Wooden benches

A member of the community has alerted us to the current deteriorating condition of wooden benches in the Town. We have contacted Stirling Council to try and get an agreement for regular maintenance and have identified a source of funds for any which Stirling Council are not responsible for.

Road Issues

CCC has been informed by Transerve Scotland that they will be erecting at least two electronic speed signs at the main entrances along Stirling Road later this year. Vehicles are still speeding and it is hoped this will make a positive difference for other vehicles and pedestrians. We have also been informed that the main road at the west end of the town will be resurfaced later this year.

CCC has contacted Stirling Council about the deteriorating condition of the red bridge at Bridgend. They do not consider the change in traffic movement over the bridge has caused any damage but we have asked them for a site visit to look at this bridge and also the old railway bridges and the bridge near the Lade Inn. The road junction at the Lade Inn is considered to be a safety issue and we have asked for the vegetation to be cut back to improve visibility for drivers.

Public toilets

Bob Gil from Stirling Council gave a short presentation about the staffing problems they currently have which has affected the opening times for the two public toilets. As a temporary measure they have asked if any members of the community would act as key holders to open and close the toilets. If anyone would be willing to do this (no cleaning or any other duties) please contact us as soon as possible. In the longer term a review is being carried out into public toilet provision throughout the Stirling Council area. Ideas such as a “comfort partnership scheme” are being looked at where toilets in other buildings in the Town could be made available for public use.

Town Plan / Callander Partnership

Further discussions have been held with Stirling Council and the National Park about the future of St Kessogs. Following the development of a business plan for the building and the various reviews of public buildings in Callander CCC is now looking at options for developing the upper floor for community uses. The lower floor would still be a visitor centre operated by Visit Scotland but Stirling Council are looking to see if they can provide better services to the community by further development of the un-used areas.

The Callander Partnership has recently discussed housing needs for Callander with Stirling Rural Housing Association and also Stirling Council. We asked both organisations to analyse their figures to see how many Callander people are waiting for housing. The figure is around 100 households, currently resident in Callander, have applied for housing through RSHA. The majority of these households are either single or a couple and are currently living with parents or in private rented accommodation. Simply put like this it demonstrates the problem we have in Callander and why many people of young working age have to move out of the Town.

Flooding

The subject of flood prevention has not featured in recent meetings but the problem has not gone away. Callander Community Council intends holding a public meeting in September 2010 to update the community on recent developments and enable discussions. Further details will appear in the next edition of the BLV.

Next meeting: Monday 12^th July 7:30pm in the Burgh Chambers, South Church Street.

Callander Community Council 2010 AGM

Chairman’s Report

During the year 2009 –2010 Callander Community Council has continued to work on a wide range of issues which have affected the local community and visitors. Of importance to all of this work has been the close cooperation with other community organisations especially Callander Community Development Trust, Callander Enterprise and Callander Youth Project. There has also been a close association with others such as the Board of McLaren Leisure Centre, Central Scotland Police, Stirling Council (including the 3 Councillors) and the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. We should also be proud of Callander’s standing in the wider communities of the Trossachs and National Park and we have a strong representation in all organisations within these two areas.

The Community Council put a large effort into the National Park draft local plan including hosting a public meeting to present and discuss the plan, inviting presentations from the Park’s planning department and discussing the Plan in our monthly meetings. Our overall opinion was that for the largest settlement in the Park we have to encourage some development and further expansion but this must be done for the benefit of local residents and local businesses. Our submission to the Park was published in the Ben Ledi View and was well received as a balanced document taking into consideration the community as a whole.

During the year we have had our usual number of problems with roads and pavements. Two issues have been of most concern, speed control along Bridgend and the issues of drainage, speeding and a pelican crossing along Stirling road. We remain concerned about the speed control measures along Bridgend where some of the temporary measures have been effective but are causing other problems to local residents. Along Stirling Road the length of time it has taken to complete the works has been a major concern and, related to this, the recent motorway signs incorrectly advertising traffic delays in Callander has not helped.

The Airtricity fund has enabled us to support a number of projects in the Town including the target sports club, CCDT (Christmas lights), football club, Jazz festival etc. In 2009 the Community Council formed the Callander Partnership, a group which meets on a monthly basis to take forward some of the major projects which require a partnership approach. The group has concentrated on a strategic review of public facilities in Callander to develop a more coordinated approach to their operation, housing needs in Callander especially affordable rented accommodation for Callander residents and a Callander College to teach rural skills. The Partnership was approved by Stirling Council and the National Park who have given support and encouragement at a senior management level.

For the next year Callander Community Council will continue to work on the number of issues and problems for a better future. These are likely to include car parking, signage, rural transport, new cemetery and public toilets.

Finally I would like to thank my fellow community councillors for all of the work they have done over the year, most of which goes un-noticed but is essential for our success.

Dr R C Johnson

Chairman

10^th May 2010

Notes from the meeting held on 12^th April 2010

Bridgend traffic calming

Discussion was held about the traffic calming measures along Bridgend which CCC regard as a short term pilot scheme managed by Stirling Council. Some aspects appear to be working well such as the mini roundabout, 20mph speed limit, parking and the crossing but the speed bumps are causing problems and do not seem to slow down most vehicles. The police have been monitoring the situation and have observed speeds to be reasonable. But incidents have been observed by local residents of larger vehicles able to straddle the bumps and so not need to slow down, overtaking has occurred when a small car has to slow down, cyclists are at risk near the bumps and empty gravel lorries, even when travelling very slowly, cause a large amount of noise. It is also of concern that the vibration of heavy vehicles going over the bumps is causing damage to the houses and possibly the road bridge. CCC will be reporting this to Stirling Council but also encourage anyone with a complaint to log it by telephone with Stirling Council (0845 277 7000).

Planning

New plans were tabled for a housing development on Station Road on the site of the old telephone exchange. CCC would like to see the site re-developed in the style of the surrounding buildings and with regard to its position in the Callander Conservation Area. But a number of objections have been received about the proposed building. It was agreed to object to the development on the grounds of the size of the building and proximity to neighbouring buildings, problems with car parking and access, potential flooding issues and questions over the need for additional retail units.

Cemetery gates

CCC has raised the issue of the cemetery gates not able to be closed because they have been buried into tarmac when the road entrance was repaired. One consequence has been deer can easily get access during the night and eat the flowers placed on graves. Stirling Council has been informed that this is totally unacceptable.

Speeding along Stirling road

Even with the extensive road works on Stirling Road there is a high proportion of vehicles exceed the 30mph speed limit. The police have carried out frequent checks with speed monitors and have stopped a number of cars and lorries but the problem continues. CCC agreed to use some of its funds to purchase a pair of automatic speed signs and, with advice from the police, will mount them on poles as permanent reminders.

Town Plan

The St Kessogs building is still one of our largest and long term but most difficult projects. The flood damage caused in the winter was repaired and Visit Scotland is back in the building for the tourist season. Stirling Council are looking at ways of improving its local services and whether St Kessogs could be part of this, Visit Scotland will maintain the tourist information centre and the community are still looking at upgrading the existing theatre, providing facilities for heritage exhibitions and a public area for a variety of functions. The Town Plan is continuing to expand, taking into consideration developments at the schools and leisure centre, and now includes ideas for a Callander Campus, provision for public toilets, upgraded car parks, improved signage and housing needs.

Flooding

It was noted that a number of studies and reports have recently been produced by Stirling Council on flooding from the main river and small watercourses and we hope this will lead to better provision for flood prevention. The National Park has recently commissioned a strategic flood risk assessment for Callander which will be used by the planning department when implementing the local plan. CCC is also looking into purchasing a number of flood bags which are filled with a light weight material which expands when wet. These would be made available to residents during flood events rather than trying to find a supply of wet and heavy sand bags.