Meetings and Minutes

Minutes of the Annual General meeting held on Monday 7th October 2024 at 7.30pm in 

Dunning Church Hall

1. The Chair welcomed everyone to the Annual General Meeting, especially our new representative for Ward 7, Councillor Alan Watt. 
2. Apologies: Councillor Keith Allan
3. Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held on 2nd October 2023. These were agreed to be a true record of the meeting and were signed by the Chair.
4. Chairman’s Report

It has been an eventful year in the Parish of Dunning but there’s no doubt about the main issue – the planning application for the installation of the wind turbine at Findony and the opposition to its approval. The Community Council meeting in St Paul’s Church Hall on Monday, November 6, had the largest attendance ever – there was overspill into the hall lobby, the kitchen and outside the door; many came to object and many to understand the implications of the application.  As a local Council we undertook to compile a dossier of the objections submitted by the community, collate them and present the document to the planning authority at Perth and Kinross Council; we also advised those present to make their own individual comment directly to P&KC. However our efforts were in vain because planning law dictated it would succeed but there was no measured consideration nor consultation on whether it should succeed. The application sought approval for a highly-intrusive, self-contained, private enterprise with no public benefit, locally or nationally; yet its approval was assured unless substantive planning rules were advanced to deny it.  Let’s move on.

At last!  After around seven years of consultations, proposals and negotiations the measures to restrict parking in the village have been agreed and are scheduled for implementation late October.  Yellow lines will be introduced at Bridgend to Kirk Style Square; Station Road junction and Muckhart Road.  This is good news for the relief of traffic congestion and the safety of pedestrians.

There is better news on the wind generation front.  We have had regular consultations with representatives of developers planning wind farms to the south of Dunning parish in adjoining Council jurisdiction at Brunt Hill and Craighead.  Some householders fall within the radius of the northernmost towers and may receive benefits; there may be options to buy-in to the scheme but no grid connection is expected before early next decade.  Both developers have made regular presentations in the village.

Our new web site is now active at www.dunningcommunitycouncil.org and will continue to be developed.  There is a contact facility which presents a format for suggestions or requests – any such enquiries are passed to members of the Community Council for a response. We are seriously indebted to Rob Carr for the development of the site and the training of Council members. 

We had a superb Duck Race this year with all tickets sold for the 15 races and a record sum raised – many thanks to the helpers, Dunning Scouts for the catering and Jen as the sole Duck Maiden splashing about rounding up the stragglers.  And a big thankyou to Scrufts for allowing us to pre-sell tickets at their event the week before. There was some disappointment that all who wanted race tickets were denied because of the demand. Increasing the number of races would only make the event too long; however, we have now purchased a new flotilla of ducks for next year which will release an increased number of tickets for sale.  An earlier start is under consideration since this year’s event extended to around eight o’clock and was chilly towards the end.

The Over-80s Christmas Lunch went with a swing, helped by the band, Craigrowan, and the most natural Santa ever seen.  Sixty-nine souls were sustained and entertained, waited-on by a jolly band of volunteer helpers, until home-time and “Cheerio, see you next year!”

A state of symbiosis exists between the Duck Race and the Christmas Lunch – essentially, the money we raise at the Duck Race pays for the Lunch and it is becoming more difficult to maintain this equilibrium.  The costs of catering have increased markedly over the years and, happily, the numbers qualifying for invitation to the feast have not slackened: therefore, we need to be a bit smarter and find ways to extract more revenue from the Duck Race to feed the Christmas Lunch.

Similarly, we need to find greater benefit from the growth of Little Dunning Market.  The Community Council has always pitched its tent at the Market and this year’s event was huge with 80+ vendors participating compared with 60+ last year and 40+ in previous years.  The weather has generally been kind and the variety of stalls attracts a host of visitors. Making more of the opportunities offered by exposure to the free-spending crowds at Little Dunning should subsidise our support of community causes and projects which will inevitably seek our financial assistance.

Last year we contributed to various village activities – notably, repointing of the War Memorial, white-line marking of the football pitch, Dunning Primary School annual Achievement Celebration, village groundworks and lighting assistance and regular strimming of the grass at the burn-side – at an aggregate cost of £760. Most of these items are exceptional but they are typical of what crops-up every year and will continue to challenge us. Our takings at Little Dunning amounted to less than half the above sum so, potentially, we have a funding problem.

We also have a pressing personnel problem.  Over the past year three of our Community Councillors have stood down which has depleted our establishment by a third.  We now lack resources to progress issues which need attention, even though we know what needs to be done.  We need to stir-up public interest and recruitment, at any level, and this will be a huge priority for the next six months.

Last year we conducted a survey in the village to identify topics of individual concern – community care, public transport, wellbeing etc.  All letterboxes were leafleted and a reasonable proportion of responses returned.  It is important that we remain vigilant in the village to identify any case of hardship or distress, particularly over the winter months and no assistance with energy costs.

Any concern may be raised by website contact – and we still need to be looking out for the perennial problems like potholes, bad drainage, ant-social behaviour and vandalism.

It only remains for me to extend thanks to all the individuals and groups in the village for the efforts we make to sustain and improve our community, to St Paul’s Church for the continuing use of its facilities and to Perth & Kinross Council for its support.

5. Secretary’s Report

The Boundaries Commission Consultation recently appeared but there were no changes to any Constituencies in Mid-Scotland and Fife.

There were a number of forestry plans submitted but none of these raised any concerns. There was, however, considerable concern about the theft of our 2 ‘Policemen’ from the village. These were purchased at a total cost of £180 and placed around our roads to alert drivers to the 20mph speed limit. This remains an issue in Dunning and we would urge people to use their phones to take a picture or video of the culprits and pass them on to our local Police Officers. 

We experienced some vandalism – a picnic table destroyed in the school grounds and damaged to     greens on the golf course. Some large coping stones were thrown off the wall at the top of Newton of Pitcairns but these have now been replaced by Pitcairns Estate and firmly secured. The CC has thanked the Estate for their prompt action in taking ownership for this wall.

A section of the Cat Walk has recently been cleared of the majority of the gorse that almost blocked this path. Scottish Water has lodged a planning application to restore the path alongside the Waste Water Treatment Works to the north of Kincladie Wood. The CC has thanked several locals for their work in maintaining and clearing the paths in The Den to ensure that they are open for all to enjoy.

6. Treasurer’s Report – Copy included.
7. Confirmation of Office-Bearers

Chair – Neil Johnston

Vice-Chair – John Stockley

Secretary – Colin Young

Treasurer – Ann Myles

8. Any Other Business – Nothing was raised.
9. Date of the next AGM – Monday 6th October 2025 – Venue to be confirmed.