Royal Burgh of St Andrews Community Council
Minutes - October 2002
Approved
1. Attendance
Community Councillors: George Davidson, Ken Fraser, Ian Goudie, Joe Lamb, Chris Lesurf, Murdo Macdonald, Donald Macgregor, Joe Peterson, Frank Riddell, Archie Strachan, Cynthia Tero, Penny Uprichard.
Students Association: Rory O’Hare
Nominated/Coopted: Bill Sangster
Fife Councillors: Bill Brooks, Jane Ann Liston, Frances Melville.
Apologies: Sheila Hill, Pete Lindsay, Ken Crichton, Dennis Macdonald
Resignation: Lindsay Murray’s letter of resignation, due to leaving the immediate St Andrews area, was accepted.
Secretary to write to Lindsay expressing our thanks to her for her efforts over the past 10 years.
Pete Lindsay to write
2. Minutes of September 2002
4.3.2. Roads: remove the word surface with regard to Muttoes Lane
4.5.1. Rights of Way Officer: Ian Goudie was asked to write on behalf of the CC (and has done so).
Adoption of amended minutes Prop. Chris Lesurf, 2nd Archie Strachan. None opposed.
accepted
3. Presentations
3.1. Community Police Report
PC Balnaves The police have prepared draft posters and explanatory leaflets about cycle lanes. Copies were given to Ian Goudie who agreed to comment on them to the police. The final versions will be released soon. Frank Riddell asked that an appropriate number be distributed to the Students’ Association. He also asked the Students’ Association and the police to work together to ensure that student (and indeed all) cyclists had appropriate lights on their bicycles.
3.2. Town Twinning
Donald Macgregor and Dominique Robertson (Fife Council). Donald presented a case for a formal twinning relationship between St Andrews and Loches. Dominique answered factual matters as appropriate. Twinning had to come from desire inside the community for such formal links. Much if not all EC funding for such relationships now depends upon a formal twinning agreement. It was agreed to use the next issue of the Community Council Bulletin to seek out opinions of people in St Andrews. It was agreed that in the event of the Council agreeing to a twinning link, the formalities of the relationship between the Community Council and the Loches Alliance committee needed to be sorted out. A meeting between members of the F&GP committee with the Alliance was called for.
3.3. Blind Charity BASE
Joe Lamb introduced two representatives from the newly-formed blind charity BASE. Joe Brein spoke on their behalf. He opened by noting how helpful the crossings and the pavement markings (red slab and studs) in the town centre are, both to him personally and to other blind and partially sighted people.
There are 2,500 registered blind people in Fife, of which 400 are in the East Neuk. 75% of totally blind people never leave their own houses. The object of the new charity is to reverse this and to empower blind people to allow them to make decisions for themselves such as taking a trip to the swimming pool or to a gymnasium. They sought the endorsement and support of the Community Council. The chair welcomed their efforts and, whilst pointing out that the Council had no funding indicated that the Council would what it could to help blind people in the area.
4. Fife Councillors
4.1. Frances Melville (West)
4.1.1. Petheram Car Park Traffic order is now in progress and should be in place by later this year.
4.1.2. Harbour She attended a meeting at the harbour with Fife Council and other officials to discuss developments and emerging problems.
4.1.3. Recycling Centre Thanks to a different approach great progress has been made recently. She was cautiously optimistic about the outcome.
4.1.4. Speeding The police are paying more attention to speeding cars in areas where the public have made complaints
4.2. Sheila Hill (South)
4.2.1. Lade Braes/Kinnessburn Frank Riddell questioned the reply received from an official in the Fife Council. First the area that he had referred to was the upper reaches of the Kinness Burn in town – the Lade Braes. Trout had certainly vanished from the burn and ducks were rarely seen these days. In addition public sightings of mink were frequently reported. The latter comment was backed from personal experience by Joe Peterson.
4.3. Bill Brooks (Central)
4.3.1. Queen’s Terrace Work started on the date of the meeting and will finish on October 11th
4.3.2. Murray Park and Murray Place Work will start on 21st October and last for 7 weeks.
4.3.3. North Street Funding has been obtained to replace the pavement near St Salvator’s.
4.3.4. Town Centre vandalism Questioned by the Chair about recent press reports of drunken vandalism late at night in the town centre over the summer, Cllr Brooks agreed that members of the public should not confront drunken vandals themselves but should report such incidents immediately to the police.
4.4. Jane Ann Liston (South East)
4.4.1. Paper Recycling Fife Council have agreed to implement but initially only in areas near Leslie. Recycling should be Fife-wide by 2005. However, she has obtained agreement that paper banks would appear by the recycling bins in the Safeway car park.
4.4.2. Town Hall Flag The need for a new flag rope for the Town Hall has now been acknowledged by the appropriate Fife Council official.
4.4.3. Pipeland Park Skateboarding Money for a new skate boarding facility in Pipeland Park is now coming from the Scottish Executive.
4.4.4. Train Timetables availability Cllr Liston agreed to look into the public availability of train timetables in St Andrews.
5. Planning Committee Report
The following report was circulated
Report of the PLANNING COMMITTEE Meetings of 9.9.02 and 30.9.02 for the Community Council Meeting of 6 October 2002.
1. Planning Applications.
(i) Bank of Scotland, 1 Queens Gardens. Miss Uprichard has written to object to the proposed access ramp which would create a significant obstacle on the pavement at this busy corner. We recognise the desirability of improving access for disabled customers, and suggest that the possibility of having the ramp inside the building be investigated. The present proposal risks creating more problems than it solves, being liable to inconvenience pedestrians, wheelchair users, mothers with buggies, and, not least, disabled pedestrians not wishing to enter the premises.
(ii) St Andrews Links Golf Shop. The committee had some reservations about the proposed signage. Miss Uprichard agreed to make enquiries.
(iii) Harbour. In the light of further information about the lamp-standards currently being erected, the committee agreed to withdraw its objection to the design of those proposed for locations close to the new bridge.
2. Environmental Improvements
A letter was sent to Scottish Enterprise Fife about the second phase of the work in South Street. It was felt that the first phase had produced an overall improvement in the setting of the West Port, but the use of York stone in doorways was regretted. We iterated our objections to the “intersecting needles” style of street light, and sought an alternative which was neither “olde worlde” nor aggressively modern.
We noted that the implied loss of car parking spaces under the new plans would be a matter of concern to shoppers, to shopkeepers, and to the many residents of that end of South Street. It is only viable to eliminate the motor car if appropriate alternative provision is made, and on this score there has been very little progress. In particular, it is now be over five years since the Community Council first suggested that a strip of the wide pavement on the south side of South Street at its western end be paved in a different colour and designated for use by cyclists. Concern was also expressed at the rather perfunctory nature of the consultation, with an exhibition during the university vacation and a meeting during the working day.
Replies have been received from Archie Jamieson, the later one indicating that, in view of the number of representations received, the South Street contract is to be amended and Caithness slabs will be used in doorways.
The report was accepted
5.3. Western Development
The question of the proposed large development to the west of St Andrews by Headon Developments and the University was raised by Kenneth Fraser. Ian Goudie pointed out that the proposals, as far as it was known, were contrary to all that had been established as good planning principles for St Andrews over the last five or more years. Furthermore they would seem, at least as far as the 1000 houses element was concerned, to be at variance with the agreement that there should be a green belt around St Andrews. However, in the absence of the planning application, it was not possible to make any detailed critique of what was proposed. Cllr Liston pointed out that there would be an 16 week period from the submission of the application before any decision needed to be made by Fife Council.
6. Matters Arising from Previous Meetings
6.1. St Andrews Library
It was agreed that the Secretary should write to the Fife Council enquiring about the position of the building modifications and refurbishment particularly as regards disabled access to bring the building into line with regulations regarding access for disabled people.
Pete Lindsay to Write
6.2. Best Kept Town
Joe Peterson reported that Jim Hooton (Fife Council) had agreed that the Community Council could create a small garden around the entrance wall bearing the Coat of Arms. The condition was that there should be no costs to the Fife Council. It was agreed that expenditure of up to £30 could be taken for the purchase of bulbs etc. A community effort was envisaged to create the garden.
Joe Peterson to organise
6.3. CCTV Advisory Group
Agreed that Chris Lesurf to attend on our behalf.
6.4. Green Belt Forum, 6.5. The St Leonards Reeling Record, 6.6. Botanic Garden
All Noted.
6.7. A Boards
[September 7.2.1.] Has a letter been written?
7. New Business
7.1. Anniversary Photograph
Secretary to approach Mike Joy to take a photograph of Community Council members at the December meeting. Members note to arrive at 6:45 for the photograph.
Pete Lindsay to arrange
7.2. Scenic Map
No comments to make.
7.3. Tourism Meeting, 7.4. Fife Primary Care Emergency Services, 7.5. Cycleclips
All noted.
7.6. CARF
Joe Lamb and Chris Lesurf
7.7. Hospital
Noted.
7.8. SEPAView
Noted – passed to Joe Peterson.
8. Reports from Officers
8.1. Chair
8.1.1. Links Trust Information Meeting. Murdo Macdonald and Dennis Macdonald to attend on our behalf.
8.1.2. St Andrew’s Day Service will be held in Holy Trinity Church on Saturday 30th November. Penny Uprichard and Murdo Macdonald to attend on our behalf.
8.2. Treasurer
The accounts are still healthy. Expense claim forms are available.
8.3. Secretary
8.3.1. Printer Stand It was agreed to purchase a stand at a price of up to £200 if a table volunteered by Chris Lesurf proved unsuitable.
9. Reports
9.1. from Committees
9.1.1. Recreation Committee. A meeting will be held in the week of the 21st Oct. Liaison with the Students’ Association concerning the Senior Citizens Party will be discussed between Recreation Committee and Students’ Association.
9.1.2. Welfare Committee There will be an evening meeting before the next Community Council Meeting.
9.1.3. Publicity Committee. The preparation of a new Bulletin is now in hand. The main topics will be Madras College, Loches – proposed twinning, and the recognition of St Leonards Fields as the new preferred site for the Hospital / Health Centre. There would be a review of the coverage in the St Andrews Citizen and if deemed necessary a further report would be submitted.
9.2. from Representatives
Joe Peterson and Bill Sangster attended meeting concerning vandalism and welcomed several new police initiatives.
10. Any Other Competent Business
None.