11 Nov: Dumbarton Castle Stakeholders Engagement Session feedback
7 Dec: Community Councils Forum AGM feedback
12 Dec: Dumbarton Town Centre Forum feedback
Tuesday 10 January 2023 at 7pm.
Business:
1. Welcome and introductions
2. Apologies
3. Election of Office Bearers:
4. Co-option of members to Community Council
5. Adoption of Constitution and Standing Orders (attached)
6. Code of Conduct
7. Date of next meeting
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 December 2022 at 7pm in St Augustines Church Hall
Cllr Chris Pollock
Cllr Gurpreet Singh Johal
Dorothy Heron, Secretary
PC Gemma Doran
James Cormack
Elspeth Crockett
Ian Sinkins
Cllr David McBride
Iain Ellis
Jacqueline Bruce
Mary Hudson
Anne Currie
Cllr Karen Conaghan
Previous minute was read and approved.
Following our discussions re Dumbarton Castle, local community stakeholders have been invited to a Dumbarton Castle Stakeholders Engagement Session in the Chivas Suite, Dumbarton Football Stadium, on Friday 11 November 1pm for 1.30 start, finish at 3pm.
Re EV charging points locally, Government funding is no longer available for this facility. Some funding has been made available through the capital programme for a limited number of new charging points. However, Dumbarton East will not be part of the current funding. Dumbarton East train station has been highlighted as a potential location for EV charging points should any additional funding become available.
Pavement replacement and tree work in Silverton and Overtoun Avenues as per consultation over a year ago - the Road Operations team have the works programmed for this financial year.
Following the Community Council election submissions to WDC, the continued membership was confirmed as Jim Crosthwaite, Iain Ellis, Dorothy Heron, Mary Hudson, Jacqueline Bruce, with the addition of new members Elspeth Crockett and Anne Currie and co-opted member Ian Sinkins. Jane Brown will also be a co-opted member this year.
A resident attended to discuss a problem with a rented property in Dumbarton East. Both Councillors and police discussed this and suggested various avenues which could be available to assist with the problem.
The lighting of fires is becoming common in the area.
PC Doran submitted a report from PC Hayley Galbraith, copy of which is attached.
No response received to invitation to Harbourmaster and Legal rep to attend a meeting to discuss the issues we have raised.
There is £1617.14p in the bank and petty cash stands at £39.34.
The state of the High Street was discussed and it would be wrong to accept that nothing can be done. Could we be informed what powers the Council have to make owners keep their premises in good repair. Tourism in the town means we have to smarten up the appearance in some way.
Cllr Pollock said there is a conservation plan which we should look at.
The AGM will be held at 7pm on Tuesday 8 November 2022 and will be followed by a meeting at 7.30pm in St Augustines Church Hall.
1. Previous Minutes/Matters Arising
2. Community Council Elections
3. Questions to Councillors/Police
4. Knoxland Square/Dumbarton East Green Corridor Project
5. Dumbarton Football Club Wellness and 'Support Local' Event: 16 October - 11.00am to 2.00pm
6. River Leven issues
7. Treasurer's Report
8. AOB
9. Next Meeting: The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 11 October 2022 at 7pm in St Augustine's Church Hall
Cllr David McBride
Cllr Karen Conaghan
Jim Crosthwaite, Chairman
Dorothy Heron, Secretary
Jacqueline Bruce
Ann Currie
Jean Scollay
Elspeth Crockett
Jane Brown
Cllr Chris Pollock
Mary Hudson
Previous Minute/Matters Arising
Previous minute was read and approved.
- Re extended pavement at Glasgow Road bus stop, STP has been prioritising bus movements and accessibility for passengers has meant changing the appearance of some bus stops for convenience.
- Re the cleaning of gullies etc, there is a catch up programme being carried out by West Dunbartonshire Council.
Dorothy will contact the Harbourmaster, Liam Greene, Manager of Roads and Transportation to see if the Harbourmaster has any plans for the structure in the middle of the Leven opposite the new building development. Cula, and Peter from Friends of River Leven are coming along to our next meeting to discuss the issues of this.
A Consultation Event re the Artizan centre was held in the Concord Centre on 13 June. Suggested plans were shown for the new development involving housing and shops in the town centre and discussions were held on the options shown.
Castlegreen Street: Councillors were informed that the bottle bank in Castlegreen Street badly needs to be emptied and garden refuse does not get picked up. This was discussed and it was said that residents are frustrated at the amount of glass which overflows the bottle bank. Cllr Conaghan will make enquiries about the reason for this.
The Planning Permission issue for Costa Drive thru at Morrison's was raised. Councillors are not aware of a decision by the Reporter yet but hopefully this should be known sometime in August. the application for signage has been lodged with WDC and had been approved. Cllr Conaghan said that under planning law, signage had to be approved and applied for, even although no decision has been received on the Costa appeal.
A meeting had been held with Andy Devine and two raised beds will be supplied. Work on the Square will be carried out on 25 June and plans are ongoing for this. The help given by the public and WDC is much appreciated and is having a positive impact.
Jaxx will meet with a Scotrail representative and have discussions about Dumbarton East Station. There is also a meeting arranged with Transport Scotland and Architects re a funding report to apply for Community /Regeneration grant.
Davina Lavery will attend a discussion re development around the business side of Dumbarton East.
Cycle route extension: Jaxx will have a discussion with Stephanie Park of Dumbarton Football Club and Steven Kirkwood.
EU Church Building: an application for building flats was granted but nothing further is known when this will take place.
Mary had intimated there is £1733.64 in the bank and £39.34 in petty cash.
Peter Hessett is the new Chief Executive for West Dunbartonshire Council.
Jaxx was concerned at the length of time it takes to get a response from WDC and some action to be carried out. This was discussed further in general.
Elspeth raised the issue of child safety beside the river on the new walkway. A gate had been left open leading on to the river near the children's play area and was reported. The gate has now had a padlock put on it.
Along at Lidl railings there is a gap on the fence and there is a concern that this has the potential for danger to children. This area may not be adopted by the Council yet and Culross/Dunbritton could be responsible.
It was suggested that the Community Council could take on a lease on a vacant shop in Dumbarton East for premises to be used as a hub space and a pop up shop for workshops etc (a community space). Enquiries will be made how feasible this would be. We wouldn't pay for this lease but we would be the named lease holder for the hub.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 13 September 2022 at 7.00pm in St Augustines Church Hall.
Name of Community Council:- Dumbarton E & Central
Date of Report:- 20/05/2022
Submitting / Attending officer:- PC D Logsdon
Crimes/Offences that have occurred in community area since last meeting
Police Report covering the period 01/04/2022 to 30/04/2022.
The Crimes can be summarised as follows;
- Serious Assault x 1
- 1 x St James Retail Park on 2 April
- (1 x detection)
- Assault x 2
- 1 x St James Retail Park on 15 April
- 1 x Station Road on 15 April
- (2 x enquiries ongoing)
- Possess Knife/Offensive weapon - 1
- 1 x St James Retail Park on 15 April
- (1 x enquiries ongoing)
- Theft by Shoplifting - 10
- Various retail outlets
- (2 x enquiries ongoing)
- Theft (Unclassified) - 6
- 1 x Glasgow Road on 5 April
- 1 x Castle Street on 13 April
- 1 x Glasgow Road on 16 April
- 1 x Castle Road on 2 April
- 1 x Riverside Lane on 15 April
- 1 x Glasgow Road on 21 April
- (4 x enquiries ongoing)
- Possess Drugs - 3
- 1 x Wallace Street on 01st April
- 1 x Wallace Street on 01st April
- 1 x High Street on 26th April
- (3 detections)
- Possess With Intent to Supply - 1
- 1 x Bontine Avenue on 15 April
- (1 detection)
- Breach of the Peace/Disorder - 5
- 1 x High Street on 2 April
- 1 x Wallace Street on 18 April
- 1 x Church Stret on 22 April
- 1 x Station Road on 27 April
- (4 x detections)
- Vandalism - 5
- 1 x High Street on 1 April
- 1 x High Street on 2 April
- 1 x Victoria Street on 20 April
- 1 x Castle Road on 16 April
- 1 x Risk Street on 13 April
- (5 x enquiries ongoing)
- Vehicle/traffic Crime - 5
- Various offences
- (2 x enquiries ongoing; 3 x detections)
- Fraud - 1
- 1 x online fraud
- ( 1 x detection)
- Breach of Bail - 2
- 1 x Castlegreen Street on 20 April
- 1 x Castlegreen Street on 24 April
- (2 x detections)
- Other - 2
- 2 x online communications offence
- (2 x enquiries ongoing)
The above excludes fixed penalty notices issued in respect of anti-social behaviour, non-endorsable and endorsable offences (Road Traffic).
Updates on previous actions
Incidents of note or crime trends
Forthcoming events / Initiatives
This month - Issues raised at the meeting
I would urge the community to continue to use Crimestoppers if wishing to leave anonymous information regarding incidents which are happening within the community. The telephone phone number is 0800 555 111 and is operated 24hrs a day.
It should be noted that due to a recent restructure within Argyll & West Dunbartonshire Division we no longer have a dedicated Community Policing Officer for your area.
Information contained on this form has been gathered by an officer from the Community Engagement Team. Any issues raised at the meeting will be disseminated to either Local Policing or Problem Solving Team officers.
If you wish to contact us direct with any specific complaints or concerns, please contact the following based at Dumbarton Police Office;
Community Engagement Team Sergeant,
Brian Simpson,
Jacqueline Bruce
Maureen Duffy
Jim Cormack
Jim Crosthwaite, Chair
Dorothy Heron, Secretary
Mary Hudson, Treasurer
Iain Ellis
Cllr David McBride
Cllr Gurpreet Singh Johal
Cllr Chris Pollock
Cllr Karen Conaghan
Following the recent Local Government elections, Councillors Johal and Pollock were introduced and welcomed to the meeting. We look forward to their continued presence when possible.
Minute of 12 April 2022 read and approved.
Cllr Conaghan intimated that Liam Greene, Manager of Roads and Transportation, is the Harbourmaster for the River Leven. It would be useful if we could ascertain if the Harbourmaster has any plans for the structure in the middle of the Leven opposite the new building development. Dorothy will make enquiries.
Wallace Street: most potholes have been filled in.
High Street: the issue with the shop leaking water onto the pavement has now been taken of and the problem solved.
Councillors said re community policing, it is possible this could be reinstated in the future but no further details.
Jim Crosthwaite commented that at the top of Wallace Street, it would be helpful if the double yellow lines could be extended to make that particular area safer.
Iain asked who gave permission for the extended pavement outside McColl's in Glasgow Road. Cllr Conaghan will contact Roads Department for an answer.
Also, re Roads Department, the potholes in Highmains Avenue are deepening.
Maureen mentioned the road drains in Wallace Street-Victoria Street are blocked. This is a problem in parts of Dumbarton East recently and Cllr Conaghan said Hugh Campbell will be contacting tenants about this with a timetable.
Police report attached.
Cllr McBride was asked if another bank account was required for the funding sought for the Project or if the Community Council Account could be used for funding successes. Enquiries will be made to find out if this can be possible.
At the top of Wallace Street (at the side of the butcher's shop), a temporary sign was displayed requesting cars not to park on the pedestrian sensory pavement area. However, it is felt a proper sign is required. Jacqueline has spoken to Mr Smith at the butcher's shop who agreed a sign can be put on the wall to highlight this issue.
Re netting at Dumbarton East Station, Jacqueline had spoken to Roads Dept and this is in the plans for the Dumbarton East upgrade.
Jacqueline will meet with Davina Lavery again in two weeks time to discuss the Knoxland Square plans. Andy Davine and the Rotary Club have also been in talks with Jacqueline and plans are in hand.
Costa Appeal: Re the Costa appeal, the Community Council had been informed a visit will be made by a representative to the Morrison's site but no representation from the community will be required.
1. Previous Minutes/Matters Arising
2. Questions to Councillors/Police
3. Knoxland Square Project
5. Treasurer's Report
6. AOB
7. Next Meeting:
Jacqueline Bruce
Maureen Duffy
Jane McIntyre, Social Enterprise Lodestone Creative
Jim Crosthwaite, Chair
Dorothy Heron, Secretary
Mary Hudson, Treasurer
Cllr Brian Walker
Cllr David McBride
Iain Ellis
Minute of 8 March was read and approved.
Dorothy had contacted Jack Fordy re the Community Council Forum meetings. Jack is no longer secretary of the Forum and at the moment no future meeting has been set.
- Highmains Park: Money for this will be in the five year plan.
- Pontoon in River Leven: Jim Crosthwaite had noticed someone cleaning the pontoon beside the wall to spruce it up.
It is still unknown who the Harbourmaster is. Cllr Conaghan was seeking information on this.
-
Jaxx said Andy Devine will be meeting with Community Payback re planters etc.
The next stages will need to be looked at soon and this will include benches. Network Rail had been contacted by Jaxx and the purse strings were discussed.
As always finance is an issue. Network Rail would be happy to have their name included in any funding applications Sustrans have also been contacted.
Jaxx will have a discussion with Davina Lavery tomorrow.
The usual pigeon problem was also discussed with Jaxx. To date the netting at Dumbarton East Station has not been replaced, nor has an alternative method been identified.
In terms of the green corridor, traffic calming in some form could be looked at.
Mary reported there is;
Dorothy has submitted the Community Councilj's objection to the change of the boundary proposal. No further information has been received.
A meeting with both Community Councils and WDC personnel had been held on 15 March when discussions had taken place.
Jaxx stated that at 133 High Street water is flowing out over the pavement at risk to pedestrians. WDC has been approached about this and Jaxx has tried to find out who the owner is.
Scottish Water had been contacted but claimed they could not enter the building. Since the newspapers became aware of this story WDC has said they will look into this situation and enforce the issue. Apparently a factor has been assigned to the property.
Maureen Duffy claimed that on Wallace Street, near the butchers, a drain has become blocked again. This has also been a problem on the other side of Glasgow Road. Also potholes are a problem in Victoria Street due to the excess traffic going down Castle Road and the usual wear and tear.
Although there had been a suggestion of the area having a traffic warden, nothing further has been heard of this. Parking on dropped kerbs in Wallace Street and reporting to police and Council has not been productive. The dropped kerbs are for the use of pedestrians and prams/pushchairs and it is unfortunate to see that drivers think it appropriate to cover these crossing areas.
- Costa appeal: outcome unknown at present.
Jane from Social Enterprise Lodestone Creative was welcomed to the meeting. Jane had done a survey of the premises in the area and how best to support the businesses. Shop owners have been contacted and discussions have taken place to find out the best way to highlight the area of Dumbarton East. Dorothy will send out the list of businesses Jane has noted. The Council is supporting of conducting a feasibility study. There will be summer activities in Dumbarton East and a list of ideas in the outline plan is attached.
1. Previous Minutes/Matters Arising
2. Questions to Councillors/Police
3. Knoxland Square Project .
4. Community Council Boundary Changes: Update
5. Treasurer's Report
6. AOB : Costa appeal
7. Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 10 May 2022 at 7pm in St Augustine's Church Hall.
Jacqueline Bruce
Iain Ellis
Jim Crosthwaite, Chair
Dorothy Heron, Secretary
Mary Hudson, Treasurer
Cllr Karen Conaghan
Cllr Brian Walker
Jane Brown, Vice Chair
Cllr David McBride
Previous minute of 8 February 2022 was read and approved.
Cllr Conaghan will enquire about the possibility of police attending the Community Council meetings although we are aware of the changes which have taken place in Community Policing.
Police reports have been submitted to the Comm Council for discussion but it would be useful to be able to question the issues raised.
The crossing at the High Street/Royal Bank leading down to the quay was discussed and it was suggested that, in light of the recent legislation giving pedestrians right of way at corner crossings, it could be made more obvious for drivers that pedestrians have the right of way to cross. It was noted that this particular crossing is not covered in the legislation but as there have been some incidents at this corner the new legislation is ambiguous.
No new information received re parking on pavements.
There was discussion on the options to be discussed by WDC at the Budget Meeting tomorrow. The Council need to save over £5million. Iain asked if the Children's Park in Highmains could be looked as it is the only park in which no form of upgrade has taken place.
Dog Wardens: Could the dog wardens check Highmains Avenue/Geils Avenue as the amount of dog mess would appear to be on the increase in the area.
The pontoon in the River Leven has been reported as unsightly. Cllr Conaghan will seek information from the Roads Manager who may be the Harbourmaster and ask what can be done about this.
Davina Lavery was unable to attend this meeting but perhaps will attend another meeting to advise on this project. This item continued until the next meeting.
Jaxx has arranged for flyers to be delivered in the area with information about this project.
Mary reported there is £2069.90 in the bank and £48.34 in petty cash.
Community Council Forum: There has been no information re Forum meetings recently. Dorothy will contact Jack Fordy to see if he has any knowledge of future meetings.
It was agreed that this Community Council and Silverton and Overtoun Community Council will send a copy of meeting minutes to each other to enable each Council to be aware of issues being discussed.
A proposed boundary change would mean that DECCC could lose two members which would mean this Community Council would find it difficult to carry on. A meeting between the two Community Councils is being arranged for discussion.
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 12 April 2022 in
St Augustine's Church Hall at 7pm.
Name of Community Council: - Dumbarton East & Central
Date of Report: - 04/03/2022
Submitting / Attending officer: - PC Martin McKenna
Crimes/Offences that have occurred in community area since last meeting Police Report covering the period 05/02/22 - 28/02/22 inclusive.
There were 33 recorded crimes.
The crimes can be summarised as follows;
- Common Assault 2 (1 Detected 1 Enquiries ongoing)
- Theft by Housebreaking - Commercial 1 (1 Enquiries ongoing)
- Theft by Shoplifting 9 (3 Detected 6 Enquiries ongoing)
- Theft (Unclassified) 3 (3 Enquiries ongoing)
- Possess Drugs 2 (2 Detected)
- Possess With Intent to Supply 1 (1 Detected)
- Breach of the Peace/Disorder 5 (4 Detected 1 Enquiries ongoing)
- Vandalism 4 (1 Detected 3 Enquiries ongoing)
- Vehicle/traffic Crime 5 (3 Detected 2 Enquiries ongoing)
- Other 1 (1 Enquiries ongoing)
The above excludes fixed penalty notices issued in respect of anti-social behaviour, non-endorsable and endorsable offences (Road Traffic).
I would urge the community to continue to use Crime stoppers if wishing to leave anonymous information regarding incidents which are happening within the community. The telephone phone number is 0800 555 111 and is operated 24hrs a day.
It should be noted that due to a recent restructure within Argyll & West Dunbartonshire Division we no longer have a dedicated Community Policing Officer for your area.
Information contained on this form has been gathered by an officer from the Community Engagement Team. Any issues raised at the meeting will be disseminated to either Local Policing or Problem Solving Team officers.
If you wish to contact us direct with any specific complaints or concerns, please contact the following based at Dumbarton Police Office;
Community Engagement Team Sergeant - Brian Simpson
Tel: 101
1. Previous Minutes/Matters Arising
2. Questions to Councillors/Police
3. Knoxland Square Project
4. Community Council Boundary Changes
5. Treasurer's Report
6. AOB
7. Next Meeting:
Jacqueline Bruce
Cllr David McBride
Jim Crosthwaite, Chair
Jane Brown, Vice Chair
Dorothy Heron, Secretary
Mary Hudson, Treasurer
Iain Ellis
Cllr Brian Walker
Previous minute of 14 December 2021 was read and approved.
Cllr McBride was asked if signage could be improved at Riverside Lane/RBS junction. There would appear to be confusion under the new Highway Code as to whether this IS a crossing that would require motorists to give priority to pedestrians. Given the new code, perhaps we need to put lights at this point or put a ramp prior to the turn with SLOW signs, and Pedestrian Crossing signs. WDC should look at a suitable option before an accident happens.
Progress, and lack of, the completion of the walkway and illumination of the castle was again discussed but due to the Council deficit, new spending would be unlikely and no progress had been made on the walkway or castle illumination due to ongoing problems with the DFC owners.
90 High Street: This property was discussed as it had been in the past as the owner is keen to find some assistance to allow the property to get essential repairs. West Dunbartonshire Council are unable to help with this as the property is privately owned but it was said that the organisation "Under One Roof" could give advise on this. They deal with tenants/owners and will be able to give advice/information.
Consultation for the Artizan: No representation has been made to the Community Council for any consultation.
Vermin: Jane reported that rates had been prevalent at the rear of the flats in Castlegreen Street near the railway bridge. Dunbritton Housing Association should be responsible for dealing with this.
Fire Alarms: The new fire alarm law which takes effect this month was discussed.
Police report received from PC Martin McKenna giving a report on crimes committed in this area up to this week.
Name of Community Council: - Dumbarton East & Central
Date of Report: - 05/02/2022
Submitting / Attending officer: - PC Martin McKenna
Crimes/Offences that have occurred in community area since last meeting.
Police Report covering the period 01/01/2022 - 05/02/2022
There were 46 reported crimes.
The Crimes can be summarised as follows;
- Wilful fire-raising 2 (1 Detected 1 enquiries ongoing)
- Common Assault 5 (1 Detected 4 enquiries ongoing)
- Theft by Shoplifting 8 (8 Enquiries ongoing)
- Theft (Unclassified)
- 7 (1 undetected 6 enquiries ongoing)
- Possess Drugs 1 (1 Detected)
- Possess With Intent to Supply 0 (Detected?)
- Breach of the Peace/Disorder 8 (8 Detected)
- Vandalism 3 (3 enquiries ongoing)
- Vehicle/traffic Crime 3 (3 enquiries ongoing)
- Fraud 1 (1 Enquiries ongoing)
- Breach of Bail 2 (2 Detected)
Other
- 6 (2 Detected 4 enquiries ongoing)
The above excludes fixed penalty notices issued in respect of anti-social behaviour, non-endorsable and endorsable offences (Road Traffic).
I would urge the community to continue to use Crime - stoppers if wishing to leave anonymous information regarding incidents which are happening within the community. The telephone phone number is 0800 555 111 and is operated 24hrs a day.
It should be noted that due to a recent restructure within Argyll & West Dunbartonshire Division we no longer have a dedicated Community Policing Officer for your area. Information contained on this form has been gathered by an officer from the Community Engagement Team. Any issues raised at the meeting will be disseminated to either Local Policing or Problem Solving Team officers.
If you wish to contact us direct with any specific complaints or concerns, please contact the following based at Dumbarton Police Office;
Community Engagement Team Sergeant - Brian Simpson
Joyce White, Chief Executive of West Dunbartonshire, will be retiring in May.
The post has been advertised for a replacement.
Jaxx gave an update on this. Andy Devine had said three planters will be set in the middle of the square. Pavement work etc will be carried out and Jaxx will arrange for plants and other necessary equipment to be purchased. Local shops in the area are keen to be involved in this project. Funding options will be looked at for the revamped green corridor from Dumbarton East Station down to the castle. Cllr McBride suggested CVS could assist with this. Dorothy will contact David Campbell.
Should the proposed boundary changes take place, this Community Council will lose two of its members as they reside in the area which will be taken over. Tentative enquiries will be made with the Silverton & Overtoun Community Council to see what their views are on this. As has been suggested in the past, it could be possible if all agreed that the two CCs merge but many discussions would have to take place on this and WDC would firstly have to say if this is possible.
Mary reported there is £2069.90 in the bank and petty cash of £48.34p.
Jaxx asked the policy re not considering the knock on effect when WDC does not have a planning policy but follow the Planning Law. A Local Development Plan is available and Dorothy will arrange to obtain one.
The AGM due to be held on January 11, 2022 was cancelled due to the upsurge in the Omicron virus.
1. Welcome
2. The Events for the Year 2020-2021
3. Election of Office Bearers
4. The Year Ahead
5. AOCB
6. Date of next meeting:
This AGM meeting will be followed by our usual monthly meeting.
1. Previous Minutes/Matters Arising
2. Questions to Councillors/Police
3. Property at 90 High Street
4. WDC Chief Executive retirement
5. Knoxland Square Project Proposal update (Jacqueline Bruce)
6. Treasurer's Report
7. AOB
8. Next Meeting:
The next meeting will be held on Tuesday 8 March 2022 at 7pm in St Augustine's Church Hall.