December 5th 2013 Minutes

JOHNSTONE COMMUNITY COUNCIL Minutes of the ordinary meeting of Johnstone Community Council held on Thursday 5th. December 2013 at 7.00pm in Cochrane Castle Community Centre. Present Members: Dennis Lavery (Chair), Elizabeth Cosgrove, Wilma Deans, Linda Flint, Rob Bowater, Malcolm Hill, Brian Cairns, George Kennedy, Daniel McKay, Evelyn Cairns, Ron Ewing, Carol Ewing. Police rep: Stephen Airlie Guest: Neil Watson – Architect Three members of the public were also present. In attendance: Fiona Paterson (Minutes Secretary) Councillors: John Caldwell, Iain McMillan 1 Apologies Valerie Reilly, David Higginson, Pamela Higginson, Stuart Clark, Councillors Derek Bibby, Andy Doig, Stephen McGee, Chris Gilmour 2 Minutes The minutes of the previous meeting were read and agreed. Proposed by: George Kennedy Seconded: Wilma Deans 3 Matters arising There were no matters arising from the previous minutes. 4 Report from Police Scotland rep – Stephen Airlie Sgt Airlie gave a breakdown of the crimes/offences that had been committed in the area recently. Although a significant number of crimes had been detected, the crimes/offences that were unsolved were mainly those for vandalism as they were difficult to detect. Some acts of vandalism were done on purpose whilst others were carried out under the influence of alcohol. The figures reported also showed an increase in the number of thefts of lead which were also difficult to detect. House break-ins also included sheds, outhouses, etc. An increase in housebreak-ins was due to the time of year as it was in the weeks prior to Christmas. It was also reported that some crimes are committed by habitual offenders and others by opportunists. 5 New Town Hall presentation of current design concepts – presentation by Architect Neil Watson A presentation for the designs for the new Town Hall was presented by Neil Watson the architect for the project. The new building will contain:- the Library Police Scotland will have some space within the building with a separate entrance and will be manned Registrars Office with a separate Marriage Suite. The Marriage Suite will be tastefully decorated and will provide flexible layouts to cater for a variety of services. An area suitable for indoor photography will also be included. An Advice/Customer Service Centre will offer a full range of services Public Toilets will also be located within the Town Hall The overgrown bushes have be removed from Houston Square to encourage more use of the space. The building will have a pitched roof indicative of the factories that were once abundant in Johnstone. The Town Hall will not be as tall as surrounding buildings. There will be separate entrances to the Library, Registrars and Police Station from the main entrance to the Town Hall. The main hall will be flexible in the way that it can be used and will include tiered seating for watching performances, presentations, etc. The facilities will provide comfortable seating and up to date technology to enhance the sound and lighting for activities using the main hall. The aim is to create the Town Hall to appear as an extension to the shopping centre and will include a cafe area, meeting rooms and an Advice Centre which will include Housing, Social Work, etc. The groups that use the Town Hall will have storage facilities as this has been incorporated into the design. More car parking will be developed once the build is completed. Concerns were raised regarding the noise of the contractors. It is envisaged that significant noise levels will only be for a short period. It was suggested that local residents should be kept informed with Newsletters regarding the time scale and duration of excessive noise. A concern was raised regarding the number of employees that will be retained once all the services have been relocated into the new building. It was also suggested that a celebrity from the area be invited to open the Town Hall such as Phyllis Logan. 6 Planning It was reported that the Ellison Grill in Howwood has put in a request to revert to a private dwelling. Reduced speed limits on the Beith Road from Corseford School to the traffic lights at Spateston will be extended to Howwood. 7 Treasurer An Annual Administrative allowance from Renfrewshire Council of £984 was received. The bank balance stands at £5674.86 as at 7.12.13. There were enough funds for the running costs of Weans World until May. 8 Secretary At the recent L.A.C. meeting a senior officer from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service made a presentation with regards to the fire at the WRC recycling plant. The cause of the fire is still unknown. The Community Council is looking to recruit members and is proposing a recruitment drive to increase the membership. New members can then be co-opted on to the committee dependant on the increased number of full members achieved. It was suggested that local secondary schools be contacted to try and encourage younger members and to inform them of the Community Council. 9 Sub group reports Roads A problem with the rutted road surface of the road bridge over the River Cart at Kilbarchan had been reported directly to Scott Allan the Head of Roads. JCC. raised concerns that the bridge was being shaken continually by heavy traffic and could be permanently damaged. Roads responded to this very quickly closing the bridge over night resolving this problem with minimum disruption. Two new drains at Miller Street, Park Road were previously damaged and are now in a worse condition. This is a common complaint throughout the town. A maintenance programme should be implemented to prevent the situation worsening. Grit Bin- Ulundi Road This has now been delivered and installed. Summary of Winter Service Plan In the event of extreme winter conditions main routes will be gritted first. Traffic congestion Johnstone Town Centre A proposal for introducing more one way streets to Johnstone Centre was circulated for discussion. The current timing of the traffic lights and flow of traffic does not appear to be operating at the optimum level and congestion occurs at various times during the day. It was reported that the congestion which can at peak times cause problems with the off-ramp into the town centre deters people from coming in to the town. It was proposed that this should be discussed at a future meeting to which traders and representatives from Renfrewshire Council will be invited. It was also proposed that a Safety Group be established. Food waste collection It was reported that there was a poor uptake in the usage of the green bins recently introduced for the collection of food waste. Hopefully with more information regarding how it is used and the benefits of recycling food more people will start using it. Some households did not receive a green bin. Shop fronts Some money has been set aside to help shop keepers upgrade the front of their shops. It was unclear how this was communicated to traders. More money will be available in the new financial year. Play park and youth issues Shank’s Park - has not much in the way of facilities for older children. An article has been submitted to the Gazette with details of the improvements that have been made to Shanks Park by JCC. with a look forward to future provision. A gift of £665 which was gratefully received from Glasgow Airport Flightpath Fund was spent on equipment for Our Children's Club.The pool table was recovered and a new air hockey table purchased. The Caterpillar and swings at the play park have been painted by the Payback Team. AOCB The flag that had been on a pylon has been removed. It was reported that this should not be taken light heartedly as the event caused some residents in the area to feel intimidated. The issue of flags is usually not a problem in the area but there is an awareness that more flags have been visible. It was reported that the area adjacent to the Johnstone Bowling green was in a mess, There is great scope here to improve facilities which have been allowed to run down. Dog fouling – this was still an issue in many areas and when dog owners were approached regarding this some were abusive in their response. There being no further business the meeting closed at 8.45p.m. The next meeting will be held at Cochrane Castle Community Centre on Thursday 13th. February at 7.00p.m.