Update will come to January KCC meeting

The meeting was attended by all of the Community Councillors and Keith Tennant from Argyll and Bute Council Roads Department. Several members of the public joined the meeting and contributed to the discussion. The issues discussed were drawn from our residents’ feedback, including through the local place planning process.

1. The state of roads and pavements. Ditches and drains not being cleared:

There are reports from across the area of roads flooding in heavy rainfall damaging road surfaces and creating issues for drivers and pedestrians.

• Not clear how ditch clearing is planned and delivered.
• Is there any routine maintenance, repeated reports but action not taken but agreed that potholes are dealt with. Keith said there is routine maintenance but it is prioritised, higher use roads get more attention. He will follow up if things which have not been progressed. Best system is to use the report facility on the website.
• Stones are people allowed to put stones along the road verge? No, need to report these.
• Brambles and bushes over pavements
• Potholes break down even when reported and repaired.
• Decisions on priorities for more substantial work, partly based on reported issues.
• Bobby’s Brae, stones, does that need to be reported? Advice is always to report. Concern that sweeper had been but not cleared stones.
• There is an independent survey ever 3 years. When is the next independent survey, Keith will confirm.
• No local roads people, inspections very limited depending on grade of road.
• Can there be a way for KCC to have a role in influencing the priorities for more major work?
• Big issues in road beside Millhouse cemetery, needs major repairs.
• Aim is to clear gullies twice a year and then pick ditch issues by inspection, ditches overflowing causing lots of extra damage. Off lets from road are key as well as ditches. Impact of heavy haulage is collapsing verges.
• Loss of locally focussed roads workers means responses are reactive……challenge centralisation of roads teams this does not serve communities. There are examples from other parts of the council area where there are local workers.
• Issues of seeded trees and responsibility of landowners, cut back by council is now only 1m.

2. Lack of speed limits in villages outside Tighnabruaich and absence of any traffic calming.

• there was a process for a speed limit in Millhouse started but stalled, other areas where speed limits should be below 60.
• How does council plan to implement its policy and where will Project 20 (roll out of 20mph speed limits) apply to KCC area?
• Support for speed reduction, we want speed limits in place soon, need to know what Project 20 will deliver and when?
• Issues about entry to Tighnabruach, need a graduated speed reduction.
• No traffic calming: particular issue round the school. What is council policy on protecting school accesses? Appear to be lots of 20 mph limits around schools elsewhere.
• Traffic calming is done on case-by-case basis, meeting feels there is a case for school and telephone box at shore road to caravan park, limit is 30 but people speeding.

3. Roads overgrown with trees

Where does responsibility lie for clearing overgrown trees? The council will clear and problems should be reported through the website.

4. Dropped pavements

Issues with very limited dropped pavements effecting people with mobility issues, what is council policy on increasing these? KCC should feed in where dropped pavements are priority and also general issues about pavements across KCC.

5. Cycling and pedestrian routes

How do we engage with the council to plan for development of cycling and walking routes to better link up our communities? KCC will approach the active travel officer, Colin Young to discuss development of path network with priorities around linking up the green lanes and school cycle access.

6. Resilience planning for our roads

As we experience more extreme weather what plans are in place to protect the road network? Do community councils have a role in that process? Community planning Partnership maybe should look at this not as is not an immediately operational issue. Not clear how to engage, maybe list of priority issues for coastal protection?

7. Other points

• concerns about road marking on Bobby’s Brae, Millhouse and Kames crossroads need clearer marking.
• Weight limit sign needed on the bealach has not been actioned.
• Culvert checking in Tinny working off a list…need to get list and share so that local intelligence can.
• Couple of individual complaints folk need to keep working through the system.
• Berryburn road is not adopted who is responsible for sweeping and for drains, even if not adopted? Locals thinks not adopted and nor is road along the front of Kames Hall.

These discussion points were summarised from comments from residents and from the Local Place Plan process, shown below.

• It would be good for there to be more dropped curbs and wider pavements, particularly from Kames to Tighnabruaich pier.
• From Kames resident a pipe which is part of the road drainage system and does not connect to our property is flooding our ground council have refused to fix.
• It’s unlikely that I’ll be able to attend the roads meeting on the 25th, but just to follow up on the blocked ditches and flooding risk/erosion of pavements and roads, the attached photos show the state of the bottom of the Smiddy Brae this evening after the heavy rain today. This is after I removed twenty wheelbarrows of leaves and weeds the Sunday before last from the ditches and pavement at the top of the brae, and I got the council out to clear the gutters of leaves last week. There is a deep chasm that’s developed outside the entrance to the shinty pitch car park too, which I’ll report this evening. This level of erosion of the road surfaces and damage to the pavements, due to lack of proactive action is unsustainable. At the weekend, I removed half a dozen bucket loads of gravel from the main road (there’s probably still as much left behind there!), at the bottom of Cowal Terrace and refilled the edges next to the road, where deep gullies had formed next to the tarmac after the rain last week. This evening, I have removed handfuls of leaves from the ditch to clear the channel and stop the pavement flooding on the Smiddy Brae. It feels very much like we’ve been left to our own devices to try and prevent the situation getting worse.
• Lack of consistent path and road maintenance across the parish which leads to rough road surfaces and numerous potholes. This in turn impacts the amount of money people have to spend on car repairs.
• Lack of path maintenance and drop curbs affects those with mobility issues and parent with buggies
• An increase in extreme weather events, especially heavy rain, is having a huge impact on local water management systems by paths and roads. Ditches and drains are not able to cope with the amount of water coming of the surrounding areas and we’re seeing an increase in flooding. This frequent flooding also impacts on the surface of the paths and roads.
• Flooding impacts community members ability to move around. Recent storms have increased landslides and flooding resulting in situation where our communities were blocked off.
• Increase connectivity of paths across the parish to allow both locals and tourists to choose to walk and cycle around on shorter journeys. Eg path route from Green Lane into the village, path from Kames to Poltalloch road to access primary school/medical centre without having to walk/cycle up royal brae, path from golf course to Ostel Bay: there’s a section at the Ostel Bay end that needs to be upgraded so as can be accessed by bikes and buggies.
• Traffic calming measures in Tighnabruaich, especially around school start and end times. Official cycling road sign to be put up here and across the parish. These measures would work toward encouraging children and young people to cycle to school.
• Walking and cycling path to link green lane with current path network along the A8003 to Tighnabruaich Primary school. This measure would work toward encouraging children and families to cycle to school.

December 2025