255 December 2015 - Gryffe Advertizer

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42 the advertizer t: 01505 613340 e: info@advertizer.co.uk kilmacolm & quarriers Councillor Wilson's road report is on p33. It is proposed to release 7 selfbuild plots in Leperstone Avenue. The piece of land has been earmarked for housing for 17 years but I disagree with the decision to allocate them to those who live outside of Inverclyde. I have had several people unsuccessfully approach me in the past 8 years enquiring if the council had some land available to allow them to build their own house. PG Paper had their new office opened by Scottish Minister Humza Yousaf at the refurbished Customs House in Greenock. Poonam and Paneet Gupta have run the business since 2003 at the Stables, Auchenbothie. I spoke on behalf of Inverclyde Council and it was a delight to do so and have watched this Kilmacolm business grow to now employing 17 people locally. Well done to the Guptas. I attended an “Any Questions" run by Woodcraft Folk, a national group for youngsters. The panel was Patrick Harvie Green MSP, Ronnie Cowan SNP MP, Dr Lucy Pickering a lecturer in Sociology at Glasgow Uni, The leader of the Glasgow Anarchist Movement and myself. Held my own until a question came up about fox hunting. I tried to defend farmers and their lambs, but to no avail, not only was the audience agin me but also the panel. Got a real doing. The Memorial Service on Sunday the 8th was conducted by Rev Peter McEnhill and both the vicars from St Fillans. Many wreaths were laid and it was good to see the Girl Guiding and Scouting movements laying their wreaths in the worst of weathers. Thanks to Mrs Carson and the Bridge of Weir Royal British Legion for the formalities. I have been very critical of Scottish Water, but to their credit they manned the traffic signals to allow speedy passage of cars down Lochwinnoch Road to the service. I met on site with Jim Brennan, the site manager for the development of the Old Institute. Found him most helpful and given the deadlines he is working to in relation to A. The timing of the start of his next project amd B. The desire of an early entry date by the Cooperative, I do not think that the project will slow in going up. The massive pole outside KPS in Churchill Road is a temporary radio mast and will be removed at the completion of the refurbishment. The decant has gone well with only a few communication blips, which are now fixed. In my praise of Glasgow Airport and what I believe is the unfair public money being spent on Prestwick Airport by the Scottish Government I omitted to mention the cancelling by the same Government in mid stream, the Glasgow Airport Rail Link. Glasgow is one million passengers to date, up on last year. They should be given a level playing field by the Scottish Government. At a recent board meeting a member said “anybody who thinks that security at Glasgow Airport is slow, must be a first time traveller". My surgery is December 12th 10-11 at the Cargill. I can be contacted on 01475 712727 and 741969 and 07766 992294 email david.wilson@inverclyde.gov. uk. Kilmacolm Unofficial Running Club (KURC) In September a local running group held a charity race night in Kilmacolm Cargill Community Centre. A grand total of £4930 was raised for the Beatson Cancer Charity, a cause close to many of our hearts. The running group wish to thank all the local businesses who generously sponsored races or donated some great raffle prizes. Special thanks to Saffron who provided food for the evening. And finally, many thanks to all those who supported this fantastic event. 42nd Kilmacolm Scout Christmas Post Once again we are pleased to announce that we will be providing a Christmas card postal service. We will deliver Christmas cards to residential areas of Kilmacolm. To ensure the safety of our young people, we can only deliver to residential areas – so no farms or rural properties! From Monday 30th November until 4pm on the 11th December you can post your Christmas cards in the Scout post box in either The Kilmacolm Community Centre or The Cross Café. A minimum 30p donation is kindly requested for each card. The cards will be delivered during the weekend of the 12th and 13th December. Thank you to everyone in the local community who supports the Kilmacolm Scout Group. Diaporama It was ‘David’s Night’ at this month’s meeting. He described it as a ‘mixed bag’ and it was certainly full of variety including some of his characteristically ‘quirky’ look at sequences combining good images, music and both written and verbal commentary as appropriate. He used a combination of his own images and some from the internet to meet the needs of some of the sequences such as ‘ Das Boot’ - a look at underwater warfare and ‘Grim Glory’ about the Blitz taken from his father’s book. Also based on his family was a ‘quiz’ about stamps from a family stamp album and one of a series of Avs about his working life in the family business. He covered the funeral of Ewan Haldane, well-known biker, Sikh wedding in his road, a visit to Abbotsford (Sir Walter Scott’s house and garden) and a look at Glasgow’s Riverside Museum. He showed a very informative sequence about the Inverclyde Tourist Group Support Network - its setting up and development. We had a ‘shippy’ story about the ‘Sealand Performace’ - a condemned container ship’s journey from Scotland to its final place in the middle east. We ended with ‘A Trip on the Waverley’ with fantastic weather!! It was an evening enjoyed by all both for the quantity and, probably more important, quality of David’s sequences. Our next meeting is our Christmas night’s competition with the usual Christmas fayre. We meet in the Carrick Centre, Houston, 7.30pm on Monday 14th December. Everyone welcome.
www.advertizer.co.uk december 2015 43 43 New street lights have been ordered for Port Glasgow, Bridge of Weir and Lochwinnoch Roads in Kilmacolm and throughout parts of Quarrier’s Village as well as other parts of Ward 1. I am told the new lighting columns will ensure streets are better lit. Inverclyde councillors have agreed to extend the half hour parking in Kilmacolm to two hours stays. Though, due to red tape this will not happen until about spring 2016. It really was unworkable to only have half an hour parking in the village. Comparisons with other urban areas in Inverclyde was unfair. It has had a detrimental effect on the village shops, for shoppers and village residents. I raised this with officials when the new parking system was first being considered. As I write my monthly article thankfully following complaints by Kilmacolm traders and the Kilmacolm Community Council a late report is going to the council’s Policy & Resources committee where it is requested a temporary lifting of the half hour parking limit occurs for the four Saturdays in December, covering the Christmas/New Year period. I am sure this will be agreed on but I feel it would be better if this temporary removal of the half hour restriction was removed entirely in December. I was delighted to hear that Kilmacolm company PG Paper, now based at Greenock Custom House building, have been shortlisted for the prestigious Scottish Family Business Awards. I believe the local business is up for two categories in the national awards. I wish them every success for the awards and at their new location. This year’s Christmas lights switch ons will take place on Friday 4 December. The event in Quarrier’s Village will begin at 4pm, with the Quarrier’s Voices Choir leading the community signing. There will be refreshments in Carsemeadow afterwards. The Kilmacolm event will take place in the community centre at 6pm, with Kilmacolm Primary School choir performing. Again there will be refreshments after the lights are switched on. The Council’s annual budget consultation is now underway. Details of how you can respond can be found on the Council’s website www.inverclyde.gov.uk. There is also a public meeting in Kilmacolm Community Centre on the evening of Tuesday 1 December. One of the options being considered for closing the Council’s budget gap is a 3% increase in the Council Tax for the year beginning 1 April 2017. The last time the Council Tax was increased in Inverclyde was on 1 April 2006. A 3% increase would raise £750,000 and add 69 pence a week to the charge for a band ‘D’ property. We have received a number of representations about parking regulations and enforcement in Kilmacolm from residents, traders and members of the Community Council. Councillor McCabe raised these representations at a meeting of the Environment and Regeneration Committee on 29 October resulting in officers bringing a report to the Policy & Resources Committee on 17 November proposing to suspend on-street waiting restrictions on Lochwinnoch Road, Bridge of Weir Road, Port Glasgow Road and Market Place on the four Saturdays in December to encourage trade in the run up to Christmas. Meanwhile the Council is consulting on a revised traffic regulation order (TRO) for the village centre, which will provide 2 hour waiting with no return within 30 minutes. This arrangement would operate Monday to Friday rather than the current 30 minute waiting Monday to Saturday. Subject to there being no objections this new TRO is likely to be effective from May 2016. We wish all our constituents a happy and peaceful Christmas when it comes. Councillor McColgan: I have one surgery this month on Tuesday 15 December, 6pm – 7pm in Boglestone Community Centre. You can reach me on 01475 712727 (during office hours) and 07881280016 (anytime) or by emailing me at james.mccolgan@inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to me at Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Greenock PA15 1LY. You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my website: http:// jamesmccolgan.com. You can also follow me on Twitter @jamesmccolgan. Councillor McCabe: I only have one surgery this month, on Tuesday 8 December, 6pm - 7pm in Boglestone Community Centre. You can also contact me directly to discuss any matters that are of concern to you by telephone on 01475 712020 (during office hours) and 871368 (home) or by email to Stephen.McCabe@inverclyde.gov.uk. Alternatively you can write to me at 10 Victoria Gardens, Kilmacolm PA13 4HL. You can keep up to date with my work as a Councillor by visiting my blog: http://councillorstephenmccabe.blogspot.com/ and follow me on Twitter @ CllrSMcCabe. Equally pleasing it was great to learn that the Three Sisters Bake in Quarrier’s Village, founded only four years ago, has been reported as having its most successful year to date. Well done to the local business and here is to even more success in the future. Recently Stephen Hampson stood down as Chairperson and as a member of Kilmacolm Community Council. Stephen was a very good chair and member of KCC. He will be a hard act to follow. I wish Stephen and his family all the best for the future. Kilmacolm Primary School pupils and staff have successfully decanted to the former St Stephen’s High School in Port Glasgow while the village primary is refurbished. I recently contacted the new KPS Head Teacher Mrs McCredie and she told me the move had gone well. I am glad that the new head teacher has finally been appointed. Thanks must go to Mrs Reid who had done a great job as acting head teacher. I congratulate Mrs McCredie on her recent appointment. It is that time of year again on the run up to Christmas when the festive lights are switched on throughout Inverclyde’s towns and villages. This year the Christmas lights switch on will take place in Quarrier’s Village and Kilmacolm on Friday 4 December. The lights will help brighten up the dark nights in December. I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and all the best when the New Year comes. For my next surgeries please see my announcement in the local newspaper and surgery posters. If wanting to contact me please phone me through my office at 01475 712727 (office) or 07747 765 839 (mobile) or by emailing me at jim. macleod@inverclyde.gov.uk or writing to me at Inverclyde Council, Municipal Buildings, Greenock, PA15 1LY. howwood & elderslie Can I first of all correct my mistake in the November issue, I mentioned I was at a school award ceremony. It was of course at St Benedicts and not St Cuthbert’s a senior moment! As I write this, Renfrewshire Council is launching its bid for Paisley to be the UK s city of culture for 2021. If this is awarded it would mean a huge boost not only for the town but for the rest of Renfrewshire. I wish the bid team all the best. Whilst that was being launched, I was attending the Carers Forum in Paisley which helps and gives advice to carers throughout Renfrewshire. They are a well organised group and have a good grasp of issues that concern carers. They can be contacted on 0141 887 3643. The council as ever is preparing for winter with workers ready to mobilise if things get bad. If you are concerned about flooding, road gritting, transport or any other issue during this time do not hesitate to contact me on 07717 432899. I am still concentrating on the issue of increasing Broadband speeds in the village. A lot of progress has been made but there is still much to do and I am working along with council to get the village up to speed so to speak. Late News - planning permission has been granted for 126 new homes on the site of the former St Cuthbert’s school. My surgery for the 24th December has been cancelled. Can I take this opportunity to wish the people of Howwood a great Christmas and peaceful New Year. Howwood SWI Tuesday 15th December: Christmas Get Together with Taste and Try, Santa Bag - give and receive. Competition - Christmas Napkin. Vote of Thanks - Anne McCallum. Please note that tonight we will start at 7pm, Howwood Village Hall. 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255 December 2015 - Gryffe Advertizer

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