Meeting Hekd on 5 July 2011
Meeting Held on 3 May 2011

Meeting Held on 5 April 2011

Meeting Held on 1 February 2011

Meeting Held on 1 March 2011

                                                KILMAURS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

 

Date of Meeting                                          

Tuesday  5 July 2011

 

Those Present:-

Dorothy Gair (Chair)

Frances Bonar

Ian Clark

Jay Leggat

May MacMillan

Anne Quig

Debbie Raeside

Janet Stevenson

 

                                               

 

In Attendance:-

Cllr Rose-Ann Cuninghame

Stephen Brockbank

Gavin McGilvray

Alex Young                                Two Community Police Officers                                        

            

1 - Welcome and Apologies:-

Cllr John McGhee

Alan Howat

Jim White

Welcome was made to all attending the meeting.

 

2- Minutes of Previous Meeting

With the following amendments:

Item 10 - The Environmental Impact Assessment may not cost as much as anticipated and any money saved may be put to the Wind Survey.

Item 11 - The flashing "30" sign positioned near the public park when leaving the village towards Kilmarnock is not as effective a deterrent to high speeds as those which show the actual speed of the approaching car.

Proposed:- Jim Clark           Seconded:- May Mac Millan

 

3- Matters and Actions Arising

A letter outlining our objections to the proposed changes to the Wheatsheaf has been sent.

 

4-Police Report

In June there were 13 recorded crimes in Kilmaurs; 1possession of drugs,3 common assault, 1 careless driving, 1 breach of the peace, 1 shoplifting, 1 housebreaking, 1 driving while using a mobile, all of which have been detected and 4 thefts mainly from farm buildings which are still being investigated. These are sporadic with no pattern of time or place, and plain clothes officers in unmarked cars are being used in the hope of disrupting this activity.

 

5- Councillor's Report

Cllr Rose Ann Cuninghame reported that June had been a busy month with various galas and training sessions.

Due in September is the report about what is happening to the Police. It is likely that Community Policing will continue without change and all agreed it is successful.

Of particular interest to the Police is the manning of security at Hampden for the Olympic Games events, and for the Commonwealth Games venues.

We were assured that the camera opposite the Jougs does rotate fully.

 

It was noted that the unsightly galvanised pipe outside the Homeless Unit has still not been replaced.

 

Concern was again expressed about the appropriation of green space land in Boyd-Orr Crescent by owners of adjoining properties. 

 

6-Secretary's Report

A reply from National Rail about the broken sign at the station informs us that this is the concern of Strathclyde Passenger Transport.

The Association of Scottish Community Councils is to be wound up from 30 April 2012 due to a decrease in funding. This will affect this Council's insurance.

 

 7-Treasurer's Report

The treasurer's account stands at £2189.80 and includes £566 of EA Council's grant, and £883 for the Wallking Festival.

A grant has been received for plants and flowers, and for the production of the DVD about Kilmaurs which will be available for purchase during the Walking Festival.

 

8-Kilmaurs Community Council website.

Progress on the website was held up while approval was sought from this Council for expenses.

After discussion it was agreed that sums of up to £100 could be authorised by the Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer and that in the event of an urgent decision being needed for sums greater than this before the following full Council meeting, consultation by e-mail was acceptable. Amendments to this effect will be made to the Constitution.

At an annual cost of around £70, for its running, a website was approved by this Council which will include a mailing list with automatic replies to all Community Council members. It is hoped the website will contain details of forthcoming events within the village, and inputed by other local groups. It will also be possible to enable local businesses to have a page on the website for a small administration charge, thus recouping some of the costs.

9-Community Garden

Our sincere thanks go to Ian and Janet Stevenson, Ian Clark, Alan Howat, Debbie Raeside, John McGhee and family, Billy Carroll, Felix Wright, Nick Kelly, John Coultart, and to Douglas Sims for their work on the gardens, in weeding, planting shrubs, cutting grass, providing water etc. Their work is greatly appreciated by this Council and by residents of the village.

It is intended that work on the gardens will be carried out on the first and third Sundays of the month and more notice of this will be given in the form of signs in the gardens and in the notice-board, and an intimation in the Standard, so that residents may volunteer their help by contacting our Chair on 01563 539249. 

An offer has been made of rough wood-chip as mulch around the shrubs.

Janet Stevenson will liaise with Alan Howat on drawing up a list of requirements for summer and winter plants.

The weeds around the Jougs are the responsibility of EA Council who were prompt lasr year in removing them.

 

10-Planning sub-group.

Nothing has been received from the planning Department.

 

11-Re-generation of Kilmaurs sub-group.

It is proposed that the Walking Festival will begin with a dance and ceilidh to be held in the Masonic Hall on Friday

2 September, to raise funds. A raffle will also be held and a prize of a 4-ball round of golf at Rowallan has been promised by Niall Campbell. Arrangements for a band for the ceilidh, a licence for the raffle, for publicity in the Srandard, and for the various events are going forward. Walking Festival officials include 3 or 4 who hold First Aid qualifications.

 

Wind Turbine sites are to be looked at tomorrow (6 July) to decide on the best of the three, and to have some estimates of costs and possible incomes.

Smaller scale renewables - photo voltaic panels - on the Community Centre building and on the School may produce almost as much income as a large wind turbine and a further meeting next week will consider this.

 

The next ROK meeting is to be confirmed due to holidays, and thereafter will be held on the second Tuesday of the month, chaired by Stephen Brockbank and minuted by Jennifer McGhee.

 

12 - AOCB

The water under the railway bridge means the Village Walk is curtailed and continues to cause concern.

The move by the Northern Federation to their new premises was delayed by a technical hitch.

There are extensive plans for a new Kilmarnock including landscaping, more pedestrian access to green spaces, and a traffic plan.

It was suggested that the Northern Federation might take on the provision of insurance for Community Councils  previously done by the aAssociation of Scottish CC's.

It was proposed by Dorothy Gair, seconded by Frances Bonar and agreed, that Stephen Brockbank and Gavin McGilvray become members of Council.

 

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 2 August at 7.00 pm in The Cabin.

 

The meeting closed at 9pm.

 

 


                                       KILMAURS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Date of Meeting                        

Tuesday  3 May 2011

Those Present:-

 

 

In Attendance:-

1 - Welcome and Apologies:-

Ian Clark

Jim Corson

May Dunlop

Clr John McGee

Welcome was made to all attending the meeting.

2- Minutes of Previous Meeting

Proposed:- Dorothy Gair         Seconded:- Anne Quigg

3- Matters and Actions Arising

 

We referred to the query for benches on the walking trail.  It was discussed that we would refer to our own insurance to find out the limit of our own public liability insurance to confirm if this would be sufficient.

Quotes are being obtained for the Gardens

 

The possibility of the Community Hall being owned and managed by the village seems to be considered too big a commitment by the Community Association but perhaps could be considered again in the future. East Ayrshire Council are willing to support villages in this enterprise but are not doing so for monetary reasons.

 

4-Police Report

In May there were 11 recorded crimes in Kilmaurs, 1 of disorder; 3 of violence; 1 of vandalism; 2 of dishonesty; and 4 other.  7 have been detected.

One male was arrested and detained for Court regarding an assault and breach of the peace.

Several incidents have involved youths from Kilmaurs Childrens Home.

A male has been arrested on three separate occasions for breaching his bail conditions.

Over the previous months there have been a number of high value thefts of copper etc. On the road between Stewarton and Dunlop

on two occasions the BT cable stolen was worth around £40,000 - £50,000.

5- Councillor's Report

Repairs to the Jougs would be costly and do not concern Historic Scotland who would be involved only if the outward appearance were to be changed. The secretary will contact Karl Darashenko of EAC to

ask whether they would match any funds we could raise.

Queries have been made by EAC for specific details of how any grant for the Walking Festival would be used, for example what size, colour and design are the leaflets to be, who would wear the high visibility vests, how many marshalls woud there be.

This Council was informed that donations from their grant are not acceptable. It may be that a change of wording solves the problem, eg the "donation" to the Senior Citizens is actually for the let of our meeting place.

The land at Boyd-Orr Crescent is no longer to be maintained by EA Council, and it was noted that there have been further appropriations of green land by neighbouring owners, one involving the removal of a tree. EA Council should be informed of the intention to take down any tree, and in turn EA Council should inform this Council of any concerning the village.

 

6-Secretary's Report

The secretary will investigate the situation about the removal of trees.

An e-mail has been received about the traffic situation and illegal parking, which will shortly be the concern not of the Police but of the Council.

 7-Treasurer's Report

The Treasurer's account stands at £838-67 and the Youth account at £13-93.

The accounts will be audited on 16 May.

8-Planning Sub-group

There were no planning matters to be discussed.

9-ROK Update

Last year's privately made DVD which was shown in the Jougs during the Open Doors and Walking Festival event was so popular that a repeat DVD for general sale is being considered.

The possibility of receiving help from Community Service to weed the gardens is being investigated.

There was a suggestion that a solar panel on top of the toilet block could be used to illuminate one of the trees in the garden all year round. Permission would have to be obtained from the owners of the toilet block.

The flower tubs at the station will be inspected, and there is a  possibility of introducing weight-lifting for youths in the village.

Sources of grants are being investigated.

10-AOCB

The quotes for plants and compost for the gardens did not include labour as previously thought.

The notices against dog-fouling have been broken and there is much dog fouling in the grass of the gardens.

When donations were sought in the past, Mr John Coultart indicated he might be prepared to donate in kind, and will be approached if he could donate bedding plants, which would then be marked "Donated by ----"

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 3 April at 7.o0 pm in The Cabin.

There will be no summer break, meetings will continue in June, July and August.

Inspection of water under the bridge on the Kilmaurs town trail unfortunately took place after the water had dried up, but it appeared that some work had been done on clearing a drain which hopefully will solve the problem.

There were no volunteers to help with the last work on the gardens but it is hoped some may come forward to help during the summer.

The next meeting will be on 7 June at 7pm in the cabin.

The meeting closed at 8.35pm.

              
 

 

                                  KILMAURS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

 

Date of Meeting                              

 

Tuesday  5 April 2011

 

 

 

Those Present:-

 

Dorothy Gair (Chair)

 

 

Frances Bonar

 

 

Marjie Browne 

 

 

Ian Clark

 

 

Jim Corson

 

 

Barry Devlin

 

 

Jay Leggat

 

 

May MacMillan 

 

 

Anne Quig

 

 

Debbie Raeside                   Janet Stevenson                  

 

In Attendance:-

 

Cllr Rose-Ann Cuninghame

 

 

Geoff Lee

 

 

Gavin McGilvray

 

 

John Mackay                         James Miller                        Grace Sloan

Alex Young                          

PS Anne Marie Barr       PC Jason McGinn                PC Paul Gartland.            

1 - Welcome and Apologies:-

 

Alan Howat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome was made to all attending the meeting.

 

2- Minutes of Previous Meeting

Proposed:- Anne Quig     Seconded:- Janet Stevenson

 

3- Matters and Actions Arising

It has been confirmed that the Community Council does need to register under the Data Protection Act and pay the annual fee.

 

A letter of thanks has been sent to the Bowling Club for their hospitality following the ceremony at the War Memorial, and an e-mail to the Gloucesters to thank them for their attendance at the ceremony.

 

Northern Area Federation has been informed that May McMillan is now our representative following Jim Corson's resignation.

 

4-Police Report

In March there were 9 recorded crimes in Kilmaurs, including 5 of disorder and 1 of dishonesty, of which 8 have been detected.

High visibility patrols continue, and cycle patrols are expected to increase during the summer months.

Calls concerning youths reduced over the last month.

A registered sex offender was apprehended for breach of his prevention order.

 

Problems caused by parking in Sunnyside Street continue, and are compounded if the yellow lines can not be clearly seen.

 

It was requested that, since the Regeneration of Kilmaurs group intend to look at making improvements to the park, the Police should be especially vigilant there.

 

At the Planning meeting about the future of the Wheatsheaf it was mentioned that there was no Police report and we learned that this could be obtained through the licensing Committee, and/or Traffic management in Ayr.

 

5- Councillor's Report

Cllr Rose Ann Cuninghame apologised for her absence from last month's meeting, and expressed her appreciation of the ceremony of remembrance for Cpl Herrall.

 

She raised the possibility of the Community Council, under its Regeneration of Kilmaurs programme, taking responsibility for the upkeep of the Jougs. This would involve liaising with Historic Scotland and EA Council's Leisure department and it was suggested that representatives might be invited to visit.

 

The owner of the Wheatsheaf is appealing the recent decision of the Planning committee to refuse his application to convert to a convenience store.

 

6-Secretary's Report

Applications for stage 1 to the EA Renewable Energy Fund can now be accepted and our previous bid will be re-submitted.

 

Minutes of the EA Council have been received.

 

Issues of parking are now the responsibility of EA Council, and the situation in Sunnyside will be brought to their attention.

 

 7-Treasurer's Report

The treasurer's account stands at £1027.45 with £54.46 still to be paid, and the Youth account stands at £13.93.

Yearly accounts will be submitted at Ayr once the March statements are received from the bank.

 

8-East Ayrshire North Federation Report update.

An initial decision that expenses for a taxi for the Kilmaurs representation will not be met will be reviewed.

The need for surfacing for parts of the Kilmaurs Walk was discussed.

A 20% cut in funding was reported.

 

9-Planning Group

Several residents have brought to the attention of this Council the erection of a garage at Braehead in Fenwick Road, and Jim White ascertained from EA Council that no planning consent was necessary for its construction.

 

The Legal department of EA Council will be asked if we may be represented at the appeal about the Wheatsheaf.

 

10-Regeneration of Kilmaurs Update

A summary of the minutes of the meeting on 17 March was given. Members of the regeneration projects in Dunlop gave advice based on their experiences, emphasised that to succeed a great deal of time and commitment were needed, and suggested thet the group should separate from the Community Council and consider charitable and company status.

 

Permission to plant trees at Bowies Mount has not been given by the landowner.

 

A guided walk to highlight historical attractions within the village could be added to the Walking Festival.

 

The grant application for a feasibility study on the erection of a wind turbine has been successful.

 

Grants will be applied for to help with plants for the gardens; Xmas lights; a banner for the walking festival; and benches for the village walk.

 

A request for help in obtaining high visibility vests, banners, and leaflets for the Walking Festival on 2,3,4 September has been submitted.

 

A reply from EA Council about placing benches around the village walk was daunting, including, as it did, the need for indemnity against being sued up to a maximum of £5,000,000. It might be easier to replace old existing benches rather than establish new positions.

 

Two quotes of £1130 and £865 for the gardens have been received. These include the cost of plants, compost, weed-killer and labour. Other quotes will be obtained. It was suggested that local businesses might be asked to donate plants with a sign, "These plants donated by---"

Since EA Council maintain the garden at 4-Acres/ Carmel Place it seems strange that they do not maintain the ones in the centre of the village, but meanwhile, the one outside the Cabin needs attention and volunteers are needed.

 

The next meeting of the ROK group is on Thursday 14 April at 7pm in the Masonic hall and is not restricted to Community Council members.

 

11-AOCB

Jim Corson thanked members for their congratulations on his 80th birthday

 

Alex Young suggested improvements in parking facilities by demolishing the wall around the present parking by the Jougs and marking angled bays;

using some of the space in front of the school;

clearing the old garage area in Millhill Avenue.

 

Following the placing of the plaque for Cpl Herrall, the death of Pvt Ian Stewart of Kilmaurs while in Korea was discussed, but his was as a result of a swimming accident and not due to active service.

 

While this Council wished James Miller success in his endeavour to produce a calender for Kilmaurs, it was stressed that this was not on behalf of the Community Council.

 

Grace Sloan appealed urgently for help with the Community Centre. At present there are only 5 regular members and volunteers are needed to make up a quorum at the  AGM on Wednesday 20 April at 7.30pm.

EA Council is urging communities to take over ownership of their Community Hall and its responsibilities, and to carry this out it was felt that co-operation among all local groups, including the Community Council and the ROK group, would be desirable.

Regular meetings of the Community Centre are monthly on the second Wednesday, except during the summer months.

 

 

The problem of water under the railway bridge in Irvine Road has again been very bad and photographs were e-mailed to EA Council.

 

The next meeting will be on Tuesday 3 April at 7.30 pm in The Cabin.

 

The meeting closed at 9.10pm.

 

 

 KILMAURS COMMUNITY COUNCIL

 

 

Date of Meeting

 

Tuesday  1 March 2011

 

 

 

 

Those Present:-

 

Dorothy Gair (Chair)

 

 

 

Frances Bonar

 

 

 

Ian Clark

 

 

 

Jim Corson

 

 

 

Barry Devlin

 

 

 

Alan Howat

 

 

 

Jay Leggat

 

 

 

May MacMillan 

 

 

 

Anne Quig

 

 

 

Debbie Raeside                    Janet Stevenson                   Jim White

 

In Attendance:-

 

Cllr John McGhee

 

 

 

Steve Beeley

 

 

 

Stephen Brockbank

 

 

 

James Miller                         Alex Young

PC Heather Newlands and colleague.            

 

1 - Welcome and Apologies:-

 

Marjie Browne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome was made to all attending the meeting.

 

2- Minutes of Previous Meeting

Proposed:- May McMillan Seconded:- Dorothy Gair

 

3- Matters and Actions Arising

The Nursery school has been saved for the short-term, but its fate will again be considered in the summer.

The clock on the Jougs has been reported as not working.

The funding for the Northern Areas Federation has been cut by 25%, but there appears to be no change to Community Council funding.

 

4-Police Report

In February there were 11 recorded crimes in Kilmaurs of which 4 have been detected, 3 of disorder and 1 of violence.Those in the enquiry stage are 6 of vandalism and 1 of violence.

Two action plans, to combat illegal parking and Youth disorder have been enforced.

Community policing teams continue to seek intelligence on anti-social behaviour, bogus workmen and drug dealing, and ask to be informed of any supply of alcohol to under 18's.

Extra patrols still operate over the weekends to reduce youth disorder in the area.

 

5- Councillor's Report

The Community Council paper was accepted and is available on the web-site. Only a few details will change the way this Council operates.

The flooding under the railway bridges has been reported both to Network Rail and EA Roads department.

 

6-Secretary's Report

Mail received:-

 e-mail about the Community Council publicity campaign , and posters to advertise it.

 Advertisements for people to volunteer for Community Councils have appeared in the "Standard".

 Poster giving details of Councillors' surgeries for Ward 1 which will hopefully be displayed in the Post Office.

 Request to re-register under the Data Protection Act. We will seek clarification on the necessity for this.

 Letter from a resident about the number of speed bumps in the village and their height.

 

7-Treasurer's Report

This month's statement has not yet been received from the bank so no new details were available. An interim balance sheet shows a balance of £1093 with deductions of £115.50 still to be made, and £18.20 of the EA Council grant of £560 still remaining.

A "Junk and Jumble Sale" is to take place in the Gateway Centre once a month where this Council may have a stall to increase our funds. It was agreed to make the requested £3 donation.

 

8-Planning Group

Despite repeated requests, notification of planning matters continue to be sent to the Chair instead of the Planning sub-group.

A public meeting about the proposed change of use of the Wheatsheaf will take place on Friday 4 March in the London Road HQ at 10am. Anne Quig will reiterate our objections.

There is an application to re-erect greenhouses at Rowallan Castle.

 

9-Regeneration of Kilmaurs Update

Stephen Brockbank reported on the meeting which took place to discuss the purposes and aims of this group. 

Key areas identified were:-

more Youth work, helping to reduce disorder

improving the appearance of the village, particularly with the likelihood of less funding in the future

more Community events such as the successful Open Doors Day, and Walking Festival

more awareness of existing local clubs

Specific projects were:-

Replant Bowies Mount with native trees possibly involving the school and Youths.

Find more venues for Open Doors day

a village web-site for Clubs and local tradesmen to advertise.

 

The long-term project of the Wind Turbine was also discussed, and an application made to the Climate Challenge fund for a grant for feasibility studies.

Methods of financing the turbine need to be carefully considered, and much information has been gathered. For example, obtaining a grant to erect the turbine means we would not receive the feed-in tariff, whereas obtaining a loan means no income, or a much reduced income during the repayment period, but receipt of the feed-in tariff thereafter. An Asset Finance company would manage everything but may charge 9% interest over a 7-year period; but it may be possible to raise a loan elsewhere over a longer period at an interest higher than the current bank interest rate, but less than 9%. Type and size of the turbine is also of concern.

The possibility that the "ROK" group become an entity separate from the Community Council, and possibly of charitable status was raised, but it was decided that this is not of immediate concern.

It was agreed that one purpose of the Group is to identify projects and apply for any available grants, and forms of application for extra grit bins, and for Christmas lights will be completed at their next meeting on 17th of this month.

 

10-AOCB

The proposed Harelaw Wind Farm and its proximity to dwellings was again discussed.

 

There is a need for railings down the side of the steps from the War Memorial.

 

Minutes from the "ROK" group will go to all Community Council members.

 

The flower planters at the station will be replanted using last year's grant from Network Rail, aand a further use for this money could be to light up the big tree in the garden in Irvine Road.

 

An unsightly fence appeared in the flower beds near Boyd-Orr Crescent, but has since been removed leaving scarred lawn. Although the land is not EA Council owned, their representatives were very helpful,and an Enforcement Officer was sent by them to investigate.

 

Jim Corson announced his retirement as our representative at the Northern Areas Federation, and was thanked for his long service. May McMillan, who has been acting as his deputy agreed to take over.

 

Barry Devlin thanked the Council for their gift of flowers, and kind thoughts.

 

The success of the dedication of the memorial to Cpl Herrall was noted, and our thanks given to Ian Clark for obtaining our wreath.

 

The Stewarton Advertiser covers the Kilmaurs area and events such as our Gala Day, Open Doors day etc could be advertised there.

 

There is a new website, www.kilmaursbroadband.org, about broadband access in the village.

 

The next meeying will be on Tuesday 5 April at 7pm in The Cabin.

 

The meeting closed at 9.05pm.

 

 

KILMAURS COMMUNITY COUNCIL
 
Date of Meeting




Tuesday  1 February 2011
 
Those Present:-




Dorothy Gair (Chair)

Frances Bonar

Marjie Browne


Ian Clark

Jim Corson

Alan Howat


Jay Leggat

May MacMillan 

Anne Quig
Debbie Raeside                    Janet Stevenson                   Jim White
 
In Attendance:-




Cllr Rose-Ann Cuninghame

James Boyd

Russel Hutcheson


Sheila Livingstone

Brian Macaulay

Jacqueline Macaulay
James Miller                        Carl Peplow                          Caroline Redmond                           Laura Tannoch                    Alex Young
PS Anne Marie Barr              PC Jason McGinn       
 
1 - Welcome and Apologies:-




Cllr John McGhee

 

 The Chair expressed our condolences to Barry Devlin and family at this sad time.                          
Welcome was made to visitors attending the meeting.
 
2- Minutes of Previous Meeting
Last month's minutes did not make clear the Youth Account. The donation of £70 to the Youth Group was to help with costs for the pantomime, and there was no request for a further donation, only that interest in cooking by some members of the Group was reported.
With these amendments, the minutes were adopted.
Proposed:- Janet Stevenson      Seconded:- May McMillan
 
3- Matters and Actions Arising
Cllr Rose-Ann Cuninghame reported that she had been informed that the CCTV camera did rotate, but it seems possible that it was focussed on some other disturbance in the vicinity when the Christmas tree was damaged. The Manager, Charles Mallen, (tel:01563553963) would be happy to show a group of 4-10 members round the Risk Management Centre in Council HQ, where the CCTV cameras are monitored, and suggested that late afternoon would be a suitable time.
 
It is anticipated that several village residents will attend the memorial ceremony for Cpl. Herral, although only two representatives have been invited to the following tea. Notification of the event will be placed in shops.
 
A letter about the problem of illegal parking has been sent to Graham Short.
 
It is hoped that mention of the persistent dog fouling will appear in The Standard.
 
4-Police Report
In January there were 10 recorded crimes in Kilmaurs of which 4 have been detected,the others still in the enquiry stage. These were 4 crimes of dishonesty and 6 of disorder.
High visibility patrols in marked police vehicles and also on foot are continuing, and several ASB Fixed penalty tickets and road traffic tickets have been issued.
The rise in the number of incidents of youth disorder is being monitored and action plans to combat this are awaiting approval.
 
5- Councillor's Report
Cllr Rose-Ann Cuninghame reported that Councillors are much occupied with the very difficult budget which will go to Council next Thursday. It is possible that funding of Community Councils and of the Nortern Area Federation may be affected.
 
Representations have been received about other Nursery Schools as well as from Kilmaurs.
 
It is hoped that the new Leisure Centre in Stewarton will be ready by the end of the year . It will have an outdoor area as well as a Sports Hall.
 
It was noted that the clock on the Jougs has stopped.
 
Obtaining more grit bins will not be possible this year but this Council hopes to organise this for next year. Apparently two in Ladeside gardens are well used and re-filled, but a third one could be moved elsewhere.
 
Although an attempt was made to improve the filling in of the hole in the road outside the Rendevous, this is still not satisfactory.
 
East Ayrshire Council TV is now available through Sky, and includes a facility for making requests of Council.
 
6-Planning Sub-Committee
 The proposed Harelaw Wind Farm appears not to be an extension of the existing wind farm at Eaglesham, but rather a new one across the motorway, and near the Whitelee farms off the old Glasgow Road.The site is close to residential areas and the height of the turbines will make them visible not only to the nearer villages but from Kilmarnock.
Discussion took place about the possible adverse effect on radio and TV signals and on health.
This council's main objections are to the environmental and scenic impact, and most particularly on the nearness to residential areas and led to the decision that we will express opposition to the present plans.
 
Opposition will also be made to the plan to the change of use to a convenience store from the  Wheatsheaf Inn.
It was felt that a third convenience store was of no benefit to the village and could damage existing businesses and perhaps cause their closure. In addition the provision of another outlet for the sale of alcohol could increase the problems of disorder. There would be parking  problems, adding to the existing road traffic difficulties. There was discussion about the right-of-way beside the Wheatsheaf and Cllr Rose-Ann Cuninghame offered to look into this.
 
7-Secretary's Report
Received were,
Letter from Cathy Jamieson, MSP, about the setting up of a National Care Centre for Scotland. There will be a Listening Event in the Park Suite in Kilmarnock on Friday 11 February  at which May McMillan will be our representative.
 
Notice of the proposal to introduce two disabled parking bays in Irvine Road.
 
The Life-long Learning, Safety, Health and Well-Being Community Action Plan 2011-2015.
 
8-Treasurer's Report
The treasurer's account stands at £1093.80 and the Youth account at £83.92, the £70 donation not yet cashed. It was agreed to send flowers to Barry and Helen Devlin.
 
9-ROK Uopdate
An e-mail from Keith Bale, Development Officer, SW Scotland, Community Energy Scotland, informs us of the deadline for expression of interest of 14 February, and the further deadline for applications of 25 February for grants which could fund the up-keep of our community gardens and also the feasibility study for the wind turbine project, any money obtained to be spent within a year.
A meeting of the ROK group will take place on Thursday 10 February at 7pm in the Masonic Hall, open to interested members of the public.
 
10-AOCB
The support for the railway banking under the bridge in Irvine Road looks unsafe, and the west-facing sign at the Sunnyside Road bridge needs repair.
 
Comments were made about the poor broadband speeds locally. If these were greater there is scope for home-based businesses in the village. Russel Hutcheson offered to do some fact finding and Alex Young agreed to mention this in The Standard.
 
Janet Stevenson reported on the successful Burns concerts by both the Nursery and the Primary School children. The Nursery concert included a piper, songs by the children, and a Gay Gordons with children and parents, while the Primary school had performances by 3 from each class from Primary 1-7, the over-all winner being Thomas Logan from Primary 1.
 
Debbie Raeside had news from Stagecoach that the decision to stop the 2A to Morrison's was a commercial one, and that the 337 which goes to Sainsbury's could be considered as an alternative.
 
The Ayrshire Samaritans are looking for volunteers.
 
The next meeting will be on Tuesday 1 March at 7pm in the Cabin.
 
The meeting closed at 8.45pm.
 
 

 

 

 





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