Month: October 2017
There is a container outside the shop with Firewood for Sale – perfect for those cosy nights in!
Select what you need and pay inside the shop.
[Submitted by Pat Wells]
SAVE STRATHDEARN CAMPAIGN
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN)
Application to extend weekday working hours and weekend working to include Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
Largely as a result of community support at the August community council meeting SSEN has been required to submit a Section 42 (S42) application to Highland Council in order to seek approval for extended working hours.
THIS WAS THE START OF A REQUIREMENT FOR SSEN TO FOLLOW DUE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS (in contrast to the letter which had been submitted originally by SSEN’s planner in the hope of a quick decision by Highland Council Planning Dept.)
In order for the proper democratic process to continue a good number of objections are required to ensure the application is discussed by the South Planning Cmte. (SPAC). If too few objections are received the application will simply be rubber-stamped for approval by the planning officer under delegated powers. The planning officer is Ken McCorquodale (who recommended approval of the original planning application for site 5). Four of us met with Mr McCorquodale last Wednesday (18 Oct.) and he indicated he was minded to approve the application unless there were good reasons put forward to the contrary.
The planning consent for the substation included a number of Conditions, including Condition 9 which detailed working hours. These were Mon. to Fri. 0700-1800 hrs. and Sat. 0800-1300 hrs.
SSEN’s S42 application requests these hours be altered to: weekdays -summer months 0700-1900 hrs. and winter months (end Oct. to end March) 0800-1800 hrs.
The weekend working hours are proposed as Saturday – summer months 0700-1700 and winter months 0800-1600 hrs. Sunday working – summer and winter months – 0800-1600 hrs.
Details of the S42 application can be seen on Highland Council’s eplanning website (eplanning@highland.co.uk). Click on “Simple Search” and either enter the reference 16/00769/FUL or 17/04217/S42.
SSEN claims the work on Sundays will involve “electrical fit out only” and would commence approx. May 2018 to Feb. 2019. It is claimed “The work does not require heavy vehicles and machinery “, “is a very quiet form of working with much of it taking place inside the substation building.”
Our response to this application depends on how much SSEN, its contractors and Highland Council planners can be trusted to honour what has been proposed. For the record SSEN contractors have already breached condition 9 but Highland Council decided to take no action!
What do you think about the proposal? The extended weekday hours may be acceptable to some people and some may feel Saturday afternoon working is also reasonable. However, a significant number of local people and others who visit the Glen are strongly opposed to Sunday working.
Reasons for objecting include: 1. religious reasons, 2. the need for respite from any noise and site activity for one day a week 3. use of the Glen, especially the popular Garbole area, by local people and visitors for quiet recreation at weekends, &n
bsp; 4. a matter of principle is involved – SSEN gave an undertaking to the community that there would be no weekend working beyond 1300 hrs. on Saturdays. To renege on this undertaking begs the question ‘was this simply a sweetener to pacify the community but with every intention of seeking to extend hours once planning consent had been given?” 5. The reason given by SSEN for needing to work weekends is “to serve as a contingency against delays due to adverse weather.” Our view is that any developer working in hostile environments should know adverse weather is likely to cause delays and this should have been factored into the timescales at the outset. How many other Conditions is SSEN going to want to change – maybe access along the Glen because the wind farm haul road is snowbound …..??
If you wish to object and help continuation of the democratic process for this application the following are important points to make: (in addition to your personal reasons)
SSEN HAS FAILED TO SHOW THAT EXTENDED WEEKEND WORKING (or extended weekend and weekday working if you feel this to be the case) IS IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. THE OPPOSITE IS THE CASE (examples given above – quiet recreation etc.)
THE REQUEST TO EXTEND WEEKEND WORKING (or extend weekday and weekend working hours) HAS BEEN MADE PURELY FOR COMMERCIAL REASONS. CONDITIONS ATTACHED TO PLANNING CONSENTS ARE INTENDED TO BE REASONABLE FOR THE DEVELOPER AND FOR THE PUBLIC. Sunday working in particular is not a reasonable request at this location. (SSEN’s offer to suspend working during Dalarossie church services is only one small concession.)
It is important to use the word “object” (to all or part of the proposal) in your representation. The reference for the application is: “Tomatin substation: Section 42 application ref. 17/04217/S42.”
UPDATE : If you are sending an objection to SSEN’s proposal for extended working hours, including Sundays it’s VERY IMPORTANT to put the Section 42 reference at the top of your email and include your name and address. If you have submitted an objection without the application reference and your name and address, it will not be counted so please resubmit with the necessary details. Here’s the reference again :
“Reference 17/04217/S42: non-compliance with Condition 9 of Tomatin substation planning decision notice (reference planning application 16/00769/FUL)”
DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF REPRESENTATIONS IS THURSDAY 26 OCTOBER 2017
email to : Ken.McCorquodale@highland.gov.uk.
or post to: Mr Ken McCorquodale, The Highland Council, Planning and Development, Glenurquhart Rd. Inverness IV3 5NX
Copy your representation to our ward councillors: Carolyn.Caddick.cllr@highland.gov.uk (on SPAC), Andrew.Jarvie.cllr@highland.gov.uk (on SPAC), Ken.Gowans.cllr@highland.gov.uk, and Duncan.Macpherson.cllr@highland.gov.uk
Following previous unsuccessful requests for volunteers and advertising for permanent staff, Tomatin Community Shop will have to reduce its hours from November if we can’t find people to take a turn behind the counter. It would have happened already but for Lee-Anne’s willingness to extend her hours – seven days a week at the moment – this is unsustainable. Can you help? You’ll give Lee-Anne and staff a well-earned break, catch up with your neighbours and help maintain this vital community service. You can offer as much/little time as you can spare and full training will be given. Thank you.
Please contact Lee-Anne.
Openreach have been working for the last few weeks to connect all premises in the Moy area to the new superfast fibre cable. Households and businesses will be able to choose broadband packages offering speeds of 40, 80 and even 300 Mbps. Compare this with existing speeds of between zero and 2Mbps! Openreach will work their way along the main cable, connecting up groups of premises as they go. The first premises are due to be connected in mid to late October, and all premises should be connected by Christmas. It is therefore time for Moy residents to think about choosing a service provider for the new superfast service. Here’s a simple guide :
At the moment your service provider for basic broadband is probably BT or Plusnet. They supplied the router you are using in your home. Once the new fibre cable is connected to your house, you will need to take out a contract with a service provider who can supply the new fibre to the premises broadband. For the time being there are only 2 companies who can do this : BT and Zen. They will supply new routers which can handle the superfast speeds.
Here are a couple of links to start you off. :
You will need to check the deal each company is offering and decide which one suits you best. Service providers constantly change the terms and prices of their packages so you should check carefully that you are getting the best deal. At the moment, both BT and Zen will supply the new router for free when you sign a contract with them.
The new service will be a little more expensive than the basic broadband deal you have now but the speed of your broadband will be far, far faster. However bear in mind that there is no compulsion to switch to the new service. Your existing basic broadband service will still be available through the existing phone line and you can keep using it as long as you like, and only switch to the new fibre to the premise service at your convenience.
Some of you Moy folk have been spotted parked outside Strathdearn Hall, using the wifi there to catch up on urgent business. Soon the tables will be turned. You’d better remember to enable the password on your new superfast router, or you might look out your window to find the rest of Strathdearn parked outside your house!
STRATHDEARN COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING on TUESDAY 10 th OCTOBER 2017 At 7:30pm IN THE STRATHDEARN HALL, TOMATIN
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC ARE MOST WELCOME TO ATTEND ALL MEETINGS OF THE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
AGENDA
1. Apologies for Absence.
2. Declarations of Interest.
3. Minutes of the Meeting of 12 th September 2017.
4. Matters Arising.
5. Law and Order.
6. A9 Dualling. Mr Sam MacNaughton, Transport Scotland, will give brief feedback on
the dualling proposals, following the May Exhibition.
7. Applications to the Strathdearn Community Charitable Trust.
8. Planning Matters
8.1 Garbole Substation. Section 42 Application to extend working hours.
Ref Number 17/04217/S42 Application Type Section 42 Validation Date 28/09/2017
Grid Reference 275467 825138 Description of Works Application under Section 42
for non-compliance with Condition 9 of planning permisison 16/00769/FUL to
allow for extended working hours Location of Works Land 900M NW Of Asgard,
Tomatin, , Community Council Strathdearn Community Council Applicant Name
Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission Applicant Address Per: Mr Alistair Muir, SSE
Inverness Depot, 10 Henderson Road, Inverness, IV1 1SN Case Officer Ken
McCorquodale 01463 785037 ken.mccorquodale@highland.gov.uk
9. Update from Strathdearn Community Developments.
10. Windfarms.
10.1 Planning.
10.2 Community Benefit. (Community Council appointee for the Moy Sub-Group)
11 Road Safety.
12. Financial Report.
13. Post Office Outreach Service Problems.
14. Correspondence.
15. Any Other Competent Business.
16. Date of Next Meeting (14 th November 2017)
Bring along the kids for a fun-filled morning with activeness games, bouncy castle, and henna tattoos.
Free Entry – Everyone welcome.
