Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence intimated.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee held on Wednesday, 9 December 2020 were approved as a correct record.

 

Matters Arising

 

The Chair advised that following concerns raised at the previous meeting of the Area Committee around the lack of mains water supply on Coll, she had written to Scottish Water on behalf of rural and island areas and Councillor Devon had also written to Scottish Water on behalf of constituents on the Island of Coll.

 

The minutes of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group held on Wednesday, 17 February 2021 were noted.

 

Question from Duncan Martin, Oban Community Council

 

Oban Community Council insists that this summer Ganavan Car Park must be effectively managed to facilitate its use both by the residents of Oban and by the many visitors expected this summer.

 

Could Mr. Smith please provide his management plan.

 

This must include some method of controlling the use of the car park by caravans and campervans, which at times made the area unusable by the general public. It must also address the wider issue of accommodating these visitors elsewhere in Oban - perhaps the old Council yard could be used temporarily? It has water, electricity and sewage facilities.

 

Response from Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services

 

In the absence of a relevant officer the Committee Manager read out the following statement from the Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services.

 

At the Council Budget meeting held on 25^th February, the Council allocated funding to deal with staycation visitors as detailed in the table below.

 

Investing in Argyll and Bute’s Opportunities - £0.830m
£500k	Staycation Argyll and Bute - Supporting recovery and renewal by maximising the potential for growth in Argyll and Bute’s camping and campervan staycation market	Additional funds to be spent across 2021/22 and 2022/23 to support the delivery of a range of facilities across Argyll and Bute necessary to support camping and caravan staycations.  This will include provision of additional waste disposal facilities to be available prior to the summer of 2021 and other facilities that will be informed by the Motorhome and Informal Camping Survey.  Additional wardens to be employed over the period April to October 2021 to raise awareness in respect of camping responsibly.

 

At a Council wide level work is currently underway to help promote and manage responsible staycation experiences across the Council area. The work on the ground is being progressed by officers from Development and Economic Growth, Roads and Infrastructure and a multitude of partner agencies.

 

In terms of parking generally, a report was presented to the EDI Committee in December 2020 and it was agreed that follow up reports are to be taken to the June Area Committee which will cover TROs and parking matters across the council area.

 

The current TRO for Ganavan car park permits the following vehicle types to park:

 

• Motor Car, Car-derived van, dual purpose vehicle;
• Motor Cycle;
• Invalid Carriage;
• Light commercial vehicle;
• Trailer (with towing car);
• Caravan (with towing car), Living Van; and
• Motor Caravan

 

Within the rules for use the following applies:

 

Article 7 (iv) “No person shall use any part of a parking place or vehicle or trailer in it for residential or camping purposes.”

 

Article 7 (vi) “No person shall use any vehicle or trailer as sleeping accommodation while it is parked upon a parking place except where specifically authorised by the Council.”

 

Response from Committee

 

Concerns were raised by Councillor McCuish, Councillor Robertson, Duncan Martin and Marri Malloy that the report and response from the Head of Roads and Infrastructure were general in nature and did not specifically address concerns in Ganavan or the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area as a whole. It was agreed that the Committee Manager would seek a further response from the Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services providing specific detail in relation to Ganavan and the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area.

 

Following a query from Councillor McGrigor, it was agreed that the Committee Manager would also request more detailed information from the Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services in relation to facilities which would be available across the Argyll and Bute area.  The Committee Manager agreed to circulate any responses received to Mr Martin and Members of the Area Committee.

 

The Chair confirmed that she had raised concerns around the situation at Ganavan and across the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area in advance of restrictions being eased with the Policy Lead and Council Leader.

 

Question from Marri Malloy, Oban Community Council

 

Marri Malloy requested clarification as to how the situation at Ganavan would be managed and whether wardens would be able to manage the situation at Ganavan whereby people used the car park to stay in overnight and left early in the morning.

 

Response from Committee

 

In the absence of the Head of Road and Infrastructure Services, it was agreed that the Committee Manager would forward this question to him and circulate any response to Ms Malloy and Members of the Area Committee. 

 

Question from Charles Fothringham, Appin Community Council

 

Mr Fothringham advised that concerns had been raised by local parents at the beginning of the pandemic around possible issues in recruiting teachers for Oban High School, following reports that some pupils did not have teachers for some subjects.

 

Response from Committee

 

Councillor McCuish sought and received confirmation from Mr Fothringham that he would be happy for Councillor McCuish to ask the Head Teacher of Oban High School this question at item 5 (a) of the agenda. 

 

Councillor Devon provided information around the planned co-ordination of timetables for Tobermory, Tiree and Oban High Schools that helps to expand the number of subjects pupils can access.

 

Due to their similarity in nature, it was agreed by the Chair that the below questions would be raised and answered jointly:

 

Question from Alison Chadwick, Friends of Ganavan

 

On behalf of Friends of Ganavan could we ask our Area committee members who makes the decision the Local Development Plan 2 (LDP2) is the ‘settled status’ of the council? Is this taken by elected members and if so was this done by a vote of the full (elected) Council? Did you all vote to approve the settled status?

 

Question from Councillor McCuish, submitted on behalf of a constituent

 

It has been stated the Council has a settled view on the LDP 2 how did this arise and what meeting of the full council did this take place were selected members consulted or is the settled view that of officials only.

 

Response from Committee and Development Policy and Housing Strategy Manager

 

The Chair  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report presenting the Area Report and Scorecard for Financial Quarter 3 2020/21 (October-December 2020) which illustrated the agreed performance measures.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee agreed:

 

1. to note the performance presented on the Scorecard and supporting commentary;

 

2. that upon receipt of the Quarterly Performance Report the Area Committee contact either the Responsible Named Officer or Sonya Thomas with any queries; and

 

3. to note that work is ongoing and to respond to Sonya Thomas with requests or comments regarding the layout and format of the Report and Scorecard.

 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Customer Support Services, dated 10^th March 2021, submitted)

 

Report by Head Teacher, Oban High School

The Committee gave consideration to a progress report for Oban High School providing information in relation to the context of the school; partnership working with other high schools across Argyll and Bute; SQA results; pupil and staff wellbeing; blended and home learning; contingency planning; the school roll; clothing and footwear grants; free school meals; and attendance, absence and exclusions.

 

In response to a question raised at item 4 of the agenda, the Head Teacher of Oban High School confirmed that there were currently no issues in fulfilling vacancies within the school.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the report and thanked the Head Teacher, staff and pupils of the school for their work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that education was able to continue.

 

(Reference: Report submitted by Head Teacher, Oban High School, dated March 2021, submitted)

 

Report by Head Teacher, Tiree High School

The Committee gave consideration to a progress report for Tiree High School providing information in relation to the context of the school; partnership working with Oban High School and courses being delivered through Google Meet; SQA results; pupil and staff wellbeing; blended and home learning; contingency planning; the school roll; clothing and footwear grants; free school meals; and attendance, absence and exclusions.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the report and thanked the Head Teacher, staff and pupils of the school for their work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic to ensure that education was able to continue.

 

(Reference: Report submitted by Head Teacher, Tiree High School, dated February 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on Roads and Infrastructure Services activities within the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee considered the contents of the report.

 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated 10^th March 2021, submitted)

 

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update to Members on progress being made in developing the Oban Strategic Development Framework (OSDF).

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee considered the contents of the report and the intended appointment of consultants to further progress the OSDF.

 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated 10^th March 2021, submitted)

 

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Infrastructure

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on work being progressed by the Oban Bay Management Group (OBMG) and Oban Community Harbour Development Association (OCHDA) towards establishing a trust port at Oban Bay.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:

 

1. noted and considered the report;

 

2. requested that regular progress update reports be provided to the Area Committee; and

 

3. noted that the Argyll and Bute Harbour Board had agreed, at a meeting held on the 4^th of March 2021, that a virtual meeting would be organised with all stakeholders concerning the work being progressed by the Oban Community Harbour Development Association (OCHDA) towards the development of a Trust Port following consultation between the Chair and the Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services.

 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Infrastructure, dated February 2021, submitted)

 

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Commercial Services

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update to Members on the proposed development of a number of car parks in the Oban area.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:

 

1. noted and considered the outcome of the site investigations, the responses from the prospective developers and from Environmental Health & Roads confirming that the Tweeddale Street car park was unsuitable for development based on the risks and costs;

 

2. noted and considered that the Albany Street car park had generated significant interest from developers but would require some site assembly to provide a developable site and would result in a substantial loss of town centre parking if developed in isolation;

 

3. noted and considered that the Esplanade car park is impacted by existing rights of access, adjacent premises and limited circulation space and its development would result in a loss of public parking; and

 

4. noted and considered that the additional comments from developers and commercial agents had highlighted that the car parks at the Corran Halls/Victoria Crescent were considered more suitable for development and preparations would be made to promote these sites for development in line with the Area for Action designation.

 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Commercial Services, dated 5^th February 2021, submitted)

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report providing details of increased campervan and motorhome tourism across Argyll and Bute and providing Members with the latest position in respect of this, following the setting up of a short life working group involving a wide range of partners.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:

 

1. considered the contents of the report; and

 

2. considered the opportunities and challenges presented by informal camping and motorhome visits and how these could be best managed within the OLI administrative area.

 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated February 2021, submitted)

 

Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth

The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the Housing Services activity within the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area.

 

The Housing Team Leader clarified an error within the report at page 103 of the agenda pack, noting that the SHIP project at North Connel was not yet on site and discussions with ACHA were ongoing.  

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee considered the contents of the report.

 

(Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated 23^rd November 2020, submitted)

 

During consideration of the foregoing item, Councillor McGrigor briefly took the Chair due to Councillor Robertson’s loss of connection. Councillor Robertson re-assumed the role of Chair prior to the decision of the Committee being reached in relation to the item.

The Draft Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan, as of March 2021, was submitted to the Committee for noting.

 

Decision

 

The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee agreed to note the Workplan.

 

(Reference: Draft Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee Workplan, submitted)