Kilmun Community Council

AGM 2024

Annual General Meeting – 14 th May 2024, Younger Hall, Kilmun at 7.30 pm

PRESENT
Diane Nicholson (Convenor), Janet Holm (Secretary), Graham Revill, Lachlan Macquarie, Mandy Grout, Peter Hunter Douglas, Mark Borland, Lyndsey Greer
Phillips, and Kerris Bone
Also Present: Councilor G. Blair, Councilor Sinclair, and Gordon Holm, Tracey and Joe Whitfield, Steve Lawson, Jeannie Tong, Marion Bowen, Sandra Marshall,
Samatha Marshall, Mike Burke, Geoff Evans and
APOLOGIES: Lindsey McKenna (Vice Convenor), Russell Humphreys (Treasurer), Councilor Y McNeilly, Bruce Marshall, Steve Abbott, Malcolm Bird,
MINUTES OF ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING HELD ON 13 TH June 2019
The minutes of the last AGM (13 th June 2023) were accepted as a true record of events.
Proposed by: Gordon Holm
Seconded by: - Kerris Bone Carried
CONVENER’S ANNUAL REPORT + ANY QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR
Hello and welcome to Argyll and Bute Councillors, Community Councillors, and the Community,
Thank you to Councillor William Sinclair who has agreed to Chair the AGM.
KCC has recently been through the Community Council Elections, we welcome our new members Mark Boreland and Lyndsey Greer Phillips, along
with co-opted members Lachie and Kerris. All join the established members which include Lindsay (Vice Convenor), Janet (Secretary), Graham,
Mandy and Peter. KCC is in the unique position of having a full community council membership. Russell Humphrey (an ex-community councillor)
continues to be treasurer and Steve Abbott of Heartstart has agreed to be an adviser for the community defibrillators.
Kilmun Community Council has regular contact with Police Scotland, providing monthly updates of any incidents that have occurred within the
community.
Forest and Land Scotland (FSC) also provides monthly reports through Fraser MacDonald of the ongoing management within the Cowal area.
Phytophthora (Larch Disease) is still present causing devastation within the Cowal peninsular and forcing many of the commercial forests to be
felled prematurely.

The National Park representative for the Shores Community lives remotely to the Kilmun/Strone/Blairmore villages and has not attended any of our
meetings within the last year however Councillor William Sinclair does provide updates.
Strone Primary School and Strone Primary Parent Council continues to give monthly reports of the next generation, the children’s progress, events,
and activities.
The hole in the right of way and the flooding adjacent to Strone Brae continues to be an issue. The hole has received a temporary fix carried out by
a member of the community, but we are no closer in establishing the legal owner of the lane. Argyll and Bute Legal department is continuing to look
into this matter on our behalf, as well as talking to Forest and Land Scotland regarding the culvert ownership and their responsibility of safeguarding
the properties from flooding. The area has experienced additional flooding due to deforestation with water cascading through the neighbouring
properties and down Strone Brae. Mark Boreland has taken up the mantel and is meeting with Fraser MacDonald (FLS) hoping to establish a
solution.
There was a request from the community to look into the re-establishment of the pre-covid bus service. The main request was for the late-night bus
service at the weekends from Dunoon to Ardentinny. This would enable the community to access evening events in Dunoon without incurring
expensive taxi costs for the return journey home. West Coast Motors initially refused to consider the proposal due to the low numbers of
passengers, but through the great persuasion of Kerris who attends the Transport Forum on KCC’s behalf, they asked for proof of need. West Coast
Motors although are not willing to increase the number of bus runs would consider an alteration to the timetable. Kerris has undertaken a survey
which will be presented at the next Transport Forum. The proposal is to remove an under-utilised daytime run to re-schedule it to a late-night
weekend run. We hope to have an update after the 18 th of June.
I attended a meeting with the Dunoon/Gourock Ferry Action Group in February that was looking for proven support from the Cowal Community
Councils and Gourock Community Council to continue their good work in the fight to re-establishing the vehicle/passenger ferry route from Dunoon
Town centre to Gourock Town centre. Unfortunately, the meeting terminated without resolution. Now the Cowal and Gourock communities have
established a new group to consider the ferry proposal and look at how the community can become more involved in the decisions made on our
behalf. There is a survey presently out in the public domain (digital and on paper form) and I would urge everyone to participate please. Mark has
joined me at these meetings.
Kilmun Community Council was contacted by the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park at the turn of the year regarding Local Place Plans,
after much deliberation the community council decided to withdraw from taking this project forward and suggested that the National Park contact the
local Development Trusts.
We have been fortunate to have Steve Abbott of Heartstart to provide advice of the two community defibrillators, one long established at Younger
Hall, Kilmun and the second recently installed at The Strone Inn, Strone. We thank The Strone Inn for their permission and continued support. Both
have been fully serviced and registered with the emergency services. KCC has also been approached to adopt and accept responsibility for the

privately donated defib at Blairmore Hall. This will be put to a vote later in the meeting. However, Kilmun Community Council’s limited funds will not
sustain the defibrillators continuous management and will in the future look towards the community for fund raising or crowdfunding.
Our new and future issue is the proposed Giants Burn Wind Farm. The community council at present remains impartial at this point but our future
participation will be guided by the community response to this project. I have invited Statkraft, the company planning to build the wind farm to our
next meeting on 11 th June for a presentation and Q&A session.
A big thank you to Janet for all the work undertaken to bring KCC accounts into the digital age. She spent many hours phoning and emailing RBS.
To conclude Kilmun Community Council is only successful if the community involvement continues.
Finally, a big thank you to everyone.
Diane Nicholson - Convener
Thank you to Councillor Gordon Blair for Chairing the AGM.
TREASURER’S SUBMISSION OF BALANCE SHEET & ANNUAL ACCOUNTS

Our accounts are published every month, and this is an overview for the year. Some money was donated to the school from funds that had been kept for the
festive lunch and a small amount from the brochures that were published many years ago was put into the Shore Sweepers gardening fund.

The Treasurer’s report was presented (as above) and accepted as a true record.
Proposed by: Lyndsay Greer Phillips Seconded by Diane Nicholson. Carried.
The meeting was taken over by Councilor William Sinclair to Elect the convenor.
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
Convener: Diane Nicholson was proposed by Janet Holm for this post seconded by Kerris Bone -Carried.
The Vice-Convener: Lyndsey McKenna was proposed by Janet Holm for this post seconded by Diane Nicholson - Carried.
Secretary. Janet Holm was proposed by Diane Nicholson for this post, seconded by Lachie McQuarrie - Carried
Treasurer: Russell Humphries was proposed by Janet Holm this post, seconded by Lyndsay Greer - Carried
The next AGM will convene on the 13th of May 2025 in Younger Hall, Kilmun.
As there was no further business, the meeting closed.

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