders. All Community Councillors are encouraged to participate in this process. Once the review is received by email, Community Councils should meet to discuss and propose any desired changes. The review is then returned to H.C for further discussion until all are satisfied.
2. Association of Community Councils:
The idea is to create an association of Community Councils, meeting every 2–3 months. This would help ensure police attendance, as they would have to address all the communities at once. This model is already working in Caithness, and Fiona Richardson (FR), Community Liaison, is willing to assist in organising and showing how it works. The current lack of police presence in meetings (due to scheduling conflicts with multiple Community Councils meeting on different nights) could be alleviated with a collective approach.
By uniting Community Councils, a stronger collective voice can advocate for key issues like the Bio Digestor project and Freeport discussions. FR has suggested Wards 6 (Cromarty Firth) and 7 collaborate due to their similar interests. We need to be on the ball to benefit our communities.
3. Pot Holes – A few forceful emails have gone into H.C. regarding the state of roads throughout the villages. Cllr Ross spoke to Iain Moncrieff about the new Capital and Revenue income – please see following link: £60m capital investment approved for roads and infrastructure | The Highland Council
The Community and CC were encouraged to continue to put in complaints to the Road’s Department. David Smith, (DS) has suggested inviting Iain Moncrieff/ Gary Urquhart to come down and assess the state of the roads in this area directly.
Nota bene – NB has submitted a further complaint about Pot holes within Abottshaven and roads within Balintore requiring urgent attention date 24/09/24: Roadside problems | Roadside problems | The Highland Council
Correspondence – Balintore Housing – Re-fit – No specific details are provided in this summary, but it is a noted topic for discussion.
1. N.B. received a complaint regarding tractors speeding from Balmuchy, past the school, to Tullich potato stores. Action was taken that day, with communication made to the foreman at the potato store, along with chats with Kenny Mackenzie (Cullisse), and Rod Mackenzie (Hilton of Cadboll Farm). Traffic slowed down significantly, and no further issues have been reported. Thanks was extended to all involved for their prompt response.
2. Village Speeding Issues: Concerns were raised about speeding cars and buses in the village not adhering to the 20mph limit, especially near the school.
Cllr. Ross will raise the issue with the bus company to ensure compliance.
During school opening and closing time, the cars driven by parents coming and going from the school are not adhering to the speed limit. Please Slow Down – You are putting your children’s safety at RISK
Various discussions took place around speeding – We are asking all to ‘SLOW DOWN’ as it would not be ideal to have calmers and various other preventative measures introduced.
The 20 limit warning signs at the school are permanently on – this has been reported. To date, this has not been sorted. C.C will place another complaint to H.C.
Nota bene. NB reported to Lighting department again on 24/09/24 – Street lighting and traffic signals | Street lighting and traffic signals | The Highland Council
3. Fire Lanterns: Correspondence regarding the lighting of Fire Lanterns within the villages. Many councils have banned these for various reasons. Highland Council has issued a position statement please check the site out at Highland Council website: https://www.highland.gov.uk/downloads/file/11728/highland_council_balloon_release_-_position_statement
AOCB: Summary of the key points discussed during the meeting:
1. Speeding Issues: The general consensus is that speeding is not ‘cool’ and residents need to adhere to limits, especially around school times.
The public is encouraged to continue submitting complaints regarding speeding to the relevant authorities. Lyndsay Watt suggested installing speed bumps, but Cllr. Ross pointed out the high cost and other disadvantages of such installations. A petition on this issue has already been circulated throughout the villages within the last year.
2. Anaerobic Digester Concerns: Absence of Mr. Stone: Sandra Skinner (SS) expressed disappointment over Mr. Stone’s absence from the meeting and wished this to be recorded in the minutes. She went on to say that several attendees were present to discuss the anaerobic digester with Mr. Stone.
SS also raised concerns about ‘recording strips’, on the road between Balintore and Fearn, wanting to know if they were for traffic counts and if the data could be shared. Cllr. Ross explained the survey is part of the Active Travel project and may be related to a survey being completed for the pathway between the village of Fearn and Fearn Station. SS stated that the data will be helpful for discussions about the digester, as data used by Acorn was collected during the COVID lockdown and it is not a true and accurate account. Cllr. Ross will confirm why the strips are there and ensure the data is shared with the Community Council.
3. Signage Issues at Hilton Brae: Kathy Faulkner raised concerns about the lack of signage at the bottom of Hilton Brae, as large mobile homes are trying to use the road, which causes problems due to its limited turning space and dead end. Cllr. Ross will look into the signage in place and report back.
Nota bene: NB checked – there is a ‘NoThrough – End’ sign placed at the foot of the brae at the Hilton corner. It is quite insignificant and does not stand out for traffic coming along King Street.
4. Weeds in the Village: David Skinner asked why Highland Council isn’t maintaining the kerbs and dealing with the weed growth. Cllr. Ross responded that residents also need to take responsibility for the upkeep of the village. She mentioned a local farmer suggested using Weedol to help with the problem.
5. Balintore Scheme Walk-About: David Smith mentioned that no progress had been made since the walk-about of the Balintore Scheme six weeks ago. The main concerns included abandoned vehicles and general nuisances.
Cllr. Ross stated that after a sticker is placed on an abandoned vehicle, the owner is given a limited time to make it legal. If not, the vehicle should be removed, but this issue is widespread throughout the Highlands and often caused by the same families. NB asked when the actual report from the walk-about would be made available to the C.C as all members had attended. Cllr. Ross stated that she had asked that question of the Housing Dept. and had been advised that the Housing Officer was on holiday and would be back on Monday 24th Sept. Hugh Skinner (HS) asked if it is an offence to have these vehicles on Highland Council owned land. Cllr. Ross – The answer is Yes, this problem is not solely in the villages it is throughout the Highlands and caused mainly by the same families.
6. Bins Overflowing: There are also concerns about bins being left at front doors, rubbish spilling into front gardens, public pathways and roadways. Residents should store bins in back gardens and bring them out on collection days only.
Date of Next Meeting
It was suggested that Jamie Stone be invited to the next meeting in November. Cllr. Ross requested that the meeting not be held on a Friday night, but KK clarified that the Friday meeting was held at Jamie Stone’s request.
Next meeting will be in November – date to be arranged. Please check the website and Facebook pages. The next meeting will be held in the Seaboard Café.
Meeting closed at 20.00hrs
-Minutes approved by David Smith and seconded by Brian Gallacher, 20th November 2024-
Balintore & Hilton Community Council 