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News
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At this event we will be sharing with you the feedback results of the recent community consultation meetings and site visits. Do come along, we look forward to seeing you!

PS: If you'd like to join the consultation site visits on Wednesday 22nd May, spaces are still available for the 2pm-3.30pm slot. Please RSVP via this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CA_site_visits.

For further information see Facebook page - ​https://www.facebook.com/events/536778866728824/

Barbecue, Pony Rides, Face Painting, Tombola, Hook-a-Duck, Throw the Welly, Pennies in a Pail, Cake & Candy, Crafts, Plants and other stalls. Tea & Sandwiches available indoors from noon. Outdoor stalls and activities in the Glebe, the field next to the Church. 

Would you like to find how the Eastern Area Action Partnership has been investing in service and activities for youths across Eastern Perthshire?

Would you like to shape future developments and find out about funding streams for communities and community groups?

Come along to a community event on:

Tuesday 30th April 2019
7-9pm
Robert Douglas Memorial Institute
102 Abbey Road, Scone PH2 6RU

Interested? Please let us know you'll be there by emailing communityplanningpartnership@pkc.gov.uk

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Growbiz, the business advice and networking organisation currently based in Blairgowrie, will move to new premises in the former Bank of Scotland building in Coupar Angus on 1st May 2019. www.growbiz.co.uk

By Stuart Wilshaw, The Strathmore Sentinel

A while back 'The New School, Butterstone' near Dunkeld was abruptly closed. This school was a valuable resource for youngsters with autism and other special needs, indeed it was the only one in Scotland.

The fallout from this closure rumbles on and former staff and parents are in the process of making a film about this closure and the misinformation and smokescreens that followed it
So far the local authority (Perth & Kinross Council) and the Scottish Government have remained resolutely silent on the matter despite repeated attempts to question them.

If you can support their appeal please do, if you can only spread the word that would be much appreciated.
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For more information, see crowd funding page incorporating short documentary 'Mud Sticks': https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/mud-sticks-documentary/x/20711423

A Perthshire based disability rights group is to host a series of public meetings starting on Wednesday 24th April at 10-11am at Coupar Angus Cycle Hub.

Gillian Edwards, manager of the Centre for Inclusive Living Perth and Kinross (CILPK), explained the purpose of the forthcoming meetings: 

"​We are a local disability group and we are working with the Scottish Community Development Centre who are doing the consultation about the accessible path from Coupar Angus to Blairgowrie. We are hoping to put a focus group together of people with disabilities to discuss this path and the issues/suggestions that disabled people have to make it as accessible as possible."

CILPK is a user led Disability Organisation that campaigns for equal rights and access for disabled people.  

An application for full planning consent for a 49MW battery energy storage system at Coupar Angus substation has been submitted to Perth and Kinross Council. So far 5 comments, all objecting, have been received. The application can be accessed at Perth and Kinross Council's planning portal - https://planningapps.pkc.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=PP4N9SMKFRC00&activeTab=summary. 

Previously, the applicant Coronation Power had held two information events at Coupar Angus Town Hall. At both events people expressed strong misgivings about the appearance and safety of the plant. The deadline for commenting is Friday 3rd May 2019.

Related articles:

• SAFETY CONCERNS DOMINATE BATTERY INFORMATION EVENT, 20th March 2019
• LEAFLET IS DESIGNED TO "SCAREMONGER", CLAIMS DIRECTOR, 17th March 2019
• COMMUNITY COUNCIL DISTRIBUTES BATTERY OBJECTION LEAFLETS, 16th March 2019
• SECOND BATTERY EXHIBITION PLANNED, 12th March 2019
• DIRECTOR REPLIES TO BATTERY CONCERNS, 21st February 2019
• DIRECTOR OFFERS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS, 12th February 2019
• BATTERY FIRM RESPONDS TO CRITICISM ABOUT EXHIBITION, 11th February 2019
• COUPAR ANGUS RESIDENTS STILL IN DARK AFTER QUESTIONING BATTERY PLANS, 11th February 2019
• COUPAR ANGUS ENERGY STORAGE PROPOSAL - TALKING TO A DIRECTOR​, 25th January 2019​

Thursday, 25 April 2019 from 18:00-20:30
The Red House Hotel
Station Rd, PH13 9AL Coupar Angus
Tickets by Eventbrite

GrowBiz XChange network evenings are informal and friendly events open to all – and a great opportunity to meet other local businesses and hear from experts in their field. The evening will kick off at 6pm with a buffet and networking.

Speaker details to follow - please save the date

If you have any access requirements please email carol@growbiz.co.uk.

Please contact Merle on 07920 023797 should you need any help finding the event venue.

https://www.facebook.com/events/629653264153371/

​CAN+I has written to Perth and Kinross Council to find out why Coupar Angus has been omitted from a recently announced trial of 20mph speed limits. The areas to be covered by the new pilot scheme include Errol, Rattray, Aberfeldy, Kinnesswood and Dalginross, Comrie.
 
Perth and Kinross Council has been considering the introduction of area-wide 20mph limits since 2008, when Councillor – now Provost – Dennis Melloy informed the local Community Council of the plan. However it was not until 2014 that the Council agreed to try out the reduced limit in four towns including Coupar Angus. All the streets in Coupar Angus apart from the A94 and the A923 were proposed for the 20mph zone. 
 
In 2016 the Council abandoned the plan.
 
Freedom of Information request

In response to a Freedom of Information request by a local resident, Council officers said they made their decision in response to instructions by the Environment and Infrastructure Committee:
 
“Due to the pressures on budgets, the Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee recognised and advised that we will now have to prioritise our various work streams.  One of the areas that will be affected is the large number of requests for the introduction of 20mph zones.  To try and manage and prioritise these requests, Officers will only take them forward if the requests are based on specific and justifiable reasons, and be seen as exceptional, rather than the norm.”
 
The statement continued:
 
“The decision was made out with an Enterprise and Infrastructure Committee meeting and therefore there is no note of any meeting.”
 
It remains unclear as to which elected members were involved in the decision to abandon the first pilot project. However, the convener of the Environment and Infrastructure Committee at that time, John Kellas, expressed his personal antipathy to the idea claiming that the widespread introduction of the lower limit would “dilute” the effect of existing 20mph areas near schools.
 
In 2018 a survey of local opinion in Coupar Angus showed that three quarters of local residents were in favour of a town-wide 20mph speed limit - https://data.surveygizmo.com/r/412325_5a5a8c349b50d6.61468434. The four elected members who represent Coupar Angus in Perth and Kinross Council were informed of the findings, but so far none have expressed their support for the idea.

(updated 24 March 2019) 

​Safety was uppermost in people's minds at yesterday evening's information event on proposals to build an energy storage system at Coupar Angus substation. 

Local residents have expressed fury and frustration at the failure of Coronation Power to provide answers to safety concerns over their plans to build a 49MW battery array at Coupar Angus substation. The substation is approximately 350 yards from the outskirts of the town.  

Edward Adam raised several concerns over lithium ion batteries, including thermal runaway. This, he said, can occur when a fault or excess voltage “lead to high temperatures, gas build-up and potential explosive rupture of the battery cell, resulting in fire and/or explosion.”

Another resident James Harris expressed similar concerns, stating: 

“Sounds like a bomb plant in the making and it's purely for profit. Until the safety issues are answered I would say it’s a definite risk.”

James Lindsay Deuchar expressed frustration that no technical expert was on hand to answer questions over battery safety, being told simply that safety was in the hands of Samsung [who will supply the batteries].  “Didn't Samsung mobile phone batteries self combust?”, he commented. 

Mr Deuchar also wanted to know about such issues as the length of time it would take to build the facility, traffic management plans, maintenance requirements and the life span of the facility, but again no one was able to provide answers. 

One lifelong Coupar resident stated: "If he [the developer] really doesn't know the answer to basic questions such as 'what will happen if it blows up?' shouldn't we all be horrified? But of course, there might be another reason for his reticence. Does he not know - or would he rather not go into that subject too deeply?"

She continued:

"It has been all too evident from historical events that industry blatantly couldn't care a doaken about the lives of those who live in the vicinity of large installations - otherwise would you or I have ever heard of such places as Bhopal, Chernobyl, Aberfan, Five Mile Island? No; painful experience down the years has taught us that those who hold the power will lie, deny, cover up and pass the buck remorselessly if it will promote their interests."

Company denies risk
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The safety information board at yesterday's event stated:

• Lithium-ion battery facilities are equipped with high level monitoring, automatic alarms and fire suppression systems.
• There are also integrated on-board fire detection and suppression systems which will be activated upon detection of smoke or heat. The system has a centrally located internal strobe light/horn to provide indication of smoke and fire detection for personnel inside the container, and three external strobe lights for personnel outside the container. The system uses a gaseous, clean, firefighting agent to suppress fire. 

Company director Vickram Mirchandani has since informed us that he intends to provide further information which he hopes will allay people's concerns over the safety of the proposed plant. 

Safety research by Coupar Angus News + Information

Coupar Angus News + Info is working with a local resident to make inquiries with independent experts in fire safety of energy storage systems and will publish our findings shortly. ​

In the meantime our initial research into the safety of large-scale battery arrays has revealed several alarming issues. 

• According to a report by the United States Department of Energy, if the temperature of lithium ion batteries rises above 50°C it "can lead to organic electrolyte decomposition and flammable gas."
• A webinar published in the United States in 2016 by the National Fire Protection Association shows (at 1 hour 10 minutes) the effects of a fire in a lithium ion battery storage system. The fire emitted hydrogen fluoride, which is described in Wikipedia as "a highly dangerous gas, forming corrosive and penetrating hydrofluoric acid upon contact with moisture. The gas can also cause blindness by rapid destruction of the corneas." 
• In November 2017 a fire in Belgium's first grid-connected battery storage system at the Engie Energy storage Park in Drogenbos near Brussels caused safety concerns - see YouTube video. An article about the fire says that the facility's fire detection and extinguishing systems failed and the fire had to be put out by the fire department. 

Making objections to Perth and Kinross Council

The proposal is currently at the public information stage. Vickram Mirchandani, owner of Coronation Power, has stated that he intends to submit a full planning application shortly, at which point the public will be able to submit their objections. The latest information on the planning application is available via Perth and Kinross Council’s planning portal.  

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