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La TURRIFF& DISTRICT COMMUNITY COUNCIL Incorporating Turriff Town Pride Group

Chairman: Ben Ewen

71 Forglen Crescent Turriff

Email: benewen@hotmail.co.uk

Secretary: Bill Moultrie Newton of Cook

Crudie Turrff

Email: billmo@msn.com

Minutes of Turriff & District Community Council Meeting Monday 12th January 2015, Turriff Town House

1. PRESENT: B Ewen (Chair), B Moultrie (Sec), R Logan (Past Sec), D McKenzie, J Smith (Treas), J McIntosh (Min Sec), A Stephen, D Capel, D Park.

APOLOGIES: Cllr A Robertson, Cllr A Norrie and L Mackie (police). IN ATTENDANCE: Cllr A Duncan, E Craib (Press) and D Salmon.

2. POLICE REPORT Not in attendance. Ben read out following report-

a) Local Interest Information - Information collated between 1 December 2014 and 4 January 2015 The following are reported incidents in the area of Turriff and District, Fyvie and Auchterless. The crime figures this month are very low with only 16 reported crimes. Of community interest these include:

1. Two vandalisms to private property, 1 road traffic offence and one assault (undetected)

2. Detected - 2 Road traffic offences, one theft and one assault. 3. 1 theft by housebreaking to a garage (undetected) 4. 1 theft from a house (hopefully to be detected as there is a named suspect).

Again crime statistics for the area remain extremely low. b) Feedback on Police Action in Response to Matters Raised at Previous Meeting -

The last meeting was not attended by Police due to other matters. c) Details of Action in Response to Local Priorities - Winter time is here again and

the community is encouraged to check their vehicles for winter safety including tyres, fluid levels and general car maintenance. It is vital that drivers are appropriately clearing their windscreens of frost, snow and dirt to allow maximum visibility to prevent collisions. Turriff Police are to be carrying out a winter safety initiative checking vehicles on the road later this month. This will be run alongside a planned operation to target antisocial driving and speeding in light of previous complaints.

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d) Ongoing Local/Forcewide Engagement Activities - Police Scotland continue to encourage householders to secure their property, outbuilding's, vehicles and property of value at all times, in an effort to prevent opportunist thefts that continue to occur within Formartine. Opportunist thieves continue to target the Aberdeenshire area and favour insecure dwellings and vehicles. Residents of the council area should be reminded that it is vital they take measures to secure their own property. Recently in Aberdeenshire there has been another spate of car thefts by perpetrators who are seeking out insecure doors to steal cars. Police Scotland have been carrying out random checks on house doors to see how secure they actually are and have found a number of properties easy to gain entry to in the hours of darkness.

There is no mention of the ongoing rubbish up at Markethill Industrial Estate. It appears to be getting worse. It was decided that the press should run an article on the issue.

3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF DECEMBER MEETING Proposed by J Smith Seconded by R Logan

4. MATTERS ARISING (December minutes)

a) Deveron Road/Castlehill Junction – No Correspondence. Cllr Norrie not present. b) Disabled Parking at Schoolhill – Cllr Norrie not present to comment. c) Temporary Cameras – Signs would need to be put up making people aware of

them before they can use any. Proprietors or users of properties which intend to use surveillance cameras are obliged to put up a notice that they are present to make the public aware of them

d) Shielburn Turbine Project – Rose to check back email and see if Turriff is included in this. If within Turriff area to follow up and see if there are any funds to be had. It was suggested that a map showing position of current turbines around Turriff be obtained. The object being to approach the owners/operators with a view to ascertaining their views on contributions to the community. It was reported by both John Smith and Rose Logan that several current operators did indicate prior planning consent that they would be amenable to such an approach if the Community Council supported them. The sites at Kinnermit and Hilton were two of these sites. To ask Nick Orpwood or Planning Dept. Both Ben and Darren suggested looking up on the internet. (RLogan)

e) Review Community Council Membership – Elections are due to be held in April. David Salmon has come along with a view to join.

Currently TDCC has 9 members but its constitution permits 15 members. f) Use of sleeping police on High Street – The apparent use of traffic cones outside

the flower shop in the High Street was reported. To check with police on this matter.

5. TREASURERS REPORT

J Smith handed out an updated financial report and went over the incomings and outgoings for the accounts. There were no items of concern in the accounts.

6. CORRESPONDENCE

All relevant correspondence received had been circulated to members via e-mail.

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a) Bill received a map from Aberdeenshire Council with boundary line of Turriff. He will e-mail copy to everyone. Rose to check if this is a new boundary on map. Ben suggested that the map could be used to recruit new members as it would show if they are within Turriff area.

7. PLANNING AND INFRASTRUCTURE

All weekly reports had been circulated to CC members with no adverse comments being highlighted.

8. REPORTS ON COMMITTEES

a) Caravan Park – Closed for the season. Hope to open boards on 9th March and turn water on etc.

b) Turriff Town House – Meeting took place 11 December. Elaine Brown – Manager of Formartine Area had made a number of points for the Town House Committee to consider or re-consider. The Town House Committee had submitted the Community Asset Transfer transfer plan on 10th October but they have been asked to go into more detail and resubmit. No deadline has been set for the resubmission. John Smith (the Chairman of TTHA) said that will take some time to review the comments by Mrs Brown. He felt it was more important to get facts and presentation correct rather than simply rush the matter through. John also noted that there had been nothing heard on Licence to Occupy for building, though it had been resubmitted to the Legal Department prior to the meeting on the 11th December

c) Boating Pond – There is nothing to report. Water has been lowered for winter. d) Turriff Town Pride – Nothing to report.

9. LOCAL ISSUES

a) Turriff Cemetery – Nothing been heard regarding a new site for burial plots., Cllr Duncan undertook to look into the matter. It was noted that. The open day for the New Local Plan is on 21 April 1-7pm in the Town House.

b) Haughs/Den – Nothing to report. c) New Primary School Update – It was asked if Community Council could do

anything to help with Land Purchase. After some discussion it was agreed that Bill should write to British Heart Foundation who are the current owners of the field where the school is proposed to be built. Stakeholders meeting is set for 27 January 2015, and it was suggested that members of the Community Council should make a point of attending.

d) Litter in Turriff – Ben asked if a meeting between various Town groups should be convened to discuss the problem. Maybe name and shame people or if people got fined would make others think. There is a new scheme ‘Green Dog Walker Scheme’ being introduced in area. There was agreement that these two initiatives might be useful.

10. PUBLIC EVENTS a) Farmers Market – Next one not due until April. To arrange a meeting to set up a

Steering Group. To try and have a Market every month, not a good idea to miss any month. There is a meeting 10 February to discuss plans for April Market. It was suggested possibly relocate market, also could hold a car boot sale at same time. Dolina, who had a lot of experience in this area noted that it was difficult to

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get the stall holders to promote the market, despite a lot of financial support which had been provided via Aberdeenshire Council

11. CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS a) Facebook/Twitter – Comments received about Registry Office closing. Ben has a

reply to post to comments.

12. A.O.C.B a) There is a phone number you can text regarding any street lights not working on

Aberdeenshire.gov.uk. Need the lamppost number. b) It was proposed a ‘Hustings’ be held for the forthcoming General Election.

Proposed to be held at Turriff Academy on Wednesday 22 April. John to book the Academy and to invite the Electoral Canditates.

c) Turriff 178th Burns Supper is being held at The Royal British Legion on Friday 30 January.

d) A complaint was received from the Heritage Society that the Session Cottage was not included on the Town Map recently put up. It was noted that the Heritage Society were asked about this and previous correspondence had been received from them on another issue about the map. Bill to reply to them.

e) Bill to write to Aberdeenshire Council and see what stage they are at with replacing streetlight in the area with LED lamps.

f) The old paint shop on Castlehill has been partly demolished, also starting to attract rubbish. Has permission been granted for this? Rose to find out who owns the building.

g) It was noticed that a yellow sign was on the Cemetery gates stating everyone has until 2nd February 2015 to remove Xmas wreaths and other flowers from the graves. Dolina asked why this is not the case around the countryside. And that there are tributes left along roadsides all year round Cllr Duncan suggested that Council policy is to leave items for 28 days before removal. It was noted by several that if tributes are left or too long they damage the turf and makes it difficult to cut. The latch on the Cemetery gate is also broken.

h) The fence at the top of the Den between Victoria Terrace and Balmellie Road has become very slack. Ben to tell Brian Shand about it.

13. Date of next meeting – Monday 2nd February 2015 at 7pm.

Turriff Town House, High Street, Turriff – (Hutcheon Chamber)