Some fun events on in the village this weekend
Saturday 2nd @ 11am is the Scouts, Cubs, Beavers and Squirrels Fun Day .
Then in the evening also on the second we also have the Fair Trade fundraising Ceilidh starting at 7.30 at the Parich Church.
Looking to find out whats on in the village, check out the Whats on Bridge of Allan Facebook page, and our events page.
On the 18th of June we held our AGM and elected our position holders. Our long serving Chair Mike gave his annual report which can be read below. Mike has been Chair since 2017 and has served the community with passion and dedication. The Community Council Members thank Mike for his leadership and guidance over this time.
Good evening seems like no time at all since the previous AGM and I guess at my age time does slip by ever rapidly.
Seems to me to have been a year when we fully recovered from the trials and tribulations of be inquorate early 2023 and have grown in strength and stature as the locally elected representative body in the Village.
We have in my view increased our profile and credibility through the invaluable input of our Comms Group and the leadership of Anna providing up to date news and information to the residents.
The Xmas lights annual event is now fully established and funded thanks to the working group and the local traders and the partnership support of the Friends.
We intervened on the surprise sale of greenspace on Sunnylaw road by calling a public meeting and establishing a local action group resulting in the final purchase of the land for the Community through local benefactors and subsequent management by the local Development trust.
The requirement by Stirling Council and the Scottish Government to create a Local Place Plan which will feed into the Strategic L.D.P has been at the forefront of input on our Planning agenda and is fronted by Amanda and Inga in partnership with Discover Bridge of Allan. Following a successful intervention at the Civic Panel clarifying the targeting of our Common Good Fund resources.
Local Planning is always on our agenda, and we have objected as and when appropriate e.g. on the redevelopment of the former Eagleton hotel and the Blairforkie Drive housing development and issues such as the future of the Royal Hotel and the former Police Station will no doubt be high on our future agenda.
Chair: Amanda Coulthard
Vice Chair: Anna Doeser
Secretary: Leslie Harkness
Treasurer: Alasdair Taylor
Planning Officer: Inga Bullen
Communications Officer: Anna Doeser
The minutes of the 2022 AGM (there was no 2023 AGM) were approved and are now available here. The Community Council Annual Accounts were also approved and can be viewed here.
Our May meeting minutes were approved at our last meeting and are now available to read in full by clicking here
At the meeting we discussed
Police report – We have a new PC covering the Bridge of Allan area PC Rennie. Residents voice – concerns re vegetation encroaching on pavements and derelict buildings. – Remember you can riase issues directly with Stirling Council using the Report it function Guala – Update from tour of site facilitated by Allan Currie. Curently all possible options for the site are being considered. Sunnylaw Land: Solicitors are finalising the purchase. Discover Bridge of Allan will hold the land in trust and an Management Committee will now take on responsibility for the site. Tennis Courts/MUGA refurbishment – refurbished courts are curently free for the time being, with proposed fee being £5 per hour, £50 per year. Courts can be booked via the LTA clubspark site (registration needed). Funding from CSET has been secured to refurbish the adjoining MUGA Local Place Plan – Communinty Engagement took place at recent events. The survey was extended (but is now closed). The Local Place Plan document is beginign to be built up Waste Management Centre Bookings/ Fountain Road Play park – bookings are now needed to take your waste to the HWRC – see more info here Succession Planning/Co-option CC Public Liability Insurance Reported Drug Issue Planning Applications Report Common Good Fund Application – The CC voted to approve funding from the Common Good Fund for Bridge of Allan Primary school to refurbish their MUGAMinutes from all our past meetings can be found on our meetings page
A section of the A9 trunk road at Keir Roundabout near Dunblane is set to benefit from a project delivering road surfacing improvements worth more than £380,000.
Amey, on behalf of Transport Scotland, is undertaking essential maintenance on the road from Friday 28th October until Tuesday 1st November.
The project will involve teams carrying out surface improvements to a section of the northbound carriageway immediately north of the roundabout, a section of the southbound approach and part of the Keir Roundabout circulatory.
To allow these works to be carried out in a safe and efficient manner for the workforce and motorists, traffic restrictions will be in place on the network in two separate phases.
Information shared with us about the works is also available from Traffic Scotland
Phase One
The following diversions will be in place:
During the overnight closure, the exits for the A9 (non-trunk), M9 and B824 will remain open.
Traffic can join Keir Roundabout from the B8033 and A9 (non trunk).
The following diversions will be in place:
We wish we had a map showing the diversion routes but none has been provided as yet, so we hope you can figure out from the descriptions what routes will be availbale.
All schemes are weather dependent and may be cancelled or rescheduled if weather conditions are not favourable.
The Friends of Bridge of Allan received recognition for all the fine work they have been doing in the village receiving the Queens Award for Voluntary Services last month. There will be a presentation in the Memorial Park this Tuesday 19th at 2pm. The Lord Lieutenant will be presenting the award. Provost Dodds who nominated group will be there along with the past Provost and other guests.
You still have a chance to join our team here on the Community Council. We are looking for more active members to help is take action on litter, speeding, improving community resources, sustainability project, community events, supporting local groups and more! Get in touch if you want to know more, see our post here for more details We are also looking for paid minute takers to attend meetings and type up the notes. Rate of pay is £40 per meeting.
Be aware of water safety during the hot weather. Police, fire and rescue and Air Ambulance responded to an event last week on the River Teith on the Carse of Lecropt. It can be tempting to go for a dip in a river or loch while it is hot, but swimming in unsupervised open water can be extremely dangerous. Open water can become very cold just a few feet under the surface and can cause cramps or Cold Water Shock. Very cold temperatures can also affect your stamina and you may find your strength and ability to swim deteriorates rapidly. You might find yourself getting tired a lot more quickly than you would in a heated pool. Be aware and make others aware of the risks.
We have been informed that sadly 6 Ash trees in the Fountain road carpark have been found to be suffering from Ash Dieback Disease. Unfortunately ADB is likely to kill majority of Ash trees in UK, and once symptoms are showing there is no way back. There is also a risk of structural failure once symptoms are showing. The Ash trees showing signs of dieback will be felled in the near future.
We have a Troll! We have received a number of enquires asking if Jordan Mahon is a “Community Leader” at Bridge of Allan Community Council. His Facebook profile makes this claim and he has been making hateful comments. He is not known to us, does he even live in the area, or is a real person. Any representation for Bridge of Allan Community Council will come from our official pages and not individuals, all our true memebers are listed on our website: https://www.ccbridgeofallan.org.uk/about/ . His account has been reported but since on Facebook you can claim to work for any organisation you like there is not a lot we can do!
You might see some changes happening on Henderson Street. You may remember the consultation that ran in Jan, many of you submitted comments. We are not aware of any Feedback published from this event, but have been forwarded the latest plans for the changes . Plan 1 , Plan 2, Plan 3, Plan 4.
The changes going head are kerb adjustments and buildouts, new parking bays, Audible locator devices will be installed outside Allan water Café and old Tesco’s to aid visually impaired users. Speed activated signs will be installed in the vicinity of the memorial park. The indented bus stops however are not going to be removed.
We hope you have been enjoying the Christmas lights. We thought it important to acknowledge all those that have made it possible.
Thanks to the generosity of residents and visitors, business and community sponsors, the Community Council and Friends of Bridge of Allan all working together to light up the village. This year we are also fortunate to receive a Community Pride grant from Stirling Council towards the lights repairs.
Thanks to our sponsors who have been with us over the years and some new ones this year. We are grateful to have such community spirited businesses in the village, please take some time to check out the sponsorship plaques under the lights. You will see the names of our proud sponsors: UCP, Allanwater Café, The Westerton Arms, Kevin Wilson Master Builders, Central Property Maintenance Services, Angels’ Share Glass, Bridge of Allan Dental, Harper and Stone, Halliday Homes, Co-op Funeral Care, Executive Golf and Leisure, Emma Drewery Optometrists and Francis Masterson Plumbing and Heating. So please shop local this Christmas, online or on the high street and show your appreciation.
Many local businesses and groups also rallied round for the Crowdfunder: Capture Boutique, Bridge of Allan Hardware, Lockhart & Taylor, The Flooring Studio, Leeanne Kerr, Fotheringham Gallery, The Good Choice, Nick’s and the Nairn Family, Stirling Photography Festival, Forth Residential Ltd, Bridge of Allan Round Table, Mailers, Allanwater Chiropractors and finally, Friends of Bridge of Allan…and possibly more, sorry if I haven’t recognized your name in the donor list.
We also have some wonderful memorial and family sponsorships. It means so much to us that loved ones can be remembered at this time of year. Thanks to these friends and families supporting the lights in this way: The family of Michael Moss, team Angie’s Diamond in memory of Angela Donaldson, Jo and Mia in memory of Alasdair Garbett, the Mitchell family in memory of Chris Mitchell, the Davidsons in memory of Lloyd Bremner, the Sweeny family, and the Roughead family in memory of AnnMarie.
Thanks to everyone from far and wide who chipped in big or small to the Crowdfunder. 168 Supporters, from £5 to £1000, from sharing on your social media or telling your granny, it all helped! The Bridge of Allan Scouts did a fantastic job designing the supporter badges which makes me wish Scouts was available to my age bracket! Don’t forget, in the new year, on the 8th January, they will be doing a tree collection raising funds for Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland
Donors to the Crowdfunder will be able to brighten up their Christmas tree with their supporters badges
Your Christmas Lights project manager Elf will be out this Friday/Saturday delivering the supporter badges. If you made a pledge to our campaign, but were new to Crowdfunder and weren’t sure how to get a supporter reward but would like one then get in touch with your name and address as we still have a few available. Get in touch either through the Crowdfunder platform or contact@ccbridgeofallan.org.uk.
And finally the Provost’s park wouldn’t be the same without the Christmas tree and lights which are organized by the Friends of Bridge of Allan. They are a great source of help to the community all year round, at Christmas they get the ladders out and put up our sponsor plaques. Friends welcome new members and volunteers if you’d like to get involved.
Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas 🙂
