Seven candidates are standing for election in the North Kincardine ward on Thursday 4 May. The full list of candidates, along with information on how to register to vote, can be found at: http://bit.ly/shire17Th
This is going to be tougher than I thought.
After two years of fundraising by parents, friends and families, the pupils of Portlethen Primary School can now enjoy the new multi use games area (Muga).
Average speed cameras are to be introduced on the A90 between Stonehaven and Dundee, for safety reasons.
The Scottish Government announced today that the system will go live in the autumn, replacing the existing fixed and mobile camera enforcement currently taking place.
There were three fatal collisions and six serious collisions on this section of the route in 2015. More than three in every five vehicles travelling between Dundee and Stonehaven are exceeding the speed limit, with more than one in every five vehicles exceeding the speed limit by more than 10mph.
There are currently two permanent average speed camera systems in Scotland: on the A77 between Symington and Girvan and on the A9 between Dunblane and Inverness.
Transport Minister Humza Yousaf said: “We already know from our experience with the A9 that average speed cameras encourage better driver behaviour, with the number of fatal casualties down by over 37% and serious injury casualties by 45%. We can also expect to see improved journey time reliability and reductions in the number of people getting points on their licence and a fine.
“There have been 60 fatal and serious collisions on the A90 between Dundee and Stonehaven in the last five years alone. Any death on our roads is one too many, and I look forward to seeing similar results on the A90 as we’ve seen on the A77 and A9 in reducing casualties and improving driver behaviour.”
There is more information at www.a90road.info,
This evening’s Kincardine and Mearns Bus Forum was very well attended, prompting lots of debate in Mackie Academy.
Stagecoach managers received praise (about the coming improvements in Portlethen and the A2B service in the Mearns) and angry complaints (about a lack of services in the south of the Mearns and about Stonehaven town services).
The new bus timetables should become available in the first week of April, and will be introduced in May. I asked if changes had been made as a result of comments during the public consultation. I was told that they had been taken on board where possible. I also voiced concerns about proposed cuts to services through Newtonhill, but added my thanks for the improvements in Portlethen, giving a 20 minute service. Portlethen residents also voiced a welcome for the changes.
Stagecoach confirmed that passenger numbers are dropping across the country by about 3% per year. The operations manager also said that contactless payment will become available in the next 12 months. His reply came in reply to a member of the public who was told a £20 note was not accepted for an Aberdeen-Portlethen journey.
Aberdeenshire Council’s public transport unit manager said that there is expected to be a £90,000 shortfall in coming years in the budget to subsidise non-commercial services. He said that two services were at risk as a result – the Muchalls-Newtonhill park and choose service (on average fewer than one passenger per trip) and the 103 Cookney to Bridge of Dee (fewer than two passengers per trip, though that was disputed by a passenger at the meeting).
The next forum will take place in September. Members of the public are encouraged to attend to share their views with Stagecoach and council management. The meeting is also attended by some councillors. There were six of us there tonight.
The Royal Bank is closing more local branches … Stonehaven, Banchory, Westhill and further afield. So sad. Banking is becoming impersonal – the hole-in-the-wall, the PC/mobile and the call centre. But sometimes you need to see a human being. Now the only option will be to go to Aberdeen (if you can find a branch there).
I’m not surprised – I was gently admonished in a bank branch recently (not the RBS) for not paying bills on line. When I said that she was talking herself and colleagues out of a job, she protested. Well, here is the proof.
The Clydesdale is closing branches too.
Sad days for loyal staff and loyal customers.
A country road west of Portlethen is to close from Friday 7 April until 27 April. The U59K will be closed at Bishopston for 21 days to allow for work associated with the construction of the AWPR. Vehicular, emergency and pedestrian access to affected properties at Bishopston is to be maintained from the C30K, and Little Bishopston from the C5K.
Today’s Kincardine and Mearns Area Committee included a number of issues affecting the North Kincardine ward. Here is a summary.
– The Evening Express reports tonight that there has been an increase in deliberate fires, from three in 2015/16 to 10 in 2016/17 in Kincardine and Mearns. That is true, however at the meeting we heard that seven of the 10 were grass or rubbish fires. The fire service has been visiting S4 and S5 pupils in the three academies to emphasise the safety message. https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/…/report-shows-rise-in-de…/ I also asked whether the fire service had been able to establish the cause of the fire which destroyed Hillside House on 26 August last year. A response was promised in due course.
– Landscape services presented their plans for the coming year. As well as on-going maintenance in open spaces, parks and pitches, the following will take place.
PORTLETHEN: Additional drains in Burnside Park; a new footpath to play equipment in Viking Place; wildflower seeding in Nicol Park; and improved biodiversity in Burnside Park and Broomfield Road. Tree work in Viking Place, Thistle Drive and the Boswell area. I asked about drainage in Nicol Park and this will be looked at further.
NEWTONHILL: A new gravel footpath is to be created in Newtonhill Park towards the Cliff View houses, bulbs are to be planted in the park, and some trees are to be removed from behind neighbouring properties in the park, plus improved biodiversity in the Coastal Park.
OLD PORTLETHEN: The play items are to be repainted.
– The roads maintenance programme came before the committee for approval. Here is what is planned for this year in this ward.
RURAL: B9077 at Tilbouries high stress dressing, C30K at Clochandighter conventional dressing.
OLD PORTLETHEN: Broadhaven Road and Craigmarn Road new footway.
PORTLETHEN: Nicol Place footpaths to be slurry sealed.
A fuller programme of reserve works is also planned, should funding become available, across the rural area (C13K, C14K, C24K, C25K, C30K, C34K and the U147K) and in Portlethen (the Asda roundabout, Thistle Drive, Claymore Avenue, Piper Place, Viking Place, Ninian Place and Argyll Place.)
– Councillors voted by 7 -5 to agree in principle that a commercially run music event can use the Market Square car park in Stonehaven from 30 December to 1 January.
– Checks elsewhere in Aberdeenshire on domestic landfill bins show that a third of that waste should be in the food recycling bin. Currently only 41.6% of domestic waste is being recycled.
– Some 90.9% of street lighting faults in Kincardine and Mearns are repaired within seven days.
– It takes on average 40.8 days to relet a council house. The time is used to refurbish the house. This could include fitting a new kitchen, rewiring or improving the insulation.
All the papers for today’s meeting can be found at http://committees.aberdeenshire.gov.uk/committees.aspx…
The Supreme Court has now agreed to hear the appeal on 13 June regarding whether the Chapelton developers (and others) should make substantial contributions towards a strategic transport fund for the North East. The hearing is set for one day and the UK court will sit in Edinburgh for the first time since it was established.
A decision may be received as early as late July if it is issued before the court goes into summer recess, although that cannot be guaranteed and if issued post recess is likely to be received in September/October.
The Chapelton of Elsick company had been asked to provide £8m as part of its planning consent, but Court of Session judges reduced the bill to £287,000.
Background from earlier this year can be found at https://www.pressreader.com/…/the-…/20170121/281715499323678
Here are the Scottish Liberal Democrat candidates for the Aberdeenshire Council elections on Thursday 4 May. Unfortunately three couldn’t be with us for the photocall the other day. You’ll note that our number is almost gender balanced – and that’s without any “positive” discrimination!
