Latest news with #TransportandNetZeroCommittee
The Courier
29-05-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
£16m Bridge of Allan flood defence plan approved
Bridge of Allan's proposed flood protection scheme will go ahead after councillors gave it the official green light this week. Stirling Council's Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee confirmed the £16 million scheme at a meeting on Thursday May 29. Scheme confirmation is a legal requirement and ensures Scottish Government funding for the project remains secure. Full sign-off was delayed by a month as a result of a last-minute objection to the flood defence proposals in late April. However, on Thursday council officers said the late objection had not been deemed valid, meaning confirmation could proceed as planned. According to Stirling Council, a total of 24 objections were received prior to the submission deadline. Six were considered valid, while 18 'did not meet the legal requirements' and were rejected. All six valid complaints were later withdrawn, following further discussion with the council. Earlier this month, lifelong Bridge of Allan resident Ronald Don shared his concerns about the flood defence proposals with The Courier. Mr Don claims his formal objection was unfairly rejected by the council and he was not allowed to appeal. During the committee meeting, Thomas Heald, Conservative councillor for Dunblane and Bridge of Allan said the new defences have been 'a long time coming' and will 'give a lot of peace of mind' to locals. But he added a 'plea' about engagement, stressing that open communication with residents is still needed as the scheme progresses. SNP Stirling North councillor Jim Thomson asked for a 'flavour' of the range of objections received, which were not presented to elected members. Senior flood officer Katrina Smith said common themes included the impact on Bridge of Allan's allotments and the Cornton Road area, as well as concerns over value for money. Convener and Stirling West councillor for Labour Jen Preston raised the idea of publishing the detail of the objections received. However, the council's lead solicitor Mark Easton said ''probably not' would be the view' on doing so, since the objections had either been rejected or resolved. The plan is for the new flood protection infrastructure to be built on the site of the existing defences as much as possible. These were installed in the 1980s. Modern additions will include a short extension past Bridge of Allan's allotments, as well as near Lyon Crescent. A new embankment will also be constructed next to the town's factory site and Inverallan Road. Stirling Council has budgeted £1.26m for the flood defences during the financial year 2025-26. The Scottish Government has agreed to pay 80% of the estimated overall £16m cost, with the council providing the other 20%. Part of the deal with the government stipulates that a contractor must be appointed to the project by March 31 2026.
The Courier
11-05-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
Should Stirling's waste recycling booking system be binned?
When a new booking system for household waste recycling centres (HWRCs) in the Stirling Council area went live in May 2024, it was hoped waiting times would decrease for locals. It was also thought the council could save money in the process, to the tune of £80,000. A year on, users of the tips at Lower Polmaise, Callander and Balfron are still required to book a timeslot online before turning up. But the system isn't popular with everybody, and some councillors are calling for it to be scrapped. During a recent meeting of Stirling Council, Conservative members pushed for the policy to be changed, dubbing the booking system an 'inconvenience'. Trossachs and Teith councillor Martin Earl said: 'We believe that there should be no booking required for ordinary, domestic use of an HWRC.' He argued that while the amount of commercial waste illegally dumped at the centres had decreased since May 2024, it was not equal to the dip seen in domestic waste disposal at the facilities. Stirling's Conservative councillors proposed changing the booking system to only affect commercial vehicles. In response, Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee convener Jen Preston said: 'On a personal level, I would rather spend about a minute booking online, because it's not a very lengthy process, than have to queue in my car for 10 minutes.' Ms Preston, who is also Labour councillor for Stirling West and deputy council leader, told fellow members she had received a letter of complaint from a constituent when the booking system was first brought in. However, this was later followed by a message in support of the scheme after the same constituent found it to be an improvement. Ms Preston argued the booking system was primarily introduced to increase efficiency and lower the cost of HWRCs. She said abandoning the project before data is available to assess its effectiveness would be disrespectful to the council officers who implemented it. It was confirmed that the booking system would remain in place for now. A report containing a full year's worth of data will be presented to Stirling Council's Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee in September. A Stirling Council spokesperson said: 'Stirling's recycling rate is among the higher-performing local authorities in Scotland. 'The household waste and recycling centre (HWRC) booking system has resulted in a 2% increase in recycling performance and a reduction of 1,500 tonnes of residual waste. 'We remain committed to advancing waste management strategies and collaborating with stakeholders to promote a circular economy.'
The Herald Scotland
02-05-2025
- The Herald Scotland
One in four Stirling shops fail underage vape and tobacco selling test
They visited 17 shops in the Stirling area and four sold vapes and tobacco to people aged 16. Three vape sales were made while one shop sold cigarettes to a 16-year-old, and nine fixed penalty notices for £200 were issued for both underage sales and failures to operate an age verification policy. All 17 premises had previously received visits by Trading Standards to advise them of their legal obligations and offer advice on how each could comply. But the shops were caught out by the volunteers for committing the offence to sell tobacco, tobacco products or nicotine vapour products (NVPs) to anyone under the age of 18. Read More Convener of the Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee, Cllr Jen Preston, said: 'It is shocking that almost a quarter of the retailers visited by our Trading Standards team were content to sell these harmful products to underage volunteers. It is even more alarming when they had been warned about such dangerous activity before. 'This activity is not only illegal, but it can also put children at serious risk. Retailers should be warned, and parents and carers take assurance, that we will continue to listen to community concerns and work alongside partners to tackle this serious issue. 'We regularly carry out these operations to ensure premises abide by the legislation, and to safeguard the wellbeing of our young people and communities. 'The message to businesses is clear: challenge anyone who looks under 25, always ask for ID and keep a record of refused sales.'
Daily Record
02-05-2025
- Daily Record
Four Stirling shops fined after being caught selling vapes and tobacco products to underage teens
Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils' Trading Standards found almost a quarter of the shops trhey visited had sold vape or tobacco products to underage teens. Four shops in Stirling have been found to be selling vapes and tobacco products to underage teens. It comes as part of an initiative by Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils' Trading Standards, who sent in volunteers to try and purchase the items around the region's retailers back in March. The 'test operation' was conducted over the weekend of Saturday, March 15, and Sunday, March 17. They visited 17 shops in the Stirling area, which resulted in three vape sales and a sale of cigarettes to the 16-year-old volunteers. All 17 premises had previously received visits by Trading Standards to advise them of their legal obligations and offer advice on how they could comply. Nine fixed penalty notices, each for £200, were issued in relation to the underage sales, as well as a failure to operate an age verification policy. It's an offence to sell tobacco, tobacco products or nicotine vapour products (NVPs) to anyone under the age of 18. It's also against the law for adults to buy them on behalf of under-18s. In addition, it's a criminal offence for a tobacco retailer not to have an age verification policy which outlines the steps staff must take to make sure that a customer is aged 18 or over. Convener of the Environment, Transport and Net Zero Committee, Cllr Jen Preston, said: 'It's shocking that almost a quarter of the retailers visited by our Trading Standards team were content to sell these harmful products to underage volunteers. 'It's even more alarming when they had been warned about such dangerous activity before. 'This activity is not only illegal, but it can also put children at serious risk. 'Retailers should be warned, and parents and carers take assurance, that we will continue to listen to community concerns and work alongside partners to tackle this serious issue. 'We regularly carry out these operations to ensure premises abide by the legislation, and to safeguard the wellbeing of our young people and communities. 'The message to businesses is clear: challenge anyone who looks under 25, always ask for ID and keep a record of refused sales.' Further test purchasing operations will be carried out over the coming months by the Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils' Trading Standards team to ensure that retailers comply with the law. Anyone with concerns about illegal sales, particularly to children, are urged to report the matter to Advice Direct Scotland (ADS) on 0808 164 6000 or at
