Opening of the fishing season on the River Allan - 15th of March 2017

Anglers met on Wednesday 15th March at 9.30am on the village green at Kinbuck to toast the opening of the 2017 fishing season on the Allan Water. Roy Robertson, president of the Allan Water Angling Improvement Association talked about the challenges of having been downgraded by the Scottish Government to a Category 3 river in 2016 which meant anglers had to return all salmon caught. This had a significant effect on club membership as some of our members like to take one for the pot. Roy highlighted that the river has now been upgraded to a Category 2 river thanks to the efforts of the Allan anglers and the Forth District Salmon Fishery Board to conserve salmon and there are now opportunities to retain some salmon caught during 2017.  He stated that it is the association’s policy that only one salmon may be taken on any given day with a season limit of two salmon per angler and asked that members show restraint and consider returning all salmon to help conserve stocks in the river. If any of the anglers who did not renew their permits in 2016 wished to return to the Association they would be made most welcome.

Roy commended the River Forth Fisheries Trust and Forth District Salmon Fishery Board for their efforts in improving habitat, monitoring the river and ongoing support to the club. Roy highlighted that the habitat improvement measures which are primarily designed to reduce the effects of flooding through Natural Flood Management measures, but also improve the environment are already beginning to pay off and some brown trout up to 3 pounds in weight are now caught each year. Last year also saw a substantial increase in the number of salmon being caught on the river with 340 salmon caught and safely returned during 2016 and it is hoped that after five years of decline the river has now turned a corner.

Comments:

Alison Baker – Forth District Salmon Fishery Board (FDSFB) / River Forth Fisheries Trust (RFFT) Manager said: It is great seeing clubs like the Allan Water Angling Improvement Association come together to toast their river opening for the 2017 season. The work that the club have done on the river to conserve stocks should be commended. The Board and Trust would like to remind all anglers that salmon stocks in the Forth District, including the Allan Water are fragile, and the more anglers do to show restraint, the better for salmon stocks going forward. We have created conservation policies for most rivers in the District and it is great that the club have taken these measures on board. Most clubs and proprietors follow the conservation policies but there is still some work to do to encourage more to follow these codes. The Board and Trust would like to wish all anglers a successful season ahead.

Roy Robertson – Allan Water Angling Improvement Association (AWAIA) said: Its great seeing so many anglers come together to toast the opening of the Allan Water. I thank everyone for attending and wish all anglers a very happy and successful season during 2017 and I thank Tullibardine Distillery for donating a bottle of their finest malt whisky to toast the river with. I would like to remind everyone that if anyone is wishing to fish the Allan Water, day or season permits can be obtained from the club website and also Angling Active in Stirling.  The Allan Water Angling Improvement Association will again be offering some 15 miles of very affordable salmon fishing in 2017 and still has vacancies on its membership list.

Working Together For Our Community

Public Note of a Community Summit about Dunblane 2017 to 2020 

Held on 20 February 2017 between 7.30 and 9.00pm at the Braeport Centre.

Dunblane Community Partnership (DCP) – formed of Discover Dunblane, Dunblane Community Council and Dunblane Development Trust representatives - invited local community organisations to respond to the draft Community Action Plan Dunblane 2020, developed from the Town Centre Charrette. A new project to enhance the historic centre of Dunblane was shared by Amey Consultants to gather feedback as part of a feasibility study.  Terence O’Byrne chaired the gathering.

Draft Community Action Plan Dunblane 2015 to 2020

Barbara Allan described the vision as ‘The Dunblane community wants the Town Centre area to be a vibrant, healthy and inclusive place for people to live, work and visit’ before outlining the 5 themes in the draft plan:

1. A Vibrant and sustainable Town Centre for people and community activity
2. An Accessible Town Centre.
3. A Town Centre that Capitalises on its Natural and Built Heritage
4. An Inclusive Town Centre that supports Community Cohesion
5. A Town Centre that meets the Future Needs of the Community

Those attendingt the Community Summit discussed success stories and possibilities for partnership working across Stirling City Region. Needs of the Dunblane population growing older was considered.   Views about Streetscape Stirling Road were shared. 

Cathedral Square Feasibility Study

Drew Millar reported Amey’s role in developing proposals which enhance the historic setting of the Cathedral whilst improving access for pedestrians and cyclists. He emphasised that design ideas are still evolving and that there would be two stages of consultation – the first with those residents, businesses, churches who are in the immediate vicinity of the study area and the second with the wider Dunblane public.  The study is due to be completed by the end of May.

Communication and Joint Working

Tim Hughes facilitated a discussion on local participation, communication and joint working.  It was agreed by individuals gathered that it is important to have a multi-channel approach to communications and engagement.   

Summit Actions

DCP listened and generated actions that the Summit believed the DCP should take:

1. To host the next gathering on Youth Volunteering in Dunblane in May 2017

2. To develop a parking strategy once enforcement operations are underway

A public hearing will be held on
Tuesday 25 April 2017 at 1400 in the Cathedral Halls?  This is about
Allanwater Development’s attempts to build on the top of Holmehill.

http://www.holmehillblog.org/wordpress/?p=2439 

For more detail :
http://www.holmehill.org/TheCampaign/PurchaseNotice.html .  

On 2nd March 2017 Stirling Council’s Local Review Body rejected Allanwater Developments’ two appeals against the Council’s Planners.   Allanwater had put forward two plans for the same spot on the top of Holmehill: one for a luxury private house and the other for an office block.   These were originally rejected last year; yesterday the Council’s Local Review Body confirmed these rejections.

In presenting their decision, members of the LRB noted that planning decisions have to reflect the policies currently in force.   This once again underlined two key points: firstly that although a mansion was demolished on the site 37 years ago, it would be wrong to build another today; and secondly that a planning agreement signed in 1987 is no longer relevant.

Read about the two planning applications

Go to the Homelhill Website and Blog

Image: Stirling Council Headquarters, Viewforth.

Stirling Council has agreed to hand over ownership of the Braeport Community Centre to the Development Trust.

We have run the centre for over 10 years, ensuring the provision of a welcoming and affordable space for many community activities. Community ownership will allow us to proceed with some important planned improvements using funding sources not
previously open to us.

We have already received £93,000 from the Climate Challenge Fund to upgrade the building’s insulation, including window replacement. What next? Well, we want to offer the facilities that you need.  Current ideas include drop-in office space for people working from home and improved services for older people in Dunblane.

What other gaps in community services should
an upgraded centre provide? Give us your views:

Contact: Alison Brown at 01786 822422 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.