Community Council Updates

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New housing development

Submitted by graham on Thu, 02/02/2012 - 23:40

Despite their current application being under appeal, Springfield intend to submit another application to SBC in May this year.

To show the community the draft proposal they intend to hold another public come & see in the Graham Institute on Friday 10th February between 2pm and 8pm.

All welcome.

Temporary Road Closure: Deanfoot Road

Submitted by graham on Mon, 09/01/2012 - 14:59

Reference – Civil Works Associated with New Primary School

Address – Deanfoot Road, West Linton

Route and Location – Deanfoot Road, West Linton from The Smithy to St Mungo’s Lea.

Applicant – Scottish Borders Council

Order Details – Carriageway Closure

Reason for Order – to carry out civils work for the new primary school

Start Date and Duration – 16 Jan 2012 for six and a half weeks between the hours of 08:00 and 17:00.

Eastbound – West on Deanfoot Road, North on the B7059, North East on the A702, South on Dryburn Brae and West on Deanfoot Road to point of closure.

Westbound – the above in reverse.

Community Council apology

Submitted by graham on Mon, 05/12/2011 - 22:13

The Community Council sincerely apologises for the inability to switch on the Christmas lights on December 1^st.

This was due to a number of factors, none more so that, only 3 months ago Scottish Borders Council inspected the power boxes to each display and deemed they did not conform to the governing legislation.

New power boxes had to be purchased and then installed by SBC. All this took time which in turn gave the CC little time to engage an electrician to fit new interface boxes.

The whole operation was not straightforward and it resulted in the teething problems arising on the evening of the 1^st which the Community Council did not envisage.

Household Solar PV offer

Submitted by graham on Tue, 25/10/2011 - 10:17

Household Solar PV offer from Energy Saving Scotland advice centre South East

Energy Saving Scotland advice centre South East has sent out a mailer to selected households in areas of Edinburgh, Fife and Scottish Borders, to tell them about our special offer on Solar PV panels.

Our selection process ensures that the deal is not only competitive on price but also on overall system performance.

The offer is available in EH46: West Linton, Lamancha, Blyth Bridge etc.

We would like to make you aware of this so that you can come along to one of the events, or contact us, to find out more. We know that many installers are promoting PV systems locally, and want to reassure you that this is a bona fide offer. The letters carry the logos of Energy Saving Trust and of the Council.

Detail of the pricing, and of the installer in each area are included in the householder information pack, which we would be happy to share with you on request. Please email me if you would like a copy, or you can pick one up at one of the events.

Please do pass this information on to your contacts in these areas, as not everyone will be sent the mailer.

Events:

Wednesday 26/10 3:00 - 7:30pm,
The Hub, Old School House Old Moffat Road Lamancha EH46 7BD

Thursday27/10 3pm-7:30pm
Holiday Inn 132 Corstorphine Road Edinburgh EH12 6UA

Sitar Ramsay

Community Engagement Officer

Energy Saving Scotland advice centre South East
36 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh EH6 5PY

Tel: 0131 538 7948
Fax: 0131 555 2768
sitar.ramsay@se.energysavingscotland.org.uk

www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

Protect your pipes this winter

Submitted by graham on Thu, 06/10/2011 - 12:18

"HIPS" Advice from Scottish Water to protect your home this winter. Click here for their winter leaflet.

Heat

Leave your heating on, using a low setting.
If you live in a flat, it’s sensible to leave the heating on low in rooms where the mains pipe supplies neighbouring flats.
If you’re going away then make sure you have someone who can regularly check for any problems.
If your neighbours don’t have a key for your home make sure they have contact details for someone who does, in case of an emergency.
If your property is going to be vacant over the winter months, turn off your water supply and drain the system - a licensed plumber should be able to give you advice about this.

Insulate

Your water tank should be fitted with an insulation jacket or alternatively, the top and sides of the tank can be wrapped with suitable insulation material.
Don’t place loft insulation under the tank, though, as this stops heat from the rooms below helping to keep the tank warm.
If you have toilet cisterns, water tanks or pipes in exposed places or unheated outbuildings, make sure you insulate them. Better still, if not in use, drain them for winter.

We recommend that when insulating pipes it's best to ensure you buy good quality insulation, and remember, the thinner the pipe the thicker the insulation must be. As a guide, a 15mm or 1/2" pipe needs insulation which is 25mm thick, a 28mm or 1" pipe needs insulation which is at least 19mm thick.

Protect

Dripping water increases the risk of freezing, so have any leaks at taps or valves repaired as soon as you discover them.
Cold draughts also increase your heating bills and can cause frozen pipework. You can reduce draughts by fitting draught excluders to your doors and windows.
Sometimes damage can happen, so make sure you have adequate building and contents insurance.
Look our for your neighbours, especially the frail, elderly and vulnerable.

Stop valve

We recommend that you locate your stop valve. The location of the stop valve will vary, but the most common locations are under a sink (kitchen or utility room), in a garage or close to the hot water system (wherever the mains supply enters your house).

free stop valve sticker

sticker

Think ahead: Why not contact us to get a
quick reminder sticker which you can write
the name and number of your licensed plumber on, so you've got it handy for and emergency?

Write to Customer Marketing, Free Stop Valve Promotion, PO Box 8855, Edinburgh, EH10 6YQ; or email customermarketing@scottishwater.co.uk quoting Free Stop Valve Promotion, giving us your name and full address (we can only send one sticker per household. This is only available in Scotland).

De-categorising of the Pentland Hills Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV)

Submitted by graham on Thu, 22/09/2011 - 19:33

The Community Council is seeking your opinion on the proposal put forward by consultants for SBC to remove the Area of Great Landscape Value (AGLV) status of our part of the Pentland Hills.

The proposal comes about due to the rationalisation of landscape categories. Whilst this is a good idea in that it will reduce a certain amount of red tape, the Community Council regards this section of the Pentland Hills to be as equally important as any other due to the diversity of flora & fauna (witness the SSSI & RAMSAR sites), history, potential & actual tourism and recreation to name a few.

The Pentland Hills AGLV is the only such area in the Borders to be completely de-categorised.

The Community Council thinks the status should be changed to the status of Special Landscape Area (SLA), particularly since the other Councils who include parts of the Pentland Hills within their boundaries have some form of special status for that portion of the Hills. Borders would be unique in that it would be the only Council without any designation for the Hills.

To assist your reply we have compiled a few headings on which we would like to hear your comments, these can be found here. You are not limited to these headings, you can respond to any other part of the consultation document that you care to discuss.

The Landscape review can be downloaded here and the Draft Local Landscape Designation report here (please note, this is a large 7.5Mb file so will take some time to download).

Please send Graham Tulloch or any other member of the Community Council any comments you may have.

Child internet safety

Submitted by graham on Wed, 10/08/2011 - 12:14

Do you want to know more about how to keep your children safe on the internet?

Are you worried that they know more than you do?

Want to know what you can do if you are worried,who to talk to?

If the answer to any of the above is "yes", then come along to the "lunch and learn" Parent Internet Safety Sessions - bring your lunch!

Facilitators: Lothian and Borders Police, Locality Integration Officers

Dates/Venue

30th September – Lecture Theatre, Education Centre, Borders General Hospital

24th November – Committee Room 2, Scottish Borders Council Headquarters, Newtown St Boswells

Time: All sessions 12.30pm - 1.30pm

To register a place on either of the above courses, please contact NHS Training and Development Department on

training.office@borders.scot.nhs.uk

These courses are supported by the Violence Against Women Partnership, Safer Communities.

Medwyn Road closure

Submitted by graham on Sat, 23/07/2011 - 21:56

Medwyn Road will be closed on 1 August 2011 for 1 day between the hours of 08:30 and 15:00 at its junction with the A702 north westwards to Medwyn Park to allow drainage works to take place.

The carriageway will be closed however pedestrian access will be maintained

Road closure (B7059)

Submitted by graham on Tue, 07/06/2011 - 12:42

The B7059 (West Linton to A701) will be closed from 20 June 2011 and have a duration of 3 days. The closure will be between the hours of 09:00 and 16:00 daily to allow carriageway patching works to take place.

Road will be re-opened to vehicular traffic overnight.

Order details

Vehicular closure of the carriageway.

Alternative Route

Northbound – South on the A701, West on the A721 and North on the A702 to point of closure

Southbound – the above in reverse.