LANGBANK COMMUNITY COUNCIL
MEETING MINUTES
WEDNESDAY 14th FEBRUARY 2024 at 7.30pm Langbank Village Hall, Middlepenny Road
Present: Neil Barrington (chair), Jacqueline Doherty, John O’Brien, Julie Gilmour, Maggie Hancock.
Also in attendance: Lesley Fairlie, Iain McDougall, Cllr Fiona Airlie Nicolson, Cllr James MacLaren, Muriel Colquhoun, David Hallworth (Snr), David Hallworth (Jnr),David Magee, Katrina Mcgee, Trixie brown, Gillian Kulwicki and Ania Owsianka.
Apologies: Carly Deheer and James Hunter
Welcome and apologies:
The chairman welcomed everyone and opened meeting at 7.32pm.
He noted the sad news re the passing of James Hunter’s wife and that CC have passed on their sincere sympathies - to James and his family.
Police Report:
No police report available. No info to feed back to police.
Minutes of previous meeting:
No issues raised. Said minutes were proposed by Maggie Hancock, seconded by Jacqueline Doherty.
Village website and Facebook updates:
No issues raised with Facebook page. Minutes of previous meeting added to website. Village calendar to be published on website and Facebook.
Retrospective Planning Approval. App 23/0535PP:
As discussed at the previous meeting, an objection was submitted on behalf of CC. No further outcome re planning permission is yet available.
Double yellow lines at COAST Restaurant on Main Road:
As per previous meetings, there are a few cars parking on double yellow lines but it is much better than prior to double yellow lines being installed. This will be monitored over the coming summer months when the restaurant is generally busier.
Noted that Mr McAllister has offered to discuss the sale of land adjacent to Coast for the purpose of Coast extending their car park, he is still awaiting a response from the Coast owner - Mr A Cauley.
Clyde Coastal Path Meeting developments:
No update.
Neil Barrington will try to reach out to contact in Strathclyde Uni re help. Langbank Church conversion follow up:
No update available.
Village Hall update:
Things are still going ok with steady lets. AGM will be next week.
MUGA – Winter Connections:
Winter Connections grant was received from RC following change of provider to Get Active Coaching (GAC) and first sessions have been received very well with positive feedback.
Clyde Sheds to deliver and install a new cabin on 5th March. This was purchased using grant money from “Affluent Financials”.
LBC had been kept informed of the new hut and date for delivery. The LBC gate codes on the gate padlocks have recently been changed and the LCC need to be informed of these to allow access to the site of the new shed. The chairman will follow this up.
Street lamp replacements:
The RC contract has been awarded and work within Renfrewshire was due to start 5th February, although no date provided re when they will replace lamp posts in Langbank.
Noted that RC were contacted re faulty lights at West Ferry – initial RC inspection found no fault, however on being contacted again next day faults were then identified. Brief discussion about inefficiency of RC when responding to these types of things. Several unlit road signs were also mentioned and Cllr James MacLaren will follow this up.
Recent flooding:
Discussion around blocked drains. Although we have been informed repeatedly that the gullies have been cleared, this can’t be the case as there are times when some of the drains are full of water when the water in others is at a much lower level. Suggestion that perhaps tree roots are an issue on some of the drains on Station Road.
Note: that the gully under the new path towards the west side of playing fields is blocked once again and overflowing over the path. Despite this, general feedback on the new path is very positive.
Feedback and resulting action plan from Transport Scotland on the A8 Roundabout Survey:
Follow up email sent to enquire about the outcome of Roundabout Review – email response received and read to meeting. The outcome of review is due in March and CC will be informed of this. If works should be taken forward then this will be subject to funds being available within the 2024/25 budget.
Planning Application 23/0128/PP 30 Glamping Pods, Gleddoch House – further development and inputs from interim meetings.
A document with main bullet points had been prepared by attendee prior to meeting– this was presented and discussed. This has been included as after these minutes Under GLEDDOCH HOTEL PROPOSED DEVELOPMENTS.
Suggestion that a comparison to current water volumes of burn should be used to give a realistic idea.
Number of emails have been written to SEPA – problem is that the plans Gleddoch have submitted fall below the threshold SEPA and Scottish Water would be concerned about. The numbers they have provided is an average occupancy of 1.5 per pod.
This planning application is a real concern due to the potential of increased flooding within the village, disruption to water supply and the environmental impact.
Potential actions
RSPB have been approached, however weren’t willing to become involved as the site is more than 500m away from development.
More significance should be placed on Ramsar classification as the burn is hydrologically connected to a designated Ramsar site.
Actions prior to next meeting:
Other attendees - Document shared at meeting to be amended if necessary then publicised on village noticeboard, Village website and Facebook page. LCC - Invite head of planning and elected members on the board to the next CC meeting. Lengthy discussion and agreed next steps:
Cllr MacLaren’s monthly input:
Roads
Capital Works: - The council’s term contractor has gone into liquidation and staff have been working with a replacement contractor to get outstanding works completed before the end of the financial year.
Road & Pavement Sweeping
Sweeping Main Rd pavement: - Due to mud left on the pavement after the floods, I requested pavement sweeping and this was done on Friday the 9th Feb. They got all they could but with some parked cars perhaps not all and will monitor it next time they are in the area. Main Rd going west
to Finlaystone: - I have requested that the pavement be swept and low branches/undergrowth be
cut back. This work including some tree works will get carried out some time in February.
Station Rd Gullies: - StreetScene were asked to attend and brush the area around the Elmbank Rd gully.
Roadside Vegetation, A8 Greenock Rd at Hatton Brae: - StreetScene will cut back any wayward bramble stems on this road from the Good Shepherd to the Rail bridge.
Subsidence, Main Rd pavement: - Subsidence has been reported in the pavement outside a house on Old Greenock Rd near the station, presumably caused by the flooding. A contractor will make repairs.
- Work has been undertaken on the road and verges to the west of Laigh Hatton Farm to alleviate flooding and potholes.
Traffic Calming, Village Gateway: - A 3 year-long villages traffic calming project is likely to start in April 2024 and will look at all entrances to the village. Engagement with the local residents and petitioners is currently programmed for Autumn 2024. The intention is to procure a consultant in 24/25 to undertake detailed consultation with the Community Council and draft designs in year 1. Detailed designs and further consultation/agreement in year 2 and procurement of a contractor and construction in year 3.
Capital Works Programme: - I requested that a section of Middlepenny Rd pavement from the railway bridge going uphill requires inspection and assessment for resurfacing. This will be assessed for inclusion in a new programme.
White lines-B789 Barochan Rd: - This location will be surveyed when resources allow next financial year. Any lining requiring to be refurbished will be added to a Task Order for our Lining Contractor.
A8 Barrier Works: - Amey, on behalf of Transport Scotland, are undertaking essential VRS upgrades on the A8 between Woodhall Roundabout and Langbank Roundabout from Monday 15th January and Friday 8th March 2024. Construction works will be undertaken during daylight hours. 24-hour offside lane closures and a temporary 50 mph speed limit will be in place.
Planning Application glamping pods
The planning application Ref 23/0128/PP for glamping pods at Gleddoch has had new reports
added. The closing date for comments has been extended to 24th February, but will be extended to allow people to comment on any new documents submitted until the planning report has been finalised. There are a number of reasons to object. My main concern is the impact on the burn running through the site and future flooding issues in the village. Comments can be submitted online or by emailing direct to dc@renfrewshire.gov.uk .
Braehead 514 Bus
A new McGill’s bus service has been agreed for Bishopton. The new 514 service will take in Bishopton station and continue on to Braehead. There is a 70-day registration process which means the start date won’t be until Sunday 14th April 2024. Unfortunately, the service does not extend to Langbank but may be useful as a connection from Bishopton station to Braehead.
My Surgery, Langbank Church - 1st Monday of the month
I will have copies of my monthly report available which people can collect at my surgery and will continue to post my reports on Facebook too. If there is sufficient demand then I would be happy to send out a monthly email to those who wish to subscribe to this.
Street Lighting
The latest I have is that the contract has been awarded and a 5th February “shovel in the ground date” was agreed. I know this has been a long wait and I requested that the darker streets be tackled first.
Westferry: - Scottish Power say that the street lights at Westferry R’about (Greenock Road lamps R22 and R28) should be repaired by the 6/3/24.
For street lights of the 5 and 6 m height variety, this contract is out to tender and should be returned by the 23rd Feb.
Garden Waste Permit
Your brown bin licence is valid until 31 March 2024, if you have one. You'll need to apply for a new one to cover April 2024 onwards. Applications for new permits open on 19 February. My Conservative colleagues and I feel that this is an unfair tax on maintaining your garden and will continue to object to this charge.
Qu. Will RC issue a reminder re brown bins.
A. Unknown, but they may not therefore residents need to be mindful of this.
Abandoned Car, Main Rd
One of our enforcement officers attended and made enquiries nearby however no one was able to give him any information as to the vehicle owner. He has started the abandoned vehicle process and attached a notice to the vehicle. Given that it is not taxed, he has also notified DVLA.
Missed Bins
Glencairn Road had their bins missed (brown and grey). These should now have been emptied. Reasons given are “a few vehicles off road” and poor weather conditions. Marypark Rd had some of their brown bins missed and there was no good reason given.
Cycle Path
Amey says there are no plans to install a barrier on the footway alongside the westbound carriageway of the A8 trunk road between West Ferry and Langbank at this time. I will pursue this.
Cllr Airlie Nicolson report
Pavement Parking ban.
The council is currently considering the implementation of a parking ban and this will be preceded by wide consultation with community groups. It is expected that many areas will be exempted due to practicalities and road design. It will be up to local communities to feed into the pavement ban proposals as to their local areas. Ideally to tackle serious issues of footway obstruction etc. possibly outside schools and other amenities.
December last year. Renfrewshire Motorists who park on pavements in Renfrewshire could be fined
£100 from November 2024. The Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 bans pavement parking, double parking and parking at dropped kerbs, although certain exemptions will be designated by councils. The report said: "Whilst some authorities decided to start using the powers without having made the required exemptions, Renfrewshire will continue the process of identifying areas exempt from the ban. Once the assessment process concludes in April 2024, the council will promote a traffic regulation order which will ensure communities are aware of which streets in Renfrewshire will be exempt from the ban.
Changes to the way certain items are handled by the councils waste services an civic amenity sites.
The council has embarked upon an upgrade in its civic amenity sites (dumps) with new compactors and greater separation of materials. It will now take cardboard, hard plastics etc and are stricter on separating out materials. These upgrades have been welcome and reduce the cost to the council on the waste disposal.
Also happening are Legal changes on the collection and disposal of upholstered furniture and disposal with guidance from SEPA on organic compounds found mainly in furniture. This cannot be a refuse vehicle as materials are not permitted to be compacted.
Change in wheelie bin charges.
Also agreed was a change in the fees structure for additional wheelie bins and exchanges which occur. The council gets 4000 requests for a change in bin every year and it used to do this for free however the cost of that gets passed on to council taxpayers. A £25 charge will now be asked for a new bin and delivery. It won't effect anyone whose bin is swallowed by the bin lorry or if they want bigger recycling wheelie bins, its mainly the grey bin which people swap around a lot or take with them new housing or generally just lose them. If your bin is stolen it is still required you report it to Police. Overall it will help us to reduce costs and the amount of plastic containers in the system.
A8 Roundabout
A response was received from Transport Scotland in November where they stated that Amey’s collision investigation was due to be submitted before the end of last year. Last month I followed this up asking for an update.
The investigation report is due for completion by the end of March 2024.
Transport Scotland will review issues raised from the report and consider any proposals identified for design and construction in the 2024/25 financial year subject to available funding.
AOB
No matters raised.
Meeting closed.
Gleddoch Hotel Proposed Development
Renfrewshire Council Planning Ref: 23/0128/PP
Erection of 30 glamping pods, access road and associated works. To view all documents submitted to planning, visit:
http://tinyurl.com/y9y9xrcf
Drainage & Waste Water
• 30 pods ranging from 3 bed to 7 bed, total worked out at 140 max capacity. This is greater than the hotel itself.
• 140 capacity divided by 30 cabins = 4.66 average capacity.
• Gleddoch are quoting 1.5 occupancy to planning. These numbers keep Scottish Water and SEPA out of the equation as at 4.66 occupancy they would have strict requirements that the development would have to meet.
• Septic tank based on 45 person capacity (1.5 occupancy) is discharging 6750 litres per day into Gleddoch Burn. This equates to 47,250 litres per week. If occupancy is greater than 45 people this will be discharging raw sewage into Gleddoch Burn.
Based on a more realistic occupancy of 4.5, this figure increases to 20,250 litres per day or 141,750 litres per week. This figure does NOT include the wastewater from the hot tubs.
• A septic tank needs to be capable of coping with the MAXIMUM capacity of a development, not an expected capacity as if demand exceeds expectations it will be discharging raw sewage.
• The hot tubs on average will hold 1250 litres of water. 30 hot tubs at this capacity totals 37,500 litres of water. These will have the water changed every 2 days as per documents submitted to planning, this equates to 18,750 litres of water PER DAY or 131,250 litres PER WEEK.
• On a day when the hot tubs are drained, along with the effluent output of the septic tank, this will create a total potential load of 39,000 litres PER DAY or 273,000 litres PER WEEK going into Gleddoch Burn. In a village that already suffers with horrendous flooding in bad weather, adding quarter of a millions litres of water a week to the drains could be catastrophic.
• Everything discharged into Gleddoch Burn runs through Langbank onto the mudflats.
• In the summer months Gleddoch Burn is little more then a trickle of water so the primary content would be effluent from the septic tank based on 1.5 occupancy or raw sewage based on the more realistic 4.5 occupancy.
• Gleddoch have submitted a proposal that instead of dumping the water from the hot tubs directly, they will install a water catchment tank to catch the waste drained from the hot tubs. This will in turn be treated with chemicals to neutralise the chlorine and the tank contents will then be dumped.
• On a day where there is already torrential rain and Langbank is flooded, there is then the potential for Gleddoch to drain a water tank with a huge capacity into
Gleddoch Burn exacerbating the volume of water hitting the village.
Fresh Water Supply
• Gleddoch are planning on using a single borehole to provide water for not only this this development but for the entire site including the hotel, leisure facilities inc. swimming pool, kitchens, glamping pods and watering the golf course in the summer. This borehole would need to be able to sustain a water demand of 40,000 litres PER DAY just to provide enough water for the glamping pods. It is roughly estimated that a borehole will be expected to provide 80-100,000 litres PER DAY to support the establishment. This figure could increase significantly due to the swimming pool in the spa.
• Gleddoch have submitted a letter to planning which references a report from a company called Terrenus Land & Water. This letter leads us to believe that Terranus Land & Water have carried out a feasibility study which indicates that there is significant potential for a borehole to supply water for the current requirements of the hotel, spa and golf course along with the proposed glamping pods. This is an undated letter that has been written by Ian Jillott of Gleddoch and submitted to planning. No copy of this feasibility study has been made available to the public or to planning.
• I spoke with Terrenus Land & Water yesterday who advised that they were asked by Gleddoch to do a desktop report which clarified very little. They advised Gleddoch that a test hole would need to be drilled and that once this was done they could create a proper fact based report. Gleddoch have not been back in touch with them since.
• The letter provided by Gleddoch finishes by saying the applicant is at the stage of seeking suitable contractors with a view to carrying out the work as soon as possible. This suggests that they aren’t going to complete the full investigation.
• Whilst speaking with Terrenus Land & Water I asked them if there was a potential of a borehole drying out the existing water table in the area thus causing issues for other local properties currently served by existing springs and boreholes. They advised that as they’ve not been to site they couldn’t confirm this but advised that it is entirely possible. There is also a chance that it could dry up existing streams that currently flow through the village and some private gardens.
• The documents Gleddoch have provided also state that they are intending to retain their mains water supply in case of any issues with their borehole including it drying up or not providing an adequate supply. Gleddoch are lucky to have this option but none of the neighbouring properties have such a luxury. If Gleddoch dry up the water table then the neighbouring properties will be left without water.
What do we need?
• Assistance in setting up and publicising a village meeting to ensure that the majority of the villagers are aware of the nature of the development and the consequences including but not limited to noise, light, traffic and flooding.
• The immediate neighbours from Gleddoch Wynd, The Grange and Netherton Road have already contributed in excess of £300 per household. All costs incurred to date such as a planning consultant, local planning agent, etc have all been covered by this.
• An Ecological Impact Assessment is going to cost £35,000. We need as much help as possible with villagers writing to Renfrewshire Council to push them to demand that this is something Gleddoch are obliged to provide.
• Does anybody have any experience in crowd funding that would assist in covering these costs should Renfrewshire Council not stipulate these as a requirement.
What do we need?
• Assistance in setting up and publicising a village meeting to ensure that the majority of the villagers are aware of the nature of the development and the consequences including but not limited to noise, light, traffic and flooding.
• The immediate neighbours from Gleddoch Wynd, The Grange and Netherton Roadhave already contributed in excess of £300 per household. All costs incurred to date such as a planning consultant, local planning agent, etc have all been covered by this.
• An Ecological Impact Assessment is going to cost £35,000. We need as much help as possible with villagers writing to Renfrewshire Council to push them to demand that this is something Gleddoch are obliged to provide
• Does anybody have any experience in crowd funding that would assist in covering these costs should Renfrewshire Council not stipulate these as a requirement ?
The chairman thanked everyone for their attendance and closed meeting at 9.40pm.
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