MINUTES OF THE MEETING OF WESTHILL COMMUNITY COUNCIL HELD IN THE COMMUNITY LOUNGE OF CRADLEHALL PRIMARY SCHOOL AT 7.45PM ON MONDAY 18 FEBRUARY 2008.

Present: Catriona Johnson, June Alexander, Kenneth Cox, Brian MacGregor, Craig Ewan, Neil Hornsby,.
Councillors : None
Residents: Fourteen residents, and Jim Ferguson (prospective Westminster Candidate for Inverness Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey).
Apologies: Cllr. Holden, Cllr. Crawford

1. Minutes of meeting held on 21 January: these were accepted.
Acceptance of minutes: proposed by Craig Ewan, seconded by Brian MacGregor.

2. Matters arising
•         Maxwell Park: the Chair summarised the background to this issue, and invited Cllr. Crawford on his return to determine the cost of draining the park. ACTION POINT: Cllr. Crawford to ascertain the cost estimate. 
•         Dog bins: the Secretary had written to HC supporting a resident’s request for a dog/waste bin to be sited near the Spar shop. ACTION POINT: Secretary to request three further bins, including one for the Castlehill area. Residents to advise the Secretary where additional bins would be useful.
• Milton of Leys Community Facilities meeting: Following a public meeting on 29 January, a working group had been established to co-ordinate residents concerns about the lack of facilities in the area.
• Response to CC planning questions: Mr Ferguson described the meetings he was having with HC planners and others about the perceived lack of responses Community Councils were encountering from approaches to HC about planning issues. ACTION POINT: Mr Ferguson to report his findings back to the Council.
• Care Home (Cradlehall Farm): The Secretary reported that:
- the Council’s views on the application had been submitted and acknowledged;
- the appointed building consultants had advised that planning permission had previously been granted for a public house/restaurant on the site, and which included a requirement that the Applicants make a financial contribution for improvements at Inshes roundabout – which they confirmed had been carried out prior to the current Applicants purchasing the site. In addition, they advised that areas shown as ‘future housing’ on the current application plans were not part of the application itself, although the local plan did identify these as a housing development area.
•         Balvonie Housing fair. The Secretary reported that the HC Planning Committee had now given planning permission for the Fair.
•         Residential development at Woodside of Culloden: the Secretary reported that planning permission had now been granted for 97 houses, with certain conditions including provision of information about sewerage, landscaping, boundaries and ground levels of rear gardens of the (Westerly) terraced houses, and the open space/play area.
•         Cradlehall bus shelter: ACTION POINT: Secretary to chase the bus company for a response about the Council’s request for the bus shelter to be moved.

3. Community Police report: No police presence at the meeting. The meeting was disappointed to note the violent assault and robbery at Cradlehall on 16 February.

4. Planning: 
• Planning Services Development Report: ACTION POINT: Secretary to circulate the report to Council members
• HC Sustainable Planning Guidance/ Sustainable Design Statement: ACTION POINT: Minutes Secretary to co-ordinate Council request for Statement covering the Care Home and Woodside of Culloden planning applications (see above).

5. Treasurer’s report: the Council noted that £35.18 had been spent since the last meeting, and bank interest of £6.40 had been received. The balance now stood at £3,908.50. ACTION POINTS: Chair to arrange donation of £200 towards a clock for Mr W MacKay, who had served on the Council for about twenty years.  Chair to check on use made of £500 previously received in March 2005 for sports equipment.

6. Newsletter: the Council had invited sixteen local groups to make contributions to the newsletter; two responses had been received to date. A target publishing date would be set. A resident requested that no adverts be carried in the newsletter, for the time being at least.

7. Gala Day: ACTION POINT Chair to contact that the Cradlehall headmaster again, as he had not yet responded to the Council’s request to stage the event at the school.

8. Correspondence:

• Castlehill Play-Park: The WCC noted the local Residents’ Association’s concerns about their facing significant rises in grass maintenance costs, and that they were also being asked to finance the cost of maintaining the play-park. ACTION POINTS: Secretary to ask Tulloch for their perspective of the play-park issue; to forward the Residents’ Association’s letter to the Ward Councillors, inviting their views; and to place the Association’s letter on the WCC’s website. On receipt of responses, the WCC to write to local residents.
• Draft Core Paths Plan for Inverness and Nairn: Consultation to end on 5 May. ACTION POINT: Secretary to circulate among Council members, for consideration.
• H&I Fire Rescue Service’s integrated management plan. A copy had been received.

9. AOCB
• A National Planning Framework Conference was scheduled to be held in Inverness on 21 February.
• The next Inverness-South Ward meeting was scheduled for 7.00/7.30 on 27 February at Inshes Church. All are invited.
• An APT meeting was (also) scheduled for 7.30 on 27 February at Bogbain Farm.
• The HC training day for Community Councils was now scheduled for 15 March. ACTION POINT: Council members to advise the Secretary if they were interested in attending.
• A letter had been received form BCTV about ‘Green Gyms’

10. Outstanding Action Points, for earlier meetings
•         Nairnside buses: Cllr. Crawford reported that he was still waiting to receive a timetable for bus routes taking in Nairnside
•         Guide projects: The Chair invited ideas for suitable projects for local Guides. Gardening, plus help with the newsletter and the gala day were suggested.
•         Cradlehall School handrail (see minutes of 18 June 2007): ACTION POINT: Secretary to contact Cllr Holden about progress
•         Postbox: ACTION POINT: Secretary and Minutes Secretary to contact the Royal Mail about providing a post box, also near the Spar shop.

11. Date and time of next meeting: to be held at 7.45pm, on 17 March.

The meeting closed at 9.15pm