VENUE: Cockburnspath Primary School.

1. PRESENT: John Hay, Clifford Bertram, Tom Dean Marnie McGregor, Jean Virtue, Peter Hood, Kate Tulloch, Fiona Deeming, Councillor John Elliot (Duns and District North SBC), PC Jim Wilson (Lothian and Borders Police Force) and 13 members of the community including Jim Fullerton and David Raw (SBC election candidates) . Also Benjamin  Carey, Ben Tyndall and Jill Watson (125 Memorial Trust).
1.1. Apologies: Angela Brading and Matt Deeming.

2. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF 14th MARCH 2007
2.1. Minutes discussed and accepted.

3. POLICE MATTERS.
 3.1. Incidents in the last Month: 1 or 2 incidents involving youths nothing particularly serious and all being dealt with between the complainants and the miscreants   parents.
3.2. Motorised / mini bikes and quads: these are governed by the same laws as all motorised vehicles and should be taxed, MOT, licensed and insured to by driven on the roads. Also they should not be carrying passengers if they are not specifically designed to.
 
4. 125 MEMMORIAL SCULPTURE TRAIL.
4.1. Benjamin Carey, Ben Tyndall and Jill Watson, gave an update on the sculpture trail, Jill has been commissioned to create the Cove sculpture, a bronze of the widows and children of Cockburnspath and the Cove waiting and looking out to sea. Jill passed  round a plasticine model depicting her ideas. A discussion followed around the subjects of; size, location and further funding. It was agreed that the preferred location would be at the Cove Hamlet rather than the Harbour.

5. MATTERS ARISING.
5.1. Proposed Cove development: A new supplementary plan has been submitted by the developers, the CC has yet to be notified, but a resident of Cove has purchased a copy from the SBC Planning department, the developers preferred option appears to be for 16 houses in the 2 fields to the south of the hamlet right up to the Pease Bay road. It would appear that the developers are ignoring the local objections or dismissing them in a most condescending way and focusing on the “Berwickshire plan of1994”. Which pre-dates SBC and, objectors would hope, not fit with current guidelines and thinking. The objections of impact on the car park and surface water management and its effects on the cliff face are only a small part of the overwhelming objections to this development (there were over 100 different objections to the initial proposal).
5.1.1. Objections: It was suggested that all objections on SBC policy grounds should be referenced  by clause numbers etc. For example, if planning policy is against development of the coastal strip, then the chapter and paragraph should be researched and added to the objection.
5.2. Station Yard Houses: Just to confirm that the planning consent does not allow for entrance / egress from these houses other than by the main entrance to the site, house two should access past house one, not through the gap created by the removal of the ironwork railings, which show no signs of being replaced.
5.3. Church Yard: email sent no reply as yet.
5.4. Power Cuts: Euan Robson MSP has got back to John he has been unable to follow this up due to the end of the parliamentary session. He has contacted Scottish Power asking as to when the  power line upgrade is to take place.
5.5. SBC Community Councillor training days: Planning Aid for Scotland application for place by 13th April Tom will attend and Equalities Training for Community Councilors notification of attendance by 24th May, no-one volunteered yet.

6. CORRESPONDENCE.
6.1. Scottish Executive: Planning Reform and Community Engagement. Now in force.
6.2. SBC – Vibrant Communities Handbook, Circulating.
6.3. SBC – Structure Plan meeting: postponed.
6.4. SBC – Proposed “Berwickshire Citizen of the Year Award”: cancelled.
6.5. SBC – Lothian and Borders Outdoor Diary.
6.6. SBC – Community Council Scheme Review – Chief Executive Report and 12 week consultation.
6.7. SBC – Community Councils Insurance Cover.
6.8. SBC – Scottish Borders Housing Audit. Document on SBC website.
6.9. SBC – Agenda for 19th March meeting.
6.10.SBC – Agenda for 29th March meeting.
6.11.SBC – Weekly Planning List (5th April 2007) – Extract.
6.12.SBC – Floral Gateway Competition 2007.
6.13.BAC – February meeting minutes and agenda for March meeting.
6.14.Lothian and Borders Police – Berwickshire Newsletter March 2007.
6.15.Torness LLC – Met Office and BE working together.
6.16.Berwickshire Civic Society: Keep Berwickshire Tidy Campaign.
6.17.BCCF - Community Engagement Officers` update.
6.18.SBCCN - AGM and Business meeting.
6.19.Military Flying Exercise: notification.
6.20.Natural Power: Crystal Rig Community fund, for phase 2. The only changes suggested are: Applications from neighbouring communities / organisations may be accepted; agreed. Applications invited 6 times a year. The council thought that this could be too often and agreed that 3 times a year would be sufficient; John to contact Donald Spiers.
6.21.Post watch Scotland: Letter, to save costs could future correspondence be by email.
 
7. PLANNING MATTERS.
7.1. Chapel Hill / Tower Farm: 3 house development. No Objections.

8. REPORTS.
8.1. Torness LLC Meeting.
8.2. Public Meeting – Parents and children.

9. ANY OTHER BUSINESS.
9.1. Wind Farm Community Fund Applications:
9.1.1. Cockburnspath Nursery: To replace old damaged outdoor play equipment for the use of children attending the nursery. The Nursery has some funds but more funds would enable them to buy better quality and longer lasting equipment. This equipment would be of modular design. £500 was agreed.
9.1.2. Church Hall: Wish to change the gravel driveway up to the church hall to hard standing, which would be easier for prams and wheelchairs accessing the church hall. This could be put by until later, as the work is not due to get underway for a while.
9.2. Community Council website: The present funding for this runs out in September, it was agreed that the CC pick up the bill from then on.

10. NEXT MEETING: WEDNESDAY  9th May 2007; in the school at 7pm.