Welcome to Port William

1. Present and apologies for absence:-
Community councillors:- Mr. Douglas Ballantyne (Treasurer), Mr Paul Carrigan, Mx. Jen Hendry, Mr. Richard McElrea, Mr. Jock McMaster, , Mr. Peter Smellie (Chairman), Mrs. Sheila Smellie (Secretary)
Members of the public:- Mrs. Jacqueline Crowther
Apologies for absence:- Mrs. Barbara Mellor, Mr. Steve Mellor, Mrs. Katie Hagmann, Mr. David Inglis, Mrs. Jackie McCamon, Mr. Jim McColm

2. There were no declarations of interest.

3. The Police Report was circulated in advance and included two local items – the theft of a boiler and the activities of school children in the dilapidated building beside the school. Last month’s statement regarding dogs were reiterated. Jen asked after the behaviour of the youngsters in the old schoolhouse. The secretary will make enquiries.

4. The Minutes of the last meeting were accepted and signed – proposed by Jen seconded by Jock.

5. Matters Arising:-

a. Jen has yet to attend a Machars Action meeting, but is now a Director.
b. The streetlights in Monreith and the speed indicator have not been attended to. The matter will be referred to the elected members when they are available.
c. Work has been carried out at the public conveniences at the Kelton Steps and St. Medans.
d. The ‘No Overnight Parking’ signs at the Kelton Steps ad St. Medans have gone.
e. Jacqueline reported a damaged bench on Garnets Walk. Jock will see if it can be repaired, but if not it could be replaced using money from Carscreugh Renewable Energy Park Limited.
f. The picnic bench at Kings Green play area has been delivered.
g. D & G will notify residents of Mochrum of developments relating to the conservation area in June.
6. Treasurer’s Report:-
The bank balance stands at £1917.47, being £1032.17 village improvements and £883.30 administrative fund. Douglas is waiting for the completed forms for resilience finances from the Community Association due by 31st May. Richard will look into this and return any unspent funds.

7. Correspondence:-
A satisfaction survey has been completed and returned to D & G.

8. Website/social media – no developments.

9. Planning applications:-
The owner of The Clansman has applied for the premises to be converted to B and B, and a further application has been received for establishment of a small area of forestry at Barrachan. The forestry applicant requested feedback, and a request for them to avoid vehicle movements through Mochrum village will be made.

10. Carsgreugh Renewable Energy Park:-
A request for applications for funds has been published in the Parish magazine.

11. Any other Business:-

a. Dilapidated properties: complaints have been received about the state of some buildings in Port William and Monreith. The understanding is that it is not possible for D&G to force an owner to take action, however the Chairman will contact Building Standards to identify if there is any course of action open, and to establish a clear definition of what can or cannot be done.
b. Jacqueline reported a problem with the sea wall, which used to be covered in tar but is now disintegrating, opposite Tigh na Mara. This will be inspected by the Chairman and reported to the Roads Department.
c. Jen reported that ‘Temporary Surface’ road signs have been erected on the Elrig/Glenling road.
d. Jen enquired after the responsibilities of the various organisations in Port William, e.g., Community Council, Community Association, Development Trust, etc. A document detailing services and societies is needed. The Chairman asked Jen to draft her requirements for presentation at the next meeting.
e. Discussions were held on Visitor Ambassador volunteers as promoted by Third Sector Dumfries and Galloway. Jacqueline had expressed an interest in such a position and had discussed it with Third Sector D&G. She summarised her understanding of the role to the meeting, and The Chairman had previously circulated the job description for the volunteer positions. It was felt that tourist information and timetables should be displayed on noticeboards, at the caravan site and the View. The opinion of the meeting was that visitor numbers are too small to justify volunteers providing the service, and maybe Port William should look to Whithorn and be included in their schedule. Jacqueline agreed to feed the decision back to Third Sector D&G.

The meeting ended at 20:55.
The next meeting will be Wednesday 30th June 2021.

1. In attendance/ apologies for absence
2. Minutes of AGM held on 28 October 2020
3. Matters arising from the minutes
4. Chairman’s Report
5. Financial Statement and Treasurer’s Report
6. Election of Office Bearers
a. Chairman
b. Treasurer
c. Secretary

7. Other positions
a. Press Secretary- currently Sheila Smellie
b. Planning Application monitoring- currently Paul Carrigan
c. Wind Farm administration- currently Peter Smellie
d. Website liaison with Andy Lund- currently Peter Smellie

8. Meeting plan for the coming year
19:30 hours on the last Wednesday of each month, excluding August and December when no meeting will be held. Planned to be in the Maxwell Hall, but will fall back to Zoom if Government guidance precludes physical meetings.

9. Any other business

This meeting is planned to take place in the Maxwell Hall, but it may be necessary to hold it on-line using Zoom.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. To enable us to plan arrangements and provide any necessary details of Covid-19 control measures or to circulate connection details for Zoom, please notify the secretary, Sheila at secretary.pwcc@gmail.com by Sunday 23 May 2021. If members oi the public do not register an interest in attending, then we may not be able to allow entrance to the meeting.

This meeting is planned to take place in the Maxwell Hall, but it may be necessary to hold it on-line using Zoom.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. To enable us to plan arrangements and provide any necessary details of Covid-19 control measures or to circulate connection details for Zoom, please notify the secretary, Sheila at secretary.pwcc@gmail.com by Sunday 23 May 2021. If members oi the public do not register an interest in attending, then we may not be able to allow entrance to the meeting.

1. In attendance/ apologies for absence
2. Declarations of interest
3. Police Report
4. Minutes of the last meeting
5. Matters arising from the minutes
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Correspondence
8. Website/ Social Media update
9. Planning Applications
10. Carscreugh Renewable Energy Park- 2021 Funding Round preliminary discussion
11. Any other competent business

Next Meeting: Wednesday 30 June 2021.

1. Present and apologies for absence:-
Community councillors:- Mr. Douglas Ballantyne (Treasurer), Mx. Jen Hendry, Mr. Jock McMaster, Mrs. Barbara Mellor, Mr. Steve Mellor, Mr. Peter Smellie (Chairman), Mrs. Sheila Smellie (Secretary)
Elected members:- Mr. Jim McColm
Apologies for absence:- Mr. Paul Carrigan (unable to access Zoom), Mr. Richard McElrea, Mrs. Katie Hagmann, Mr. David Inglis, Mrs. Jackie McCamon

2. There were no declarations of interest.

3. The Police Report has been circulated. An incident occurred on the Mochrum/Elrig road on 23rd April involving a motor vehicle and straying sheep. A warning was issued about dog theft.

4. The Minutes of the last meeting were accepted and signed – proposed by Douglas and seconded by Jen.

5. Matters Arising:-
Jen has not heard further from Machars Action.
The picnic bench for Kings Green is due Friday 7th May. The Chairman is not available to receive it on delivery, and a volunteer is sought.
Port William Community Council has not been advised further on the Mochrum conservation area. Jim McColm will make enquiries about notification to residents.
Barbara has no further news on the Killantrae access road and will speak to David Inglis.
Keep Left signs on the roundabout in Port William have been added to D & G work schedule.

6. Treasurer’s Report:-
The bank balance stands at £1975.97, being £1032.17 village improvements and £943.80 administration fund. Payments for the month included £528.00 for the picnic bench at the playpark at Kings Green, which was financed by a grant from Carscreugh Renewable Energy Park Limited administered by Foundation Scotland. £986.60 was received from D & G hardship fund and passed on to the Community Association for resilience purposes. A full accounting is requested. The end of year accounts have been audited and will be presented at next month’s AGM – thanks to Audrey Kevan.

7. Correspondence:-
D & G have paid public liability insurance.
Glenlee to Tongland pylons/ undergrounding – 873 complaints were registered. The project is now in the hands of the Scottish Government.

8. Website – no developments.

9. Planning applications:-
Port William Community Council welcomed the renovation plans on the warehouse in the harbour (reference 21/0728FUL).

10. Carscreugh Renewable Energy Park – applications for funding will be sought in the parish magazine.

11. Any Other Business:-
a. Jen: a report had been received relating to garden waste being deposited in the burn. This is not an issue with which the Community Council or D&G Council can assist.

b. Douglas: Can D & G be requested to strim area by the garages on Harbour Green when they cut the grass? Any volunteers to do this? The grass is growing on Garnets Walk and the top end is a mess.

c. Barbara enquired on Maxwell Hall opening. The Chairman reported it is being used as a polling station on Thursday 6th May. For general use, the current Scottish Government guidance is that such buildings can open after 17th May, although clarification is being sought concerning the rules to be applied.

d. Jock: One of the streetlights in Monreith remains on all day, and four others are not working at night. The speed indicator for northbound traffic does not work. These matters will be reported to D&G Council

e. Discussions were held on a survey requested by D & G on opening the area to tourists following lockdown. The main concerns are the provision and emptying of litterbins (they have been removed on the A75 Stranraer/Newton Stewart stretch), toilet facilities (both local and in Stranraer) and camper vans emptying effluent. Overnight camping at St. Medans and Craignarget is a concern. A response from the Community Council will be made by the Chairman, and individuals are free to complete their own submissions.

6. Mrs. Anne Highman, the previous chairman of the Community Council sent her regards to the current members.

The meeting ended at 20:08.

The next meeting, preceded by the AGM, is due in the Maxwell Hall on 26th May 2021.

This meeting is planned to take place in the Maxwell Hall, but it may be necessary to hold it on-line using Zoom.
Members of the public are welcome to attend. To enable us to plan arrangements and provide any necessary details of Covid-19 control measures or to circulate connection details for Zoom, please notify the secretary, Sheila at secretary.pwcc@gmail.com by Sunday 25thApril 2021. If members oi the public do not register an interest in attending, then we may not be able to allow entrance to the meeting.

1. In attendance/ apologies for absence
2. Declarations of interest
3. Police Report
4. Minutes of the last meeting
5. Matters arising from the minutes
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Correspondence
8. Website/ Social Media update
9. Planning Applications
10. Carscreugh Renewable Energy Park- 2021 Funding Round preliminary discussion
11. Any other competent business

Next Meeting: Wednesday 26 May 2021, preceded by the AGM.

1. Present and apologies for absence:-
   Present :- Community councillors:- Mr. Douglas Ballantyne (Treasurer), Mx. Jen Hendry, Mr. Richard McElrea, Mr. Jock McMaster, Mr. Peter Smellie (Chairman), Mrs. Sheila Smellie (Secretary)
   Elected members:- Mrs. Katie Hagmann, Mr. Jim McColm
   Apologies for absence:- Mr. P. Carrigan (unable to access Zoom), Mrs. Barbara Mellor, Mr. Steve Mellor, Mr. David Inglis, Mrs. Jackie McCamon
2. There were no declarations of interest.
3. The Police Report has been circulated. A new commander has been appointed for D & G – Chief Superintendent Carol McGuire. There was no reported local crime, but a further warning about scams. Feedback was requested on a proposal for body worn video to be issued to armed police officers.
4. The Minutes of the last meeting were accepted and signed – proposed by Jen, seconded by Richard.
5. Matters Arising:-
   1. Update from Steve and Barbara via email – David Inglis has visited the road to Killantrae and has the problem in hand.
   2. The finger post on Garnetts Walk is progressing, Steve has accessed the timber and Douglas is arranging a tradesman.
   3. Machars Action:- Douglas updated the meeting with details of a discussion held with Carol Lochrie of Machars Action. The meeting agreed to continue to send a delegate following the departure of Susan Windle and agreed that Jen will represent PWCC. The Secretary will send her details to Carol Lochrie who will contact Jen with meeting details etc.
   4. The picnic bench has been ordered (£528) for delivery in 3/15 working days. The bench will be positioned by the swings on Kings Green play area.
   5. Resilience funding:- Kerren Walker will advise us further on this.
   6. The work on the sea wall behind South Street appears to be completed.
6. Treasurer’s Report:- Audrey Kevan will audit the end of year accounts – proposed by Douglas, seconded by Jock. The bank balance is £2509.47, village improvements being £1560.17 and £949.30 administration fund. The wishing well was emptied and produced £94.50 for the village improvements fund. The wishing well has been painted by Douglas and Richard and looks very smart – many thanks to them.
7. Correspondence:- Confirmation of the route to be used for timber extraction from Elrig has been received and complies with the de facto standard route along the B7005. Shoreline Management Plan (Solway) :- A plan for the entire length of the D&G coastline is under consideration. The stretch between Burrow Head and Stairhaven is mainly assessed as requiring no intervention, although there are parts which will be considered where the line will be held and smaller lengths where managed re-alignment may be deployed. There is an online meeting on 22 April to consider the plan. Douglas raised the issue of an article in the Free Press of week ending 26 March which stated that the status of Mochrum as a Conservation Area was to be rescinded. Jim confirmed that according to the legislation, D&G Council have the authority to action this decision by the placing of an advert in the local paper. He and Katie had proposed that the local residents deserved more information than that provided in a newspaper advert, and that this was to be provided by the Council.
8. Website:- No developments
9. Planning applications – No objections to the farm building proposals at Airiequillart (21/0302/FUL).
10. Any other business:-
    1. Approval has been given to Jen to paint the noticeboard in Elrig. Thanks, Jen.
    2. Douglas questioned why the keep left bollards on the roundabout in the square had been removed and replaced with temporary ‘Keep Left’ signs which have blown over in the wind. Katie suggested that the issue was reported via the CCES system.
    3. The subject of the state of the Mill building was raised, and the question asked as to whether any action could be taken. Jim responded that there were no powers open to the Council to force an owner to maintain a building, and funding has to be obtained by an owner to complete a project, but repair work was not usually eligible. Concerns were raised over the safety of the site, and this would be raised with the Building Standards department.
    4. The Chairman reported the Harbour Master will move the old anchor onto the end of the breakwater and renovate it. Thank you, Will.
    5. Katie reported the Harbour Sub Committee was due to meet on 1 April when the damage to the inner slipway would be discussed. Progress of the fisherman’s storage compound was interrupted by unavailability of materials, and closed-circuit television for the harbour remained under discussion.
    6. Jim said that £200 million of D&G Council spend is committed to road maintenance; he encouraged the use of the pothole reporting process to the Council, and pointed out that If a vehicle is damaged by a previously reported pothole, then a claim can be made against the Council.

The meeting ended at 20:08.

The next meeting will be held via Zoom at 19:30 on Wednesday 28th April.

This meeting is planned to take place in the Maxwell Hall, but it may be necessary to hold it on-line using Zoom.

Members of the public are welcome to attend. To enable us to plan arrangements and provide any necessary details of Covid-19 control measures or to circulate connection details for Zoom, please notify the secretary, Sheila at secretary.pwcc@gmail.com by Sunday 21^st February 2021. If members oi the public do not register an interest in attending, then we may not be able to allow entrance to the meeting.

1. In attendance/ apologies for absence
2. Declarations of interest
3. Police Report
4. Minutes of the last meeting
5. Matters arising from the minutes
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Correspondence
8. Website/ Social Media update
9. Planning Applications
10. Any other competent business

Next Meeting: Wednesday 28 April 2021

1. Present and apologies for absence:-

Community councillors:- Mr. Douglas Ballantyne (Treasurer), Mx. Jen Hendry, Mr. Richard  McElrea, Mr. Jock McMaster, Mrs. Barbara Mellor, Mr. Steve Mellor, Mr. Peter Smellie (Chairman), Mrs. Sheila Smellie (Secretary)

Elected members:-  Mr. Jim McColm

Apologies for absence:-  Mr. P. Carrigan (unable to access Zoom), Mrs.Katie Hagmann, Mr. David Inglis, Mrs. Jackie McCamon

2. There were no declarations of interest.

3. The Police Report has already been circulated from Constable Colin McMillan outlining various online scams in operation.

4. The minutes of the last meeting were accepted and signed, with the addition of the word ‘not’ into section 9 to read ‘…those present did not see any reason to object’ – proposed by the Treasurer and seconded by Jock.

5. Matters Arising:-

Barbara will contact David Inglis re visit to access road to Killantrae.

The Chairman has contacted the two forestry operations re access, both of which have acknowledged.

No. 10 Elrig – a downpipe is causing the water problem which the resident will remedy.

Glenling road – Jen has had a response from D & G on 17^th February stating an inspection had identified that the reported issue was not accepted as a defect (as defined by the Roads department), but that a site visit was to be made by an engineer.

Resilience funding – neither Douglas nor Richard (as treasurer of the Community Association) had heard from D & G, the Secretary will contact Kerren Walker for details.

The street lights in The Square are now off in daytime.  New lights are being installed on the harbour – subsequently it has been established that these are sign poles communicating ‘Danger Ramp’.

No satisfactory response has been received regarding other lights in the village, so a further report will be lodged.

6. Treasurer’s Report: The  bank balance stands at £2448.47, being £1465.67 village improvements and £982.80 administration fund.  Discussions were held on a new picnic bench for the Kings Green play area- the chairman is to approach Solway Recycling and a new seat by the caravan site.  Steve will investigate a replacement finger post on Garnets Walk.

7. Correspondence: The public toilets in Port William are closed Wednesday 24^th February/Friday 26^th February for maintenance work.

Machars Action: The Business Plan for Machars Action had been circulated to members of the Community Council. It was noted that the Community Council has a seat on the Board of Directors, which is currently allocated to Susan Windle (who no longer lives in the village).

The chairman posed two questions to the meeting- did the Community Council wish to retain its seat on the board, if it did who would be willing to be nominated?

Barbara asked for details of the activities of Machars Action, and Jim McColm (who represents D&G Council on the board) gave a brief overview of its activities. Opinion on the value of Machars Action to the Community Council and the community was divided, and Douglas agreed to contact Jak Kane (Machars Action Office Manager) to provide details of the operation of the business, and its value to the local area and the Community Council.

8. Website: No developments.

9. Planning Applications: No local ones

10. Any other business:-

Barbara thanked Jim for his work on supplying a community bin.

Jim reported on Covid vaccinations :- 56000 have been achieved in Dumfries and Galloway, being 35/40% of the adult population.

Jim also informed the meeting that to address the impact of the recent wet and cold weather D&G Council were allocating £2.5 to £3 million to support road maintenance.

Jim then requested an update on reports of gravel extraction from the seaward side of South Street. The Chairman reported that a resident had raised the issue, and investigation established that it related to activities in relation to the demolition and rebuilding of the sea wall to the rear of a property on South Street. The resident was concerned about the impact on the sea defences and had raised a complaint with Marine Scotland, and was currently awaiting a response.

Douglas raised the subject of dog mess along High Street, an especially disappointing event in the current environment as those responsible can only be local residents.

The meeting ended at 20:25.

The next meeting is Wednesday 31^st March 2021 at 1930.  Arrangements will be made to hold this online using Zoom should it not be possible to hold a physical meeting in the Maxwell Hall

This meeting is planned to take place in the Maxwell Hall, but it may be necessary to hold it on-line using Zoom

Members of the public are welcome to attend. To enable us to plan arrangements and provide any necessary details of Covid-19 control measures or to circulate connection details for Zoom, please notify the secretary, Sheila at secretary.pwcc@gmail.com by Sunday 21st February 2021. If members oi the public do not register an interest in attending, then we may not be able to allow entrance to the meeting.

1. In attendance/ apologies for absence
2. Declarations of interest
3. Police Report
4. Minutes of the last meeting
5. Matters arising from the minutes
6. Treasurer’s Report
7. Correspondence
8. Website/ Social Media update
9. Planning Applications
10. Any other competent business

Next Meeting: Wednesday 24 March 2021.

1. Present and apologies for absence:–
2. Community councillors:- Mr. Douglas Ballantyne (Treasurer),  Mx. Jen Hendry, Mr. Richard  McElrea, Mr. Jock McMaster, Mrs. Barbara Mellor, Mr. Steve Mellor, Mr. Peter Smellie (Chairman), Mrs. Sheila Smellie (Secretary)

Elected members:- Mr. David Inglis

Apologies for absence:- Mr. Paul Carrigan (unable to access Zoom), Mrs. Katie Hagmann, Mrs, Jackie McCamon, Mr. Jim McColm

3. There were no declarations of interest.

4. The Police Report – none has been received. Richard reported a spam email purporting to come from the NHS inviting him to attend a vaccine session.

5. The Minutes of the last meeting were accepted and signed (proposed by Barbara and seconded by Steve).

6. Matters Arising:-

The street lights have been reported on two occasions, both at Monreith (four lights out) and Port William (where lights in the Square are on all day), but no response has been received from D&G.

The communal waste bin at Killantrae has been replaced with a smaller one.  Barbara thanks Jim McColm but sees a problem as the population increases in the future.

7. Treasurer’s Report:-

Douglas submitted this before the meeting.  The bank balance is £2453.97 of which village improvements is £1465.67 and the administration fund is £988.30.  The discretionary grant of £493.30 has been received from D & G and £543.60 towards Christmas trees which was passed to the Community Association.  Thanks to the Community Association for their contribution of £230.40.

8. Correspondence:-

Chilcarroch Woodland Creation project:-Notification of the planting of 110 hectares of forestry.  No objections were made, and while it was gratifying to note that the extraction route is planned to use the B7005, however the route for traffic supporting the planting process was not defined. The Secretary is to respond suggesting that this needs to follow the same route as the extraction.

Scottish Forestry- Elrig Estates timber extraction, refFPA-7563 :- Clearance and replanting of 18+ hectares adjacent to Elrig Loch.  No reference is made to the access and egress from the site in the documentation. The Secretary is to comment on the application appropriately.

A temporary Ward Officer, Kerren Walker, has been appointed on a six month basis for mid Galloway and Wigtown West.

9. Website and media – no developments.

10. A planning application has been submitted for an extension in Myrton Crescent, Port William (Application reference 21/0053FUL); those present did see any reason to object.

11. Any other business:-

Jen reported that the resident at No. 10 Elrig suffers flooding on the road.  David Inglis will speak to the relevant person at D & G.

A request for ‘Slow’ road signs to discourage speeding traffic in Elrig was received.  The Chairman suggested that further information was required on the frequency and nature of the speeding- what vehicles., what time of day etc?

The road surface has subsided badly towards Glenling.  The Chairman will explain the road repairs notification system to Jen.

David spoke of additional funding available during Covid19, and further grants can be applied for by businesses and communities.

Barbara reported that the road to Killantrae needs attention.  Repairs have been carried out by D & G, but heavy traffic and rain bring stones onto the road surface.  David requested that Barbara should provide further details to enable him to make a site visit to review the situation..

The Treasurer enquired after further assistance from the Resilience Fund, to which David said Kerren should be able to assist. It was agreed that the Secretary would contact Kerren.

Jacqueline Crowther reported that a finger post in Garnets Walk needs replacement.

The meeting ended at 20:05.

The next meeting is Wednesday 24^th February 2021 at 7:30 pm.  Arrangements have been made to hold this Online using  Zoom should it not be possible to hold a physical meeting in the Maxwell Hall.