CHAIRMAN'S REPORT

Since I last wrote, the matter which has most concerned your Community Council has been the consultation exercise on the five options for the Western Peripheral Route, two of which would skirt Culter. Examining the details more closely decided us to write the leaflet to you all, pointing out our concerns and objections to these two proposals. We considered they would compromise local employment (at the Golf Course), local amenities, four protected District Wildlife Sites, the well-being of local residents and special needs children (Linn Moor) and young adults (Easter Anguston) and increase traffic through the village without giving any traffic benefit to the city as a whole - and all at excessive financial cost. We have to thank the `Courier Volunteers' who kindly delivered the leaflets for us and hope that many of you did as we urged and wrote in your objections. We have done it on behalf of the community but that counts as only one objection!

On other matters:

• Under the 3Rs Project, a Design Committee has been set up for the new Cults Academy to give an input from the teachers, school boards, PTAs, Community Education and the local communities over the next two years. Ann Wakefield and I have agreed to share the job of community spokesperson.

• The Culter in Bloom Committee and volunteers are to be congratulated on all the bulbs which came into flower to cheer us up at the end of the winter, and to the spring planting they have done.

• As a result of the Planning for Real exercises, a new sub-committee has been set up to improve all the lovely walks we have around Culter and open up new ones. The CC members are Doug Stewart and Catherine Lacy and they have been joined by John Troup and David Plant. Maybe they will write a note for the Courier from time to time to keep us up with their progress. • Finally, the Gala is almost upon us again - where does the time go? I know that the members of the committee have been hard at work over the winter to give us a great week of entertainment. You will find full details of the programme in the pamphlet which the committee has prepared. We must hope the weather will be kind so we can enjoy all the events and, of course, Gala Day itself - Saturday 28 May.

Lavina C Massie