Blog

Stirling Residents asked to prepare for severe wintry weather

JJG | 5th February 2021

Stirling Council Media Release – 05.02.21

Stirling Council is asking residents to prepare for potential disruption to travel and to Council services over the coming days with severe wintry weather forecast.

The Met Office has issued Amber and Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice that are scheduled to last until next Wednesday (10 February).

A flood alert is also in force from SEPA for most of the Stirling Council area following persistent heavy rain.

In anticipation of the adverse conditions, and the potential impact on roads and services, the Council has taken the following actions:

Gritting Teams will be out over the weekend treating Priority 1 and 2 routes, including roads and paths next to Covid-19 vaccination centres.
Gritting Teams will be ready with snow ploughs if roads become blocked.
A refill of gritting bins has been carried out.
Two pallets of sandbags have been placed outside the gates of the Callander and Springkerse roads depots for emergency use. Please adhere to Scottish Government Covid-19 guidance if you need to pick these up.

If the forecast weather comes to fruition, significant disruption is expected on the road network, particularly in the area covered by the Amber Warnings.

Road closures are likely and some Council services such as household waste collections could be affected.

Regular updates on any service disruption will be added to the Council website and social media channels – Twitter and Facebook – as and when they are available. Please check here before calling the Contact Centre.

The current Covid-19 lockdown restrictions also only allow people to leave their home for an essential purpose, so please continue to comply with these measures, especially with the anticipated disruption to roads and transport.

Should the adverse weather prevent you from attending a Covid-19 vaccination appointment, you can reschedule your appointment on the NHS Inform website.

Below are some useful social media links for residents for weather and travel updates:

Roads – Traffic Scotland
Railways – ScotRail
Weather – Met Office
Travel Advice – Forth Valley Police
Flooding – SEPA.
Health matters/Vaccinations: NHS Forth Valley

Shaping Community Health & Care – Consultation Stage 2

KR | 2nd February 2021

Stage 2 of the Shaping Community Health & Care consultation will run from the 1^st of February until the 15^th of March 2021.

Stage 2 will include a short online survey and online workshops hosted through Microsoft Teams.

The survey will be live from Monday 1^st February 2021 until Monday 15^th March 2021.

Link to surveymonkey: http://bit.ly/Stage2ConsultationontheModelofCare

Online workshops will be hosted through Microsoft Teams and have been arranged at the following times;

Wednesday 3^th February 7.00 pm till 9.00pm;
Monday 8^th February 2.00pm till 4.00pm
Thursday 18^th February from 2.00 pm till 4.00pm.

Please book your ticket for the event of your choice via Eventbrite.

Link to Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/rural-southwest-stirling-consultation-tickets-137398950961

Organise your own feedback meeting.

Stirling Council are encouraging individuals, community groups & third sector organisations to host their own on-line conversations. They have prepared “Meeting in a box” materials which you can use to host your own conversation. They are also willing to attend appropriate local group meetings to give a brief overview and encourage participants to submit their responses to the consultation.

Can’t participate digitally?

There are also options for those not able to engage digitally: please call the Stirling Council Contact Centre via 01786 404040, where colleagues can assist you to complete the online survey.

If you wish to discuss any of the information above, please contact Pam Campbell or Gary Howden via email: rswconsultation@stirling.gov.uk or telephone Pam on 07817709475 or Gary on 07876877016

Stirling Council Waste Transformation

KR | 26th November 2020

Stirling Council have begun rolling out their changes to waste collection services. Residents should have received a letter confirming the timescale for replacement of your existing grey and brown bins in advance of the changes taking effect next year.

More information can be found on the council website regarding the changes that were agreed in June this year, and the replacement of bins.

Strathblane Community Council AGM

KR | 23rd November 2020

Strathblane Community Council will hold their delayed AGM via Zoom on December 7th at 7.30, followed by the monthly meeting.

Any resident who wishes to join us should indicate interest via the CC email, contact@strathblanecc.org.uk by December 4th. Please note that places will be limited.

Please see the meetings page for the agenda for both the AGM and the monthly meeting.

Proposal for 11 new homes below Devil’s Elbow – Planning Application 20/00564/FUL

JJG | 1st November 2020

We have posted some information on this new proposal

Proposal for 11 new homes below Devil’s Elbow – Planning application 20/00564/FUL

A new Blane Valley Bulletin issue – send us your news items by 21 September 2020

JJG | 11th September 2020

If you have been missing the monthly Blane Valley Bulletin, thanks for your understanding. We are pleased to announce that an October issue is planned. Please send in any news or announcements by 21 September 2020, via email to contact@strathblanecc.org.uk .

Stirling Climate Survey closing on Sunday, 30 August

JJG | 19th August 2020

The clock is ticking for Stirling’s young people to have their say in the climate emergency, with less than two weeks left to complete the Council’s Climate Survey.

The local authority has been canvasing public opinion on ways to tackle the climate emergency for the past six months through an online survey, which will close on Sunday, 30 August to begin the process of analysing the feedback received.

More than 700 completed surveys have already been submitted, all of which will feed into the Council’s wider Climate Emergency Action Plan.

A special appeal is now being made for Stirling’s young people to have their say, with the survey closing in less than a fortnight.

Cllr Jim Thomson, convener of Environment and Housing, said:

“This survey was launched only a matter of days before life changed for all of us with the Coronavirus Pandemic.

“However, the number of responses we’ve received prove that, despite the current crisis, many people are still concerned about the climate emergency and what we can do to avert it.

“One of the strongest voices in the global fight against climate change has been the youth voice and we want to make sure the young people of the Stirling Council area have their say.

“This is a genuine opportunity for people who care about the environment to talk to us, and help us do more to protect it.”

The climate survey takes around 15 minutes to complete, and focuses on opportunities to improve the quality of life for people in the entire Stirling Council area, while shaping a city and surrounding area to be cleaner, greener, healthier, and fairer for everyone.

Vice convener, Cllr Danny Gibson, added:

“This survey is just the first step on a long road but it’s important to capture as many voices as possible in these early stages to make sure our plans represent the diversity of our community.

“So whether you want to see more active travel in the city centre, or care passionately about letting grass verges flourish on rural roadsides, time is running out for you to have your say in this initial conversation.”

New Road Safety measures for A81 (by the Village Club) and Campsie Road (by the Kirk)

JJG | 14th August 2020

[This is re-posting an older post – it’s only taken 2 years for the works to start…]

1: A81 Outside Village Club: single file traffic with pedestrian island

A81 Pedestrian Island Proposal Jan 2019 – VIEW LARGER

This proposal provides single file traffic on the straight hill outside the Village Club, with priority to traffic heading north. Traffic heading downhill gives way. A traffic island with pedestrian space is provided by the steps to the Village Club. Hatched areas provide space also for vehicles exiting Wester Leddriegreen Road.

Safety is improved for users of the Village Club, Bowling Club, Tennis Club, and of the footpaths leading to the Kirkhouse Estate. Visibility for all users is improved, where the crossing and vehicle exits are currently felt to be very dangerous.

As the budget for these measures is in the current financial year, the measures were presented at the January meeting of the Community Council and approved in principle. The traffic island is a bolt-down structure, meaning that it can be removed, in case the measure is judged unsuccessful, and/or something grander is proposed.

If you have any comments you can let us know what you think using the contact form or email contact@strathblanecc.org.uk

2: Traffic Island on A891 Campsie Road outside Strathblane Kirk

A891 Traffic Island Proposal Jan 2019 – VIEW LARGER

This proposal provides a central traffic island on the straight hill between the Strathblane Kirk and the Manse.

This is another area where speeding is rife and the crossing for children and adults is currently felt to be very dangerous.

If you have any comments you can let us know what you think using the contact form or email contact@strathblanecc.org.uk

Blane Valley Inn change of use halted by Planning decision

JJG | 21st June 2020

Following our post of 9 May 2020 highlighting the proposed change of use of the Blane Valley Inn to a house, several villagers wrote to Stirling objecting against the loss of this important amenity for this part of the village, and as a source of employment, too. The Community Council discussed the application at its first online meeting on 8 June 2020 and decided that it, too, would oppose the loss of the pub. We know that the business has been difficult, but there was an interested buyer, and such a long-standing keystone of village life should not be lost forever, without proper justification. The pandemic environment does not make it a good time to decide such things in a hurry.

The planning department has now refused the application 20/00252/FUL for lack of justification, and unsuitable design. Referring to various parts of the Local Development Plan, the decision concludes:

“The proposed change of use is likely to diminish the range of community facilities on offer in the village much to the detriment of the local community and no evidence has been submitted in support of the application to justify change of use.” …
“The proposed rear extension by virtue of its scale, flat roof and external finishes would have a negative impact on the character and integrity of the host building.”

The detailed “Report of Handling” is here on our website. Full details and history including the submissions by the Community Council and others can be found here on Stirling’s public access planning portal.

The applicant of course has the option to appeal, and/or to submit a new application with different design and evidence to support the change of use. And of course, this does not mean that we have an open pub…