MINUTES

TIREE COMMUNITY COUNCIL (TCC) APRIL PUBLIC MEETING

7pm 9 April 2025

Online using Zoom streamed on Facebook

1. Attendance: Gerard McGoogan (chair), Dr John Holliday and John MacCaskill
2. Apologies: Francis Khetrat and Tim Arkless
3. Minutes of March public meeting: Julie McKenzie’s name had been misspelled. The minutes were proposed by GMG and seconded by JMC.
4. Matters Arising:

• No new members had come forward for co-option. There remained two places, and anyone eligible was encouraged to approach a member of TCC
• We monitor posts on the TCC Facebook page rarely. Anyone wanting a quick answer to a problem is encouraged to approach the secretary directly
• Public consultation by SSEN expected before the May TCC meeting
• Issues of waste management in Scarinish and access to the all-weather pitch are ongoing
• The faulty equipment at the Crossapol play park has been mended

4. Correspondence not dealt with in the agenda:

• Letter from Melissa Stewart from Argyll & Bute Council (ABC) to community councils generally about a failure to send agendas and minutes to councillors. We have sent our apologies. The secretary has been off due to sickness for two months, but the situation should be back to normal now
• An environmental performance scheme consultation has been received from SEPA
• Concern has been noted about potential littering in Balevullin after the planned building of a take-away
• SEPA consultation on a proposed Environmental Performance Assessment Scheme. JH will post this on our website

5. Transport: there had been a recent meeting of the Tiree Transport Forum, generating eleven action points. The Forum felt that Tiree needed to make a more assertive case for itself and that winter connectivity needed to be improved:

• Winter timetable: a request was submitted for an additional Friday sailing to help island hauliers, although we do understand that many winter sailings are not full. We are waiting to hear a response from Coll
• Ongoing disruption: there has been significant concern over recent ferry disruptions and their major impact on tourism, businesses, and private travel. The linkage of the Colonsay route with the Tiree-Coll route is having a big impact, and this needs to be resolved. JH will write letter to the Minister and Transport Scotland
• Deck Space Pilot: there was frustration over a lack of meetings. We have completed the survey about this. JH will collate this and send to the relevant agencies. There was concern over the suspension of the pilot during future landmark events such as TMF when it is most needed
• Under-22s travel: there was disappointment over the exclusion of Tiree and Coll from this ferry concession scheme. Donnie MacInnes will raise the matter at the next CalMac Community Board meeting
• HIAL stakeholders board meeting scheduled for 22nd April on Tiree. JMC is attending. JH will apply

6. Tiree Library closure: TCC had written to the chair of LiveArgyll, our ABC councillors Peter Bain and our MSP. There is some confusion over the current status of the library situation. LiveArgyll has written that the library is ‘temporarily closed due to resourcing issues’. It appears that they are doing a belated Island Community Impact Assessment. We continue to liaise with other affected communities such as Cardross and Tarbert. Councillor Jim Lynch has confirmed he is actively lobbying on our behalf.
7. ABC budget: there was no update on this.
8. Visitor Levy: there was no update on this.
9. TCC finances:

• TCC received a £454 council grant last year
• We agreed to pay Phyl Meyer, past TCC secretary and convenor for historic charges for our website that he had paid himself
• We agreed to pay an outstanding invoice of £1,360 for planning fees for the community garden. This project will now lie under Tiree Community Business. GMG will write to TCB formalising this
• We need to close legacy projects such as the cycle stations by the Coop and Bùth a’ Bhaile, and decommissioning the phone boxes

10. R100 broadband project: deployment is on going. Residents with street connections are encouraged to register their interest with providers. The first connections are expected to be in May. Work in the east end is now starting.

11. Environment: we have heard that funding from Dynamic Coast for a LiDAR study and the creation of a Shoreline Management Plan for Hynish, Gott and Balephetrish Bays is likely to come through. The SEPA flood maps for 2080 have been updated. The links will be posted online.
12. Planning Two derelict buildings in Heanish are to be converted into holiday homes. A polytunnel is to be erected in Hough. TCC had no comment on either application.
13. AOCB:

• The Clansman is currently expected back on the Tiree-Coll route on 22 April
• JMC has written to Steve Nagy is appreciation of his retirement as Port Manager. recognition of Steve Nagy’s retirement. We welcomed the new manager, Lindsay McColl
• General support was expressed for the ferry staff as they operate in very challenging conditions

7. Next Meeting: 16 May online. The AGM will be in June and in person.

The meeting finished at 8pm.

Dr John Holliday, 12 April 2025

TIREE COMMUNITY COUNCIL

DRAFT MINUTES MARCH PUBLIC MEETING

7pm, 12 March 2025

Held online on Zoom and Facebook

1. Present: Gerard McGoogan (chair), Dr John Holliday, Frances Khetrat, Tim Arkless. Cllr Amanda Hampsey from Argyll and Bute Council.
2. Apologies: John MacCaskill. Aran Khetrat has resigned from the community council due to his college commitments. We are grateful for his contributions and the perspectives he was able to bring to our discussions. There are two places for new co-opted members on the community council. We welcome applications. The chair pointed out that some people have been using Facebook to contact TCC. As they may have noticed, we have not not been routinely monitoring the Facebook page. If anyone wants to talk urgently, it is better to contact us directly.
3. Minutes of last meeting: these were agreed, though due to an error by the chair a formal proposer and seconder were not called for.
4. Closure of Tiree Library: TCC had become aware that Live Argyll had decided to close Tiree’s library. TCC invited Paul Ashworth, Service and Support Manager from Live Argyll to attend the meeting. This section lasted 45 minutes and only the key points are listed below:

Timeline:

Nov 2024 TCC meeting. Concern was raised about council shutting Tiree’s library as assistant librarian retiring.

Jan 2024 TCC meeting          Frustration noted by TCC secretary about Live Argyll’s failure to answer emails.

                                  Councillor Amanda to ask for update from Live Argyll

January 31^st              Closing date for Library assistant Job.

February 19^th            TCC learn of librarian Assistant Job being withdrawn from a member of the community.

February 22^nd                        A&BC voted for 9.9% council tax rise; as a result funding from A&BC was not cut.

February 27^th            A&BC’s “Revenue budget overview” noted “reduction of library services”.

2024/2025                Live Argyll was budgeted to spend £18,000 on Tiree last year, although there was an underspend due to library closing in November 2024.

2025/2026                Projected Live Argyll on Tiree spending approximately £0.

Summary of Live Argyll’s viewpoint:

Live Argyll stated that Argyll and Bute Council kept their 2025/26 funding the same as 2024/25. Live Argyll has calculated this as effectively meant a real term cut of £211,000, primarily due to nationally agreed pay settlements and unavoidable NI cost pressures.

TCC’s Position:

TCC voiced frustration about the lack of timely information and the lack of consultation. TCC emphasized the importance of considering the value of the library to the community, rather than just focusing on costs.  TCC argued that the cost of the librarian was a small percentage of the overall budget and emphasized the importance of libraries in education. The councillors felt Live Argyll were not spending a proportionate amount of money on Tiree. Moving forward it will be virtually zero.

TCC were surprised Live Argyll had not conducted an Islands Community Impact Assessment.

Cllr Hampsey expressed disappointment and frustration at the lack of prior warning or updates from Live Argyll.

Actions:

• Paul to update Live Argyll’s management team on community feedback and get back to TCC with answers to points raised.
• Dr John: To send the library consultation letter to all Argyll and Bute councillors.
• Councillor Amanda: Discuss Tiree Library concerns with Councillor Julie Mackenzie

5. Matters arising from minutes: SSEN presentation on new Coll-Tiree cable. SSEN have:
   1. Contacted Tiree’s countryside ranger about wildlife disturbance.
   2. Contacted Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust re disturbance of basking sharks, etc.
   3. Sent some of the underwater footage of seabed to TCC so we can check for sea grass, etc.
   4. Is the cable between Coll to Mull duplicated (Currently No))
   5. Is Mull to mainland duplicated (Yes, three off).
   6. What is the power caring capacity of the cable (7.8MW but limited to 4.47MW elsewhere).
   7. Concern over future of Tiree power station: There is a long-term plan to decarbonise power generation and this would mean reducing the use of Tiree power station. However, this would not happen till there is a second Coll/Mull cable and a number of other enhancements. It is all part of a contract between SSE and the SG.

https://www.ssen.co.uk/about-ssen/our-works/whole-system-energy-solutions-for-the-scottish-islands/

TCC was impressed that we they had answered all seven questions we had sent them, swiftly and informatively.

6. Correspondence:

• National speed limit consultation 50mph. TCC has not responded to this
• Phyl Myers has sent invoices regarding the Community Garden planning permission and website costs. TCC to review
• JH had been chasing another manager at Live Argyll, Alex Edmundston about the all weather pitch. We have now received a reply. Negotiations with the executive head teacher at Tiree school about exactly how any arrangement might work are ongoing
• Letter about litter in the Scarinish ‘commercial district’. JH to follow up

7. Meeting reports: there were none.
8. Transport:
9. LOTI staying on. Probable cancellations. Clansman is back from its annual maintenance, but is filling in for the Hebrides and will not be back on the Tiree route till the 8 April. This will impact Tiree as the LOTI has less capacity and will mean passenger cancellation. This will be exacerbated if the Isle of Mull (limit 45 passengers) is put on our route. There will be no desk space pilot on these days. We’re also losing the Clansman in the middle of April, 23 April until 10 May. (We will be getting the LOTI with no Barra connections on the Wednesdays).
10. We have now got double sailings on the two Saturdays of the Tiree Wave Classic event in October.
11. Tony McInnes, who’s on the Calmac Communities Board facilitated a meeting here in Tiree on 7 We were pleased that the Tiree school had been asked to have a representative at this this meeting and Mckenzie MacArthur went and spoke very eloquently on behalf of the youth of Tiree. He should be congratulated for his contributions to the meeting. The main point that he raised, a very valid point, is the need for subsidised youth ferry fares concessions. This has been taken on by Calmac Community Board.
12. Start work at marshalling area at the pier this September.

• GMc to update current loading graphs for Summer 2025 to website.

9. A&BC budget:

6% increase on fees across the board

25% uplift on retrospective applications

  Cllr Hampsey to send TCC the breakdown of A&BCs spending overall and for Tiree.

10. Visitor Levy: we have submitted our letter opposing this. Await A&BC vote.
11. R100 update: Openreach have now reached 182 premises, with 32 more planned for w/c 10 March. This will take them to over 200 total homes. Openreach met with a representative of Nature Scot and went over the remaining works near the bird nesting areas, and she has agreed that the works can continue after March. They have part built the fibre for Hynish up to the solid rock sections. With the above relaxation, the remainder of this fibre should be laid by first few weeks of April. Though final connections will be a bit after that. Openreach will be continuing after March with the roll-out to the east side of the island as they are not affected by the bird nesting areas.

Note: if your address is not listed under R100, you are not a priority, even if the fibre passes the front of your house. People should register on the Openreach website to be kept informed of full fibre availability. You can do this by using our postcode checker on the main page www.openreach.com/fibre-checker.

12. Planning: there were two minor modifications to existing applications, neither of which were significant.

• Tiree Business Centre moved solar panels to the ground.
• House at Heanish move some windows to rooflights.

13. AOCB: There was a discussion on the broken “flying fix” ride at Crossapol play park. Cllr Hampsey to contact ACHA.
14. Date of next meeting : 9 April 2025. This will be online.

Gerard McGoogan and Dr John. Holliday 27 March 2025

MINUTES

AUGUST PUBLIC MEETING OF TIREE COMMUNITY COUNCIL (TCC)

7pm 14 AUGUST 2024

by Zoom and Facebook stream

1. Present: Gerard McGoogan (chair), Dr John Holliday, Tim Arkless, Frances Khetrat and Aran Khetrat. There were 9 people watching on Zoom. By the next morning, there had been 275 ‘views’ on FB.
2. Apologies: Willie Hume, Amanda Hampsey and John MacCaskill
3. Declarations of interest: there were none
4. Minutes of last meeting: these were accepted as true record. Proposed GM, seconded FK.
5. Matters arising:

• Recruitment to the police post on Tiree and Coll: JH has been in contact with Area Inspector Karen MacLennan. Recruitment is ongoing and cover is being provided in the meantime
• Scarinish town centre fence replacement: we have now received a quotation from one contractor for the complete removal of the fence (the cheapest option); the replacement of the seaward side; and the replacement of the whole (the most expensive). This is a major piece of work. Since the item was not on the agenda, we were not able to make a decision, and it will be considered formally at the September meeting
• Crossapol beach: the exposed dump material has been tested by HIAL for poisons and radioactivity. All results were clear. The problem now is sharp injuries and the stability of the dune face. The airport fire team has been down to cover the worst parts, and HIAL have a retained contractor to bury large areas of exposed material. The area has been fenced, although the fence soon becomes a hazard in its own right. However, covering the material with sand is only a temporary solution, the sand has to come from elsewhere on the beach. There is no easy answer, but HIAL are doing their best to mitigate the problem
• R100: the scheme to provide fast broadband services to everyone in the island. GM has a contact in OpenReach. The whole island, barring twenty-six properties, should be connected by March 2026. A big problem has been identifying the landowners, and the cabling has to be done in winter for environmental reasons. Some work could start on Tiree as early as the end of this year. GM will be able to give more news at the next meeting

6. Meeting reports: The future of Heylipol Church. JH had attended a meeting in Heylipol Church last week, led by Rev Alex MacCallum. He was representing non-church-going islanders, who used the church for big occasions. Around 15 people were present. The church is currently scheduled to close its doors in 2026, unless a viable plan is presented to headquarters. The feeling was that Heylipol Church was very expensive to heat in winter, it needed serious amounts of renovation, and it rarely provided the sorts of spaces that were needed by users. We should not try to keep it open. But building a new church was an option, as was working more closely with the Baptists. He would welcome some feedback on this.
7. Correspondence:

• Scottish Water is installing water meters around the Tiree network over the next 10 weeks. This will cause some short-term disruption to individual properties. It will allow SW to monitor flows island-wide, and detect leaks earlier.
• Police Report: there were 13 calls and 5 crimes in July on Tiree and Coll
• Community Climate Change proposal from the Trust: we have been invited to join this group. GM felt that this group was under-powered to tackle this ‘serious’ problem. He felt that TCC should not be involved. Other councillors thought it was better to do something rather than nothing, possibly putting resources into youth work. We agreed to take part as a community council
• TCC have written to LiveArgyll about unrestricted access to the Cornaigmore all-weather pitch
• Scottish Islands Federation: we agreed to take out membership for £25
• World Suicide Prevention Day is coming up on 10th September. We have been asked to publicise a project to light up buildings that day
• Water Vulnerabilities Study by Hannah Grist. This highlighted the importance to outside agencies of a stable community council
• Taxes on flying: Air Passenger Duty of £7 has an exemption for the Highlands and Islands. There is another charge of £26.02 (Tiree to Glasgow) and £17.62 (Glasgow to Tiree). JH will continue to investigate the source of this
• Baugh public phone is still non-functional. GM will progress this
• We had been invited to a Sectoral Marine Plan for offshore wind energy workshop on 22 July. No one from TCC had attended
• State of bicycle repair stations at Scarinish and Crossapol: these have rusted. There is still £940 in the bicycle account

8. A&BC Councillor reports: none present
9. Presentation of Tiree Community Council’s accounts for the years 2022/3 and 2023/4: GM presented the accounts. These were accepted by councillors as a true record. Proposed by JH, seconded FK.
10. Tiree ambulance service: this service is down to one member currently, due to sick leave. The remaining member has plans to go away this month, potentially leaving the island with no cover. He has been on duty for 14 months without a break. JH has investigated other similarly-sized islands: Westray and Unst. Both have a team of five retained ambulance drivers. JH will contact Julie Ann Wallace, the Area Manager for SAS, and speak to the MSP.
11. Disposal of phone boxes, including sale of Heylipol phone box: we need to progress this. There had been an application to purchase the Heylipol box, leaving it in situ. We were unsure about this. We do not have the original contract. It was suggested it might be on common grazing, and JH will contact the estate to confirm this and enquire whether selling it would cause issues.
12. Community Garden project report and discussion of its future direction: this four-year project has a Keder house and planning permission to create a community garden. We have received funding from the Coop Community Fund and Argyll and Bute Council (ABC). Despite numerous attempts to recruit volunteers, a critical mass had not been reached. We decided to withdraw from the project. JH will approach the funders to ask what to do with the Keder house. JH will write to Tiree Community Business to inform them that we have been unable to progress this.
13. Ferries: last week GM and JH met Kevin Hobbs, CEO CMAL and Duncan Mackison, interim CEO of CalMac, with Donnie MacInnes and Sapphire Arkless. It had been a very constructive meeting. CMAL are trying to build a fleet of boats with just three classes. Tiree and Coll harbours are too shallow for this new boat design. Dredging is not possible without undermining the pier pylons. The pier may therefore need to be modifieded. They hope that the ferry situation will start improving soon with the introduction of new boats. One will be kept in reserve to cover for problems. The Clansman needs to be replaced soon, and design work for the replacement will possibly start as soon as next year. CalMac are increasing the number of port managers to help communication with communities. CalMac are looking into setting out weather limits for captains coming out to Tiree and Coll. This is likely to be quite difficult. We raised the subject the new e-booking system, in particular boats showing as “full” during booking but sailing with space. The Crofting Camping Scheme pop-up no longer appears on the booking screen. This issue has been raised before, and it appears to be difficult to fix. Transport Scotland is looking at flexible ferry fares, so that tickets at quiet times are cheaper. The marshalling area and ticket office are being renovated next winter. There will be a consultation soon. There is one covered walkway elsewhere in the network. If this survives the winter, they will look at building one on Tiree. We support the extension of  the U22-travel scheme for all foot travel for all islands. We will raise this with Jenni Minto, MSP. We asked about the position of the waiting room at the end of the pier, but it was going to be difficult to move this.
14. Air services: the 18 bank flights have all now been allocated.
15. Additional road signage for drivers and cyclists unfamiliar with the island’s roads: Tiree, Mull and Coll CCs hope to work together on ways to educate drivers new to single-track roads. It was suggested to put a QR code linked to driving advice on islands on the stairs down to the ferry car deck.
16. Tiree Local Place Plan: TCC had unsuccessfully applied for funding. Coll and Oban CCs were doing one. We decided to do some research. JH will report back to the next meeting.
17. Planning applications:

• Mannal planning application 24/01153/PP. We agreed to support this because of growing the island’s population. JH will write to Planning
• House in Heanish 24/01330/PP: 2 objections
• House in Kenovay east of Coalree 24/01226/PP
• House in Balinoe 24/01185/PPP

18. AOCB: there was none
19. Date and location of next public meeting: 11 September 2024 in the Trust office.

Dr John Holliday 15 August 2024 doc.holliday@tireecommunitycouncil.co.uk