SPEAN BRIDGE
Spean Bridge, Roy Bridge and Achnacarry Community Council helds its November meeting recently.
Present were John Fotheringham, Brian Donald, Liz Fotheringham, Peter McIntosh, Ross MacLennan, Dana MacLennan, Ian Langley, Allan Henderson, Denis Rixson, both Highland councillors, and three members of the public.
This was the first meeting of the new council after its formation and therefore Councillor Henderson took the chair for the opening minutes.
John Fotheringham was unanimously elected as chairman and the rest of the meeting was handed over to him.
Dana MacLennan was unanimously elected as secretary and Ross MacLennan was unanimously elected as treasurer.
Members agreed meetings would continue to be held on the first Tuesday of each month.
Brian Donald thanked councillors Thompson and Rixson on behalf of the community council for their excellent contributions to the debate on Coire Glas in the Highland Council South Planning Committee.
Matters arising.
BEAR and Transport Scotland: Mr Fotheringham had written to Tommy Deans of BEAR thanking him for the local trunk road resurfacing carried out this summer and autumn. However, some issues were
still outstanding and urgent remedial action was called for.
This includes fixing the break-up and potholing of the surface on the A82 at its junction with the A86; the repair to the Telford Bridge parapet agreed with SSE but not so far actioned; the carriageway edge potholing on the A82 south of the Great Glen cattle ranch building; the culvert outside the Bridge Café on the A82 in Spean Bridge and safety notices on the A82 approaching the Aonachan crossroads.
There was advance warning of overnight closures for resurfacing on the A86 at Ardverikie between November 4 and 7, and on the A82 at Altrua five miles north of Spean Bridge and at Onich from November 25 to 29 and November 25 to 27 respectively. Highland Council: the fence in Roy Bridge has been repaired. The community council has suggested an amendment to the waiting restrictions in Altour Road and awaits developments.
Community benefit: the representatives of the community on the SSE Stronelairg Wind Farm Panel will be John Fotheringham, Ian Langley, Ross MacLennan, Margaret Boyd and Ian Matheson.
Resilience: Ian Langley gave the meeting an update on the National Resilience Conference.
Treasurer’s report: the current bank balance is £1,461.48. The treasurer will write to the Roy Bridge Gardens Project volunteers explaining the delay in reimbursing them.
The next meeting will be on December 4 in Kilmonivaig Church Hall at 7pm.
Planning: outstanding applications – only Marine Harvest’s shorebase in Loch Arkaig has received conditional approval; no final decision on Tigh Aran, or the site opposite the primary school, and the council still awaits an application on the Hobbs Ground.
The council had noted 18/04441/PAN, and the planning officer’s comments that Achnabobane was neither a village nor settlement.
Current applications: the councillors considered two current planning applications.
It was agreed that they should query if 18/04989/FUL in Achnabobane was still eligible for to be treated under the housing group rule in the Supplementary Guidance Housing in the Countryside Siting and Design.