September 2022

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Facebook - @shoresweepersandKCC Website - www.kilmuncc.co.uk

MINUTES OF MEETING
13 th September 2022 @ 7.30PM.
Blairmore Hall Blairmore
Meeting Start -7.30pm

PRESENT: Diane Nicholson (Convenor), Janet Holm (Secretary Russell Humphreys (Treasurer),
Graham Revill, Fraser Smith, and Mandy Grout.
Also Present: Gordon Holm, Ian Wherry, Bruce Marshall, Andrew Rodger, Anne Rodger, Sue Rule,
Peter Hunter Douglas, Kirsty Manual and Graham Thompson
APOLOGIES; Dale Mallin (Vice Convenor), Lachie Macquarie Councillor Y McNeilly, and Councillor
G. Blair (Argyll and Bute Council), Fraser Macdonald (Forestry Land Scotland), David Webster,
Lindsay McKenna and Becky Hothersall
This session was recorded for the minutes
2. DECLARATION OF INTEREST:
None
3. MINUTES OF LAST MEETING:
The 9 th of August 2022 minutes were:
Proposed: Mandy Grout
Seconded: Diane Nicholson Carried
4. MATTERS ARISING NOT ON THE AGENDA
None
5. TREASURER’S REPORT
Carried forward £3023.76
Income
ABC Council Grant 478.80
Expenditure
Gardening 20.00
Funds In
Interest 0.23
Totals.
General fund £ 1640.93
Gardening and Shore Sweepers £54.44
Festive Lunch £154.47
SSE grant £1090.92
Directory donations £7.00
Grant from ABC (For new road sign) £56.00
Overall total £3003.76
6. POLICE REPORT
No report received.
7 CORRESPONDENCE
(Already been circulated to committee members)
8. PLANNING APPLICATIONS

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20022/0177/DET - Change of use of part of barn from agricultural/forestry to mixed use agricultural and
commercial event space - Eckford House, Uig Road, Benmore.
Construction of 300 metres of forestry track - Land South of Inverchapel and East of A815 PA23 8QU
Concern was raised by Bruce Marshall re the application 20022/0177/DET. This will be passed onto LLTNP
planning.

9. COMMUNITY MATTERS
The Shore Sweepers
MG and JH are replanting the tub at the end of the road for winter with bulbs and pansies. We
are finding out what plants do well but it seems that yellow and white flowers are seen best
against the green and grey of the wall.
Meeting with ACHA moved to the 24 th of October because of the public holiday on the 19 th of
September. We are hoping to have an agreement with them about how to continue
maintenance going forward. Maintenance of the willow tunnel will be done by Allister
MacGregor who did the tunnel before.
Guy Elder is going to do a report on the round building.
Sue Rule asked about the maintenance of the play equipment. JH said that this is now the
responsibility of ACHA.
Bird Hide at Kilmun
The hide is completed and running well. To be removed from the agenda.
Tyneshandon
NTR
Highgate Hall
Graham Thomson said that they had a public meeting when the hall committee was elected, and
they have met 3 times. They now have office bears. The minutes are being produced and are being
published on KCC website and emailed through the shore collaboration email list.
They have had a look at the financial situation, and it cost £10000 a year to keep the hall open and
the upkeep and the insurance. The general situation is that it is going to cost a lot of money,
perhaps about £700,000. The default position according to the trustees is that we can only
investigate selling the hall. This can only be decided next April at a public meeting at this point to put
forward a motion which would allow the trustees to sell. The committee realised that there is a
certain amount of resistance to that proposal especially in Strone
And for that reason, there will be a consultation with Strone residents who will receive a
questionnaire basically asking what they want to do with the hall and how committed they are to
maintaining the hall. The committee are hoping that they will have the questionnaire ready in the
next month to go out to each household in Strone. The trustee consider that a decision must be
made next April as another £10000 would have to be found to maintain the hall. The trustees do not
have this money.
The latest minutes from the Highgate Hall committee are attached to these minutes.
10. DISCUSSIONS A&BC LOCAL COUNCILLOR AND NATIONAL PARK
REPRESENTATIVE,
Strone Primary School
NTR
Strone Primary Parent Council
A report was submitted from Strone Parent Council

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After a tricky couple of years, the Parent Council hopes to focus this year on the enjoyable side of
things - bringing people together socially, strengthening links with the community and doing some
much needed fundraising, especially for minibus travel to allow the kids to go on trips.
 
We will be holding our AGM on Weds 5th October (time TBC but probably 6.15pm, probably online).
I'm delighted to say that I think we have the office bearer positions covered but would be very keen
to co-opt a member from KCC or other local organisations so if anyone is interested, or would like to
attend meetings on an ad-hoc basis, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can reach us on this
email or on 07989 396 493 (Becky).
 
At this stage our only other update is on the Council's Collective Leadership Model proposals for
Argyll's schools. As you are probably aware, after very strong feedback from parent councils,
parents, community councils and the wider community, the Council's Community Services
committee in late August voted not to proceed with the proposals in their current form. Strone Parent
Council welcomes this decision, following strong concerns from parents and carers when we
gathered views for our consultation response (previously shared with KCC and our ward
councillors). However, we were deeply saddened and disappointed that the reports from the Stand
PR agency and from the Education team characterised Parent Council feedback as being led by a
small and unrepresentative minority who deliberately spread misinformation about the proposals. I
would like to emphasise that we, like many Parent Councils, worked hard to share information and
canvass opinion from the whole school community in a neutral and professional manner. Having
worked closely with numerous Parent Councils via the Argyll and Bute Parent Council Network we
know that the concerns highlighted in the community response were widespread and representative.
We have had no contact from the Education team since the decision, but we continue to request the
opportunity to work constructively with them to address the significant challenges facing our schools
and hope that this offer will be taken up. We would also be keen to discuss with our ward councillors
the best and most constructive way to move forward.
Argyll & Bute Council
Councillor McNeilly was not able to be present at meeting but reported that Gordon Dalgleish the
Solicitor looking at the footpath has not come back as yet with any additional information. As had
been said previously, the ground is not Council owned. Alan Reid had investigated it in great detail
previously as you know. Ownership is very complicated but will endeavour to follow up what we can.
KCC will get in touch with Yvonne with any issues that are raised to us.
In addition to this the residents of Westfield have cleared a lot of the vegetation and cleared the path
to make more accessible.
Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park Representative)
No representative present or report given.
Forestry and Land Scotland – Fraser MacDonald

Also attached to the minute Is a SPHN Stakeholders update on Forestry and Land Scotland
Phytophthora ramorum Update August 2022 - Cowal
A report from Fraser McGregor
Current Felling:
There are a number of SPHN sites being worked or in process of starting within Kilmun Community
area
• Beinn Ruadh (above Coylet Inn) – There is a small section of Larch still to be felled adjacent to
SSE Overhead Power line still to be completed when a shutdown can be organised. No confirmed
date as yet however.
• Beinn Ruadh(above Coylet Inn) – Harvesting site currently on stop. There have been a number of
issues on this site that have to be resolved and a contract review meeting was held at Glenbranter
this morning. An SSE OHPL shut down will be required to complete works and as yet this is not
planned.

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• Corrach (Scottish Water Treatment Plant) Harvesting site – site is currently inactive but hoping
contractors will return to site soon.
• West Loch Eck (opposite Coylet Inn) – site is currently active including timber haulage.
• Pucks Glen –. Pucks Pylons although won’t be finished will stop working before end of September
to allow merchant and contractor to deal with infected Larch sites in Priority Action Zone (P.A.Z)
• Kilmun Hill – Harvesting operations and timber Haulage ongoing. Hopeful of completion for
Christmas time.
• There will be ongoing civil engineering maintenance works associated with harvesting sites as
listed above.
• Benmore Botanic Garden (Burmah Road) – Chainsaw fell to waste operations are now complete
although there will be further felling and extraction of larger timber above BBG Courtyard.
• Fell to waste of young Larch within KCC area – Fell to waste operations have been carried out in
Inverchapel/Pucks Glen area with further areas close to Gairletter Sand quarry to be carried out at a
later date.
There are new harvesting sites planned to be sold later this year as per map provided that may
impact on KCC area, I will update you well in advance of any of these sites starting.
There will be no new harvesting sites started in Kilmun Community Council area until after
Christmas at the earliest due to focussing efforts in the P.A.Z.
Wildlife Management:
Night shooting has now started and will be ongoing until 31 st March 2023
Public Access:
The Big Tree Walk has been reopened with temporary barriers in place until tender has been
awarded to repair steps and a small subsidence on path.
Kilmun Arboretum will have maintenance work being carried out, weeding, fencing etc some
remedial works still to be completed.
Pucks Glen 30 th September – there is a private audience invited to a short music/dance performance
at bottom of Pucks Glen. Access will not be restricted to the Glen but car park may be busier than
usual.
October 1st Dunoon Ultra Marathon is taking place on normal forest road network routes from
Benmore Botanic Garden, Pucks Glen, Inverchapel to Glenbranter, West Loch Eck, Ballochyle, Glen
Kin and Sandbank before finishing in Dunoon.
October 1 st & 2 nd Dunoon Dirt Dash event taking place using forest roads and main roads from
Dunoon Pier, West Loch Eck, Beinn Laggan & Cowal Way to Lochgoilhead, Carrick Castle to
Ardentinny, Gairletter, Blairmore, Kilmun Arboretum, Inverchapel, River Echaig and A815 shore road
to finish at Dunoon Pier.
Ongoing Engagement:
We have received 7 new SPHN in the Priority Action Zone and 37 in the Risk Reduction Zone so far
this this year and are waiting on further helicopter and ground trothing surveys to be completed.
PAZ is an area that has a short timeframe to fell infected Larch (6 months) and this area takes in
Arrochar, Glen Croe and Cruach Tairbeirt.
The RRZ has a longer timeframe to deal with infected Larch and we have had confirmed infections
in KKC area and new sites in Glendaruel and Strathlachlan indicating a wider spread of the
pathogen.
KCC forested areas now falls into the new Phytophthora pluvialis ( a fungus like pathogen)
demarcated zone, this is another tree disease that impacts on Western Hemlock, Douglas Fir and
Pine.
Ravens Rock harvesting site in Ardentinny is currently timber haulage only, timber is being
transported via boat at Sandbank, it is hoped that all haulage will be completed by end of this month.
Barnacabber Harvesting site is timber haulage only by boat from Sandbank via Ardentinny and A880
and road haulage via Larach forest haul route onto A815 and is hoped to be completed by end of
July 2022, this site has been completed.
Westfield – Some minor felling to be carried out before end of July this has been completed.
Younger Hall

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RH reported that clubs are starting to come back now. The NHS has booked the hall for 3 days
Covid and Flu vaccinations.
Blairmore Hall
The committee of Blairmore hall were congratulated of the improvements made to the hall. A lot of
the work has been done by the committee themselves. The grant the hall received had helped with
the improvements. The Blairmore Café had used the hall.
A BBQ was held on the Saturday to help with hall funds and had an event in June.
Historic Kilmun
NTR
11 CURRENT ISSUES
Argyll Rally – feed back
Fraser Smith said after the rally it has gone very quiet and there has not been any formal feedback.
Clachaig Water
Diane gave a brief resume of the background to the problems with water at Clachaig for residents
who were new to the meetings. Graham Revill repeated the emails form last month and that the pilot
schemes had been piloted in Aberdeenshire. Graham has gone back to ask why these pilots had
been done in Aberdeenshire. No replies yet but the relevant cabinet secretaries as to why this
decision was made.
SSE power lines Dunoon 132kV Overhead Line rebuild Project
Graham Reviil represented KCC at the virtual meeting and he reported:
The presentation was straight forward. There seems to be an issue about where the water supplies
came from 18 properties are affected by this with fragile water supplies. Graham had to push them
that they would be following the 2015 design and construction regulations. Graham had to push that
responsibility remains with the client as SSE were trying to say that the contractors would be
responsible. Graham says that they are more aware of where the water sources for the properties
come from. They have said they will produce a report which Graham said that KCC is to get sight of.
Summary will be attached to minutes 
KM said that 7 pylons going up. They will be seen from a long distance. Kirsty’s daughter managed
to get representatives to walk the course to see the location and where the water supplies come
from. A request has been asked for it to be underground, but they say it is too expensive to do.
Kirsty asked when the objections have to go in but this does not seem to be clear.
RH said that the water report that had been submitted, which was meant to go into KCC has not
been seem. Russell says that they are not going to go in and will just be put in with their planning
report.
3 attachments
13. Any other competent business
Community Council Elections
The election for KCC was uncontested and we will have 6 members. An inaugural meeting will be
organised for October / November.
Defibrillators

6

June MacDonald has purchased the defibrillator and installed. We will get again that the Strone Inn
are alright with the defibrillator to be installed there. We are going to pursue making sure that the
new defibrillator is installed.
We will look at some training for using the defibrillators. We may be able to find people in the
community who can do the training. Peter Hunter Douglas will make enquiries.
Questions from the audience
 RH got in touch with ABC about the boat moored at Strone Pier and Peelports and they were
not interested. There is concern that the pier is unsafe.
 Discussion about the boat that was sunk at the end the end of the loch.
Meeting closed at 8.56pm
Next Meeting
Next meeting – After the inaugural meeting has been organised. Date to be announced

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