I am advising both Community Councils of the outcome of the Planning Hearing to determine the Shelloch Windfarm application that took place yesterday.
The application was approved by the planning panel. Their meetings are held online via MS teams. I have attached a copy of the report to committee by the planning officer and a copy of my presentation for your information.
I am extremely disappointed not only in the outcome but also the process that took place that to my mind impedes good quality presentations by those wanting to raise objections or concerns – external input is only allowed by phone call so one cannot present graphics and has to read out a submission.
Community councils have a statutory right to be consulted on applications for planning permission and represent the local viewpoint on developments. Thornhill & Blairdrummond Community Council are hosting an open meeting online this Wednesday evening (15th Dec), contact ThornhillBlairdrummondCC@gmail.com for the joining instructions
There are a couple of things to note:
There are 47 documents in total so you may want to concentrate on the areas which affect you most or which you have expertise in.
The deadline for comments to the Planning Department is 30th December which doesn’t give us much time to study the documents. However, the Community Council has requested an extension to this deadline so I will inform you if it is granted.
As Thornhill residents you have the right to comment on this planning application either directly to the Planning Department or via the Community Council. TCT will also develop a response based on your feedback.
Our new Thornhill air quality & weather station is now online. Located atop the Masonic Lodge at the Junction of the Kippen and Aberfoyle Roads it measures particulate matter PM10 and PM2.5 plus wind speed, direction, solar energy, temperature, pressure, humidity and of course rainfall. Additional air quality sensors are scheduled to be located at the other end of Main Street during February and Traffic Data will follow in due course
Over the winter volunteers from the Thornhill Paths Group have been repairing stiles and strimming back overgrown areas along the route to make it safer and easier to negotiate. They are now looking for the path to be walked regularly to keep it open, so get your boots on!
The Muir Dam Path starts in the village behind the Church, follows the Cesintully Burn, passes through Nellie’s Glen and over Boquhapple Ridge to reach the dam. It is approximately 3km one way (6km there and back). There are lovely views on the way up and just think of the workout you’ll have going over the stiles!
The ground is rough and can be wet so stout footwear is advised. As always in the countryside please respect the farmers’ crops and keep dogs on leads when sheep or cows are around.
A link to a proposed development for new housing in Low Town, Thornhill can be found here. Please contact Thornhill & Blairdrummond Community Council with any comments. ThornhillBlairdrummondCC@gmail.com
The Trustees have arranged a special members meeting to discuss their response to Inverdunning/WS Dunsire’s pre-planning consultation.
ALL WELCOME
The agenda will include background to the meeting, a chance to hear others’ views, a TCT members’ vote and a chance to think about the future for Thornhill.
New to Zoom? – it’s easier than working a mobile phone and you won’t have to go out in the cold! It’s not an ideal way to get together but it’s the best we’ve got meantime. Why not give it a shot?
THORNHILL & BLAIR DRUMMOND COMMUNITY COUNCIL UPDATE
Stirling Council has confirmed that officers within the Network Management team are currently finalising proposals for Thornhill, with a 20mph speed limit proposed to cover Main Street and all residential streets. The work will also include a replacement vehicle activated sign in the vicinity of Burnhead and changes to road markings within the village to encourage improved driver behaviour. The Council hopes to advertise the speed limit order within the next month (October), and have all works within the village completed by January 2021.
The Paths Group has not reported to you since the April/May edition of Thornhill Views. As you will appreciate, progress has been somewhat hampered by a certain virus. That said, the team of enthusiastic volunteers have done what they can towards improving our network of village paths – such a valuable asset, particularly during lockdown.
The group successfully applied for a Paths for All grant of £1,500 to improve a section of path on the northern boundary of North Common. They have until February to complete the work. In July, a number of the volunteers collectively spent 9 hours clearing overgrown Gorse and Broom from another section of North Common and enjoyed a welcome, socially-distanced blether! It is worth taking a walk around North Common and maybe sit on one of the benches and just enjoy the peace.
Speaking of benches, on behalf of the village, we extend our thanks to Paths Group member Alison Lawrance. Thornhill Community Trust paid for the materials and Alison kindly put in the work to re-paint the bench at the Viewpoint.
We have heard that the path from the new houses on the Aberfoyle Road into the village has certainly not been forgotten and we look forward to it being constructed in the coming months.
Group member Alison Wallis attended two webinars on the subject of COVID-19 safety for path works volunteers. The Group will take the lessons from those webinars into its planning of future work, taking all reasonable steps to minimise risk and permit some pieces of work to go ahead safely. In September and October, some members will also attend Paths for All training webinars, which are being run to assist volunteers.
Understandably, the Group has not achieved as much as it would have liked this summer but are certainly still full of enthusiasm and look forward to making gradual progress and enjoying one another’s support and company, virtual or otherwise. Please consider lending a hand – you can contact me on 01786 850528 or by email at thornhillpaths@gmail.com .
