Work began today on fencing off one of Ardentinny’s favourite dog-walking areas. As announced by Forestry Commission Scotland at the last Community Council meeting, the ‘Nursery Field’ between Glenfinart Caravan Park and the beach path is to be leased for grazing.
Community Council requested to consult local authority on damage compensation and monitoring of radioactive emissions
At Ardentinny Community Council’s April meeting a local resident requested the following action from the Community Council as part of its remit “to help make public bodies aware of the opinions and needs of the community it represents.“
The request was made in the context of past events at HMNB Clyde and RNAD Coulport. For example, the MOD officially recorded 105 ‘nuclear safety events’ in the Coulport and Faslane bases in 2013-14, and in March 2014 Ardentinny residents experienced damaging impact from blasts at Coulport.
Therefore, the request was made to consult with Argyll and Bute Council “as to where compensation would be obtained should there be any damage to residents’ homes and livestock, e.g., horses; and ‘what emergency procedures have been put in place and how satisfactory are they?” The Clyde Off-site Emergency Plan has recently been updated and can be found here. The Council has been advised that the population of Ardentinny is in excess of 50, as published in the plan.
With regard to radioactive emissions, it was requested that “the community council consult the local authority on how to ensure that there is consistent and local, independent monitoring of the safety of the beach at Ardentinny and that the results are made public.” Levels of emissions can be found in the RIFE-19 Report on Radioactivity in Food and the Environment (Dec. 2014) which is compiled by the Environment Agency; Food Standards Agency; Natural Resources Wales; Northern Ireland Environment Agency; and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. Faslane and Coulport are specifically covered in pages 168-169 and Appendix 2, p.249 & p.254.
According to SEPA, the radioactive waste currently being discharged from Faslane and Coulport is below the current agreed limits and there are plans to agree new limits to better reflect actual discharges together with continuing conditions which require the amount of discharged waste to be minimised.
jimmy john liautaudSteering Group drafts constitution for Ardentinny Renewables Trust
On 5 May, there was a second meeting of the Hydro Steering Group with the purpose of drafting the constitution of the proposed Ardentinny Renewables Trust (ART). The group worked on assessing relevant content of another project’s constitution with a view to its inclusion in their proposed draft. There is to be a further meeting to discuss ‘criteria’, the date of which is to be decided.
It was asked if the final draft would be made available to residents on a consultation basis. There was some opposition to the need for this, the suggestion being made that everyone in the village could have joined the Steering Group if they so wished. It was decided that it would be made available to the public on an information basis, with the possibility of commenting should a community member wish to do so.
Defibrillator installed in Ardentinny
Thanks to contributions from the community and various fundraising activities, Ardentinny now has an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) attached to the wall of the ‘Ferry House’ at the slipway (opposite Ardentinny Outdoor Centre).
The AED is for public use and has full instructions on its use via a screen and audio. The user simply follows the operating instructions. Training will be provided by a qualified paramedic to interested members of the community. Training times and dates will be confirmed shortly. If you would like to participate in the training, please contact Roy on 0776 929 1411.
The AED cabinet is locked, however all residents have been provided with the numerical code. Code is C01369
A database of automated external defibrillator locations in the UK is available here.
Tighnabruaich Rural visit Glenfinart Garden
A beautiful sunny day greeted the ladies from Tighnabruaich Rural earlier in April when they visited Glenfinart Walled Garden. Accompanied by volunteers Anna and Lynn, the group were given a guided tour of the garden as well as an overview on its history.
Glenfinart Walled Garden is open to the public every Saturday and Sunday 12 – 4pm. Entrance is free.