Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee - 12 March 2025
Argyll and Bute Council · 11 June 2025
Back to Oban Lorn & The Isles Area Committee — 11 June 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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MINUTES of MEETING of OBAN LORN & THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE held in the ON A HYBRID BASIS ON MICROSOFT TEAMS AND IN THE SEIL ISLAND COMMUNITY HALL, ELLENABEICH, PA34 4RQ on WEDNESDAY, 12 MARCH 2025 Present: Councillor Julie McKenzie (Chair) Councillor Kieron Green Councillor Amanda Hampsey Councillor Willie Hume Councillor Andrew Kain Councillor Jim Lynch (Item 4 onwards) Councillor Luna Martin (Item 5 onwards) Attending: Melissa Stewart, Democratic Services Manager, Legal & Regulatory Services Michelina MacLellan, St Columbas Primary Head Teacher Marcy MacGillivray, Dunbeg Primary Head Teacher Rachel Binnie, Education Manager Douglas Whyte, Housing Strategy Manager Tom Murphy, Operations Manager, Roads and Infrastructure Nick Lowden, Assistant Operations Manager, Roads and Infrastructure Colin Young, Transport Planner, Roads and Infrastructure 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE An Apology for absence was received from Councillor Andrew Vennard. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no declarations of interest intimated. 3. MINUTES (a) Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee - 11 December 2025 The Minute of the meeting of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee, held on 11 December 2024 was approved as a correct record. (b) Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group - 12 February 2025 The Minute of the meeting of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Community Planning Group, held on 12 February 2025 was noted. 4. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME Question 1 and 2 - Phil Hammerton 1. How, and by whom, are decisions made regarding ornamental gardening on Council land such as roundabouts and other public areas?
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The Chair responded there is a delegation to the Director of Development and Infrastructure within the Council’s Scheme of Administration and Delegations “To manage the parks, gardens, playing fields, open spaces and other recreational facilities, swimming pools and public halls provided or operated by the Council and to take such action as may be necessary. That might typically include planting, and providing it is contained within allocated budgets, this would be an operational matter for the service to determine. There was also policy decision taken at a previous budget 2015/16 to cease the maintenance of shrub and rose beds resulting in most of these areas becoming grassland maintenance. There are a few locations where third sector partners came on board with the service to a number of rose and shrub beds to retain them. The Amenity Services Team are always open to working with third sector partners to retain and where possible improve local services. 2. What are the plans for the reinstatement of the shrubbery removed from the E side of the Corran Halls (between the Car Park and the front entrance) to allow the erection of the marquee for the 2024 Mod? The Clerk read out a response received indicating that the Operations manager and Network and Standards manager will be assessing the area during the coming months and will engage with all necessary parties to plan any future works required and establish a longer term maintenance plan. Mr Hammerton asked if any proposals for the reinstatement of the shrubbery be shared with this Committee, or members of the Community such as the Community Council or Keeping Oban Beautiful when assessing the area or will the public have no locus or involvement in this decision? The Chair stated that the public are always welcome to feed into any proposals but as it is an operational matter it would be directly with the department. Question 3 – Alison Rennie Could I ask for an update on progress with the schedule of clearance and repair works in connection with flood prevention in the Black Lynn since the last meeting? The Clerk advised that she understood that the service may have provided an update already to Ms Rennie but to include in the minutes the response was read out: “The department have undertaken clearance works from the burn such as removing trolleys and other similar items, which people have irresponsibly thrown in. The Japanese Knotweed removal will begin via our specialist contractor in May which is the best time of year to do these works because in the winter months the knotweed can lie dormant. We are looking at options for dredging the burn and are currently doing a hydrological modelling exercise to see what affect various proposals might have
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Plans to cut back shrubs/scrub/trees along the burn when we can – you can only do works in watercourses at certain times of year depending on approval from SEPA due to waterborne species, spawning etc”. Mrs Rennie stated that she had received correspondence from Mark Calder but these were the proposals, and she was looking for information on which proposals had commenced. The Clerk agreed to take this question back to Mark Calder and that she would respond to Ms Rennie after the meeting. Question 4 – Ross Wilson You will recall at your September 2024 meeting I asked if Councillors were content with the Council's Policy which requires the public to have the Council's approval to take photographs in Argyll & Bute Harbour Authority areas. Locally this currently applies to part of Oban Bay. I did not receive an answer. At your December meeting I again asked the question as an answer was not provided under matters arising from the September meeting. Your response recorded in the minutes is: "she would require more clarity on the Policy in question before she could give an answer". The Chair advised that she would get the Clerk to read out the response from the department and then ask the Local Members present their view on the policy. The Clerk stated “the position is that this is a general rule which the Council need to have within their port management rules. The reason being the need to have the power to prevent people taking photographs if there is, for example, an accident at one of the council owned sites where someone has been injured or killed etc., or where something else sensitive is happening that we would not want people taking photos of. It is therefore an exercisable power that we use in circumstances which are ultimately dictated by common sense. The Council do however need to have it written into the rules such that if anyone was to challenge the Council in a situation like the above we have something to point to. It is not a general rule and would not ever be used to prevent someone from, to quote the example used, taking pictures of their family at a harbour”. The Chair stated that she was content with the policy, however, if a member of the public came up with an amendment to the policy, she would be happy to look at it, but as it stands, it is a fairly robust policy and she is content as to why the policy exists. Councillor Hampsey agreed with the Chair and understood the need for the policy being enforced in certain circumstances, to not allow someone to take a photograph on a family day out would be over the top. However, as the Chair mentioned, she would also be happy to look at any amended proposals. Councillors Kane, Green and Hume all confirmed that they were content with the Policy. Mr Wilson was not content with the response, commenting that general photography is allowed but the policy says no photography. I’m asking how do the public know that the policy is in place, how it is advertised, there are no signs on the pier?
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The Chair asked Mr Wilson if he would like signage along with the Policy placed on the piers? To which Mr Wilson replied it was the Councillors’ call as they had made the Policy. The Chair responded that she had not personally made the policy, however, all the Councillors present today confirm they are content with the policy and how it would be given effect to by officers. Mr Wilson was not satisfied with the response and asked that this be noted. Question 5 – Mr Norman Bissell Would members of the Area Committee support the request of the visual artists' sub- group of the Isle of Luing Community Trust to rent space for artists and crafters in the mothballed Luing Primary School? This would be of great benefit to the ongoing development of arts and crafts on the Isle of Luing and would help to maintain the building until such times as the school is reopened. The chair advised that this was delving into the realms of an operational matter, but in principle she would be happy to support anyone or any group wanting to rent the school for community purposes, but there is a process to through with the education department for the rental of a school. Councillor Hampsey agreed with the Chair’s point of view subject to detail. Councillor Green also endorsed what the Chair had said and would be supportive of any initiative that used the school building for the benefit of the community of Luing. Question 6 – Andrew Ireland Are members aware of the scale of concerns/opposition to the two proposed windfarms at Cruach Clenamachrie and Corr Chnoc amongst their constituents and if so what steps to the consider they can take for example a joint public meeting? The chair advised that she was aware of the proposals for the windfarms but had not received much representation from constituents thus far. Councillor Hampsey advised that she had not received a great deal of communication in her inbox so far but was very aware of the proposals for these windfarms and others, but would be cautious in getting involved at this stage as she sits on the planning committee. Councillor Green advised like Councillor Hampsey, he to sits on the planning committee as Chair, and therefore, it would be inappropriate to give any views one way or another at this time. Although the proposal is sitting with the Scottish Government, the planning committee has a role as a statutory consultee. He advised he is aware of the number of wind farm proposed locally and also aware of the views. He advised that all options will be open when the applications come to committee for a decision. Councillor Kain advised that, in principle, he was in favour of any renewed or new power generation, although wind farms can be contentious but the reality is we do need new power generation across the Country not just Argyll and Bute.
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Councillor Hume agreed with Councillor Kain and stated we do need more power generation whether it is wind farms or hydro. Councillor Lynch, who had just joined the meeting, advised that he was aware of the concerns and would be happy to go to a public meeting. He took the point that windfarms are really important but added that a perspective from communities as to how they would be impacted would be required. Mr Ireland asked all members present to look at the responses on the Energy Consents Unit website for each of these two developments and consider the number and content of opposition, and indeed supportive opinions that have been made to date. The Chair advised that she was happy to do so. Question 7 – Mary Braithwaite Luing Community Council How do we get a stainless steel bollard removed from the conservation village area of Luing, which was installed a few months ago, frustratingly without any consultation with Luing Community Council and at cost to the council when it’s not viewed as being necessary? Tom Murphy, Operations Manager, agreed to take this question away and pass it to his colleagues in the Network & Standards team to discuss purpose with them and will feed the response back through the Clerk. Question 8 – Phil Hammerton What actions are available to the Council with regards to the housing emergency, when it comes to second homes, short term lets and less obvious self-catering accommodation? Douglas Whyte from the Council’s housing services advised that the Council had imposed a 200% Council Tax rate on second homes in April, that there was an empty homes levy also of 200% and an Empty Homes Officer to provide advice and support throughout the area. Funding had been secured through Shelter and the HSCP to employ an Empty Homes Officer to get empty homes back habitable for use for NHS workers, so far, work has been carried out in Coll and Tiree, which has seen three properties back for accommodation use. We are also working with the Luing Community Trust where second homeowners on Luing have been written to try to persuade that they let their properties long term. The Council have also had a significant number of Short Term Let applications that they are working through, there is the ability to create pressure areas where short term lets would need planning permission, but unfortunately, that is not within my remit, but I would imagine that this is something that the Council would look at in the future, depending on the number of application and the pressure on the existing housing stock.
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Mr Hammerton then asked how and when would the Council make a decision about a consultation process before a controlled area could be put in place, with regards to short term lets? Mr Whyte agreed to take that question away to the appropriate department for response. Mr Hammerton then asked what would the members of the Area Committee support by way of action to address this problem? The Chair advised that these decisions would not take place at an Area Committee it would be a delegation to another Committee. Mr Hammerton noted that there were members of those other committees attending and asked what is their view. The Chair responded that it would be inappropriate to invite those members to address that question when sitting as an Area Committee and that it would be better to approach the Councillors directly out with the Area Committee meeting. Question 9 - Mary Braithwaite Luing Community Council has been working with the Luing Heritage Group and have noticed an increase in the electoral role after introduction of the 200% Council Tax levy on second homes. What steps can the Council take to avoid this? Also, the empty homes on Luing, there is a social landlord property which has not been occupied for some time and this is a delicate issue on the island, is there a way for the Council to work with the Community Council to address some of these issues? The Chair advised that Social Housing is a matter for the Housing Associations to control. She encouraged Luing Community Council to get in touch with her to facilitate a conversation. Question 10 - Jannette McSkimming I would like to ask the committee about the distress and anxiety caused within the tourism sector, particularly the bed and breakfast establishments with regards to the legislation within the visitor levy, and proposals for collection. It is very worrying that we could be put out of business. Is there any way the Councillors could address some of the content within the legislation? The Chair advised that she is very aware of the level of concern across Argyll and Bute to the proposed visitor levy. However, at this stage it is just a draft proposal and is out for consultation, and she would encourage everyone to feed into that consultation. It is her hope that the consultation will inform the direction that the Council takes in terms of whether we even have a levy. It is important to stress that nothing is set in stone. She is aware of the vast amount of misinformation online that suggests that things have already been decided, but I reiterate that this is not the case. The Chair advised she was hearing a lot of different views from her constituents, and it is her role as a councillor to take a balanced view going forward. Councillor Lynch re-enforced what the Chair had said, and added it was important to emphasise that it is a draft proposal and we really need to listen to what people are
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telling us through the consultation, which is why it is such a lengthy consultation period. He is also receiving different views from his constituents. It is certainly a decision that will need to be pondered over for a period of time as it would be a big change. He also encouraged everyone to put their views in the consultation stating that the council need opinions on what people want to see changed as part of this. Jannette added that there were two big information groups online and asked if the Committee members would participate on those?. The Chair stated that she would not be engaging with these online forums due to the level of criticism and ridicule that has been aimed at her in the past, which has not been healthy. Councillor Hampsey advised that she had voted against the consultation as she personally thought the legislation was fundamentally flawed and the consultation would tell her exactly what she knew already, the majority of people were against the introduction of a levy in the area. She also highlighted that there would be impact on islander workers such as NHS and HSCP which she felt should be granted exemptions. Councillor Hume advised that he did vote for the consultation as he thought it was important for everyone to have a view and for these views to be collated and studied. However, it is not cast in stone. He felt that islanders who perhaps had to stay on the mainland should not be subject to the levy as they are not tourists, and that he is also receiving lots of correspondence from islanders that workers will not come to the islands to carry out work as they too will be charged. Councillor Hampsey added that when the levy was first mentioned she was open minded and didn’t mind the concept of its application for genuine visitors but that the legislation was where the problem lay. Question 11 - Willie Munro, Seil and Easdale Community Council We continue to be frustrated with the generic email we have to use when reporting such things as potholes etc, when we used to contact a specific officer, is there any way that this can be simplified or made easier? Tom Murphy advised that the introduction of the generic email was so that all complaints/requests could be captured, and the system would co-ordinate these requests and avoid duplication, or frustration experienced when officers were not in the office and could not pick up on requests directed to them. Mr Murphy suggested that if more than one request they should be put to the generic inbox individually as these might require attention from different parts of the service. Mr Munro asked if the council could respond to the request to use of a bit of the side of the road for the Smiley Face Speed Board, as they had had to use someone’s private garden to erect these signs and it would have been easier to get the permission from the council to avoid this? Tom Murphy said he would take this away and respond through the Clerk.
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Question 12 – Alison Rennie Why is the Caravan Site at Gallanach Mor in Oban still able to operate when it is in breach of planning enforcement, it has been open all winter with new cabins arriving on site? The Chair advised that would be something that could not be answered today but a response could be sought from the planning service. Councillor Green confirmed that this matter was coming to the planning committee at their meeting next week. 5. PRIMARY SCHOOL UPDATE The Committee gave consideration to a report and a presentation which provided a range of key information about primary school provision in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area during the school session June 2024 to January 2025 and reported the national collection of attainment and achievement data from June 2024. Also highlighted were a number of awards received by Lismore, St Columbas, Easdale and Taynuilt primary schools who were involved in initiatives and interventions; and Rockfield Primary School Shinty Team who won the Ferguson Transport and Shipping National Shinty Tournament in Fort William recently. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the information provided within the report and presentation. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Education, dated March 2025, submitted) 6. AREA PERFORMANCE REPORT - FQ3 2024/25 The Committee gave consideration to the Area Performance Report for financial quarter 3 of 2024/25 (October to December 2024) which illustrated the agreed performance measures for this period. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the performance and supporting commentary as presented. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services, dated 12 March 2025, submitted) 7. ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE UPDATE The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided links to the recent activities of Roads and Infrastructure Services. Decision
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The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated 12 March 2025, submitted) 8. HOUSING SERVICES ACTIVITY UPDATE- STRATEGIC HOUSING INVESTMENT PLAN UPDATE (SHIP) Consideration was given to a report which provided an update on Housing Services activity and the delivery of the Local Housing Strategy within the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated January 2025, submitted) 9. ACTIVE TRAVEL PROGRESS REPORT 2024-25 The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the progress made in 2024/25 in relation to active travel projects in the Oban, Lorn and the Isles area, and sought continued support for the projects from Members. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee: 1. welcomed the progress made to date across a significant number of active travel projects by the small Active Travel Team. 2. supported the continuation of the projects and the submission of future funding applications to external challenge funds to continue to develop design and construction stages in order to deliver these projects. 3. supported the allocation of the Tier 1 active travel funding element in the Council’s 25/26 block grant to the development and delivery of appropriate active travel projects, including those already underway in OLI, and 4. instructed Officers to continue to identify and develop new active travel projects to benefit local residents, businesses and communities. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth, dated 3 February 2025, submitted) 10. CHARITABLE TRUSTS, BEQUESTS & TRUST FUNDS (a) Miss Agnes Angus Bequest - Distribution of Funds The Committee considered a report on the distribution of funds in respect
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of the Miss Agnes Angus Bequest which had originally been established for “purposes of public utility and for the benefit and advantage of the community of Oban”. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee:- 1. agreed to allocate the funding available from the Miss Agnes Angus Bequest for use at Mossfield Stadium; and 2. requested that officers bring forward proposals for improvements at Mossfield Stadium, to a future meeting of the Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee, before the end of 2025. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated February 2025, submitted) (b) John of Lorn Bequest Fund The Committee gave consideration to a report providing information on the number of applications that have been received for support from the John of Lorn Bequest. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the number of awards made from the John of Lorn Bequest since the last meeting of the Area Committee in September 2024. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support dated February 2025, submitted) 11. DRAFT OBAN, LORN AND THE ISLES AREA COMMITTEE WORKPLAN The Committee gave consideration to the Area Committee workplan for future meetings. Decision The Oban, Lorn and the Isles Area Committee noted the contents of the workplan. (Reference: Area Committee Workplan, dated 12 March 2025, submitted)