Kelburne Hockey Club has asked us to publicise its responses to points raised at the community meeting on 4 October about the application for a community asset transfer of Ralston Sports Centre to the club. The club’s responses are now available on our website. If you have any questions or feedback about the responses, could you contact Kelburne Hockey Club directly?

Ralston Councillor Neill Graham has circulated a letter about the future of Ralston Community Sports Centre.

Kelburne Hockey Club is submitting an application requesting the community asset transfer of Ralston Community Sports Centre to the club.

The club has shared its proposal with the community council and it was included in the summer edition of the Ralston newsletter. The community council would like to meet with the community to get its views on this proposal. A public meeting to discuss the proposal will be held at Ralston Community Centre, Allanton Avenue, PA1 3BL, on Monday 4th October 2021, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.

Because of covid restrictions, we are only able to have 150 people in total in attendance; so we would ask for only one person per household please (masks must be worn on entry and exit).

Please email admin@ralstoncommunitycouncil.org if wish to attend. You will then receive one of two responses:

1. We are looking forward to seeing you on Monday 4/10/2021 at 7 pm. Please bring this confirmation email to enter the Community Centre (or show us from your device). Please remember only one person per household can attend.

2. We are sorry but we are now oversubscribed for the meeting. Please send us any questions or points that you have. We will contact you to make you aware of any future meetings and/or outcome.

We will put updates on to our website and Facebook page. We may be unable to respond to every comment, point or question.

The Community Facilities Team at Renfrewshire Leisure has provided the following contact details for the Ralston Community Centre and the Ralston Community Sports Centre.

“The contact for ourselves for the community centre is only our email as we are working from home and do not have work phones at the moment – comfac.els@renfrewshire.gov.uk  and the contact for the sports centre is 0141 618 5700; however, this is only available in the evenings and weekends.”

Renfrewshire Leisure (RL) is planning for community facilities to be available again by mid September.

After receiving confirmation from Renfrewshire Council that its community facilities can re-open with appropriate safety measures in place, RL issued booking forms last week to previous users of facilities, detailing the new conditions of let to manage Covid-19 safety.

RL has asked for forms to be returned by 27th August and expects to be able to start confirming bookings from this date, to enable lets to commence by mid September, if not before.

Renfrewshire Council has issued the following road closure notice.

Road Closure: Buchlyvie Road, Paisley between School Road and house no.74

• Duration: This closure will be in force from Monday 09^th August 2021 until Wednesday 01^st September 2021.
• Reason: Scottish Water Works
• Diversion: Buchlyvie Road, Auchmannoch Avenue, Penilee Road, School Road or vice versa.

Renfrewshire Council has issued the following road closure notice.

Road Closure: Renfrew Road R/A to Netherhill (West Bound) – Overnight Works with carriageway returned to traffic during the day. Road closed between Lochore Avenue roundabout and Netherhill Road, approx 3,500sqm. Carriageway shall be opened to traffic by 7am daily and the site shall be left in a sound state with all vertical surfaces & raised ironwork suitably ramped and signed. 

• Duration: This closure will be in force from Monday 2nd August 2021 until Sunday 15th August 2021.
• Reason: N/A
• Diversion: Renfrew Road (Eastbound) / Arkleston Road / Gallowhill Road / Marjory Road / Netherhill Road.

The closure starts at 8 pm.

Renfrewshire Council has issued the following road closure notice.

Temporary Road Closure: A761 Glasgow Road, Paisley, from Arkleston Road to Oldhall Road

• Duration: This order will be in force on Monday 19^th July 2021 till Sunday 1^st August 2021.
• This notice will only be effective when so displayed by signs in accordance with The Traffic Signs Regulations & General Directions 2016.
• Reason: This is to allow for carriageway resurfacing.
• Vehicles left on the road in contravention of this notice will be moved out of the works area.
• Diversion:
  • Non-HGV traffic – Arkleston Road / Penilee Road then follow local signage.
  • HGV traffic – Arkleston Road / Penilee Road / Queen Elizabeth Avenue / Sandwood Road then follow local signage.
• Local and emergency access will be maintained at all times.

The closure appears to apply only to the eastbound carriageway (towards Glasgow), although the notice doesn’t state this.

There are also a Temporary Loading and Waiting Ban notice and two Temporary No Right Turn notices (Alton Road at the Glasgow Road junction; Gartmore Road at the Glasgow Road junction). All the notices can be seen on the Renfrewshire Council website.

Scottish Water has asked Ralston Community Council to publicise its 2021 water safety and respect campaign. This campaign encourages people to stay safe near water and respect areas of beauty.

A video about the campaign can be watched on Dropbox and can be downloaded if wished. You don’t need to have a Dropbox account to access the video.

Temporary road closure: St James Interchange, Paisley (overnight works)

St James Interchange, full length including M8 and A737 slips.

Phase 1 – East works – 30/06/2021 to 07/07/2021

Phase 2 – West works – 07/07/2021 to 14/07/2021

The closure will be in place from Wednesday 30th June till Wednesday 14th July, 2021 between 20:00 and 06:00. This is to allow for carriageway resurfacing works to take place. Emergency access will be maintained at all times.

Alternative routes:  Diversions will be signposted.

A TAPfit Lite exercise class is starting in St Mark’s Church on Thursday 10 June. It will run every Thursday until further notice, from 11:00 until 11:45.

This will be a low impact and gentler class for all abilities. Booking is required.

Further details, including how to book, can be found in the events section of the website.

Arkleston Road, Paisley from Gallowhill Road to Penilee Road. The closure will be in force from Monday 24th May to Friday 28th May, 2021. This is to allow carriageway patching.

Alternative routes:  Arkleston Road, A761 Glasgow Road, Penilee Road, Arkleston Cemetery Road and vice versa.

From Monday 10 May, 2021, all Renfrewshire libraries will offer limited browsing. This is in addition to the “click and collect” service which recommenced on 26 April. Details of which services are available can be found on the  Renfrewshire Council website. For Ralston Library, access for browsing is limited to two people at a time.

The libraries are currently operating different opening hours from previously. Ralston Library is open from 10:00 am until 2:00 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

You can order items online or by phoning 0300 300 1188.

Renfrewshire Council is implementing measures to ensure the Scottish Parliamentary election takes place safely on Thursday 6 May.

Polling stations have been adapted to ensure that all required health and safety measures are in place to reflect the current Coronavirus pandemic. Each polling station will have a one-way system in place, two-metre distancing at all times, Perspex screens, hand sanitiser and disposable pens, and face coverings will be required to be worn when moving around the polling station – unless the person is exempt. There will also be a designated cleaner for each polling station and supervisors will be in place to ensure that the safety measures are always followed.

Anyone with symptoms of Coronavirus on polling day should not attend their polling station but should contact the Electoral Registration Officer on 0300 300 0150 as early as possible to discuss their options.

Seedhill Road, Paisley from its junction with Mill Street to Cochran Street.

This section of Seedhill Road has been closed since 11th January, 2021. It was originally planned that it would reopen on Friday 16th April, 2021, but the closure date has now been extended until Wednesday 21st April, 2021.

Closure dates: Friday 16th April until Wednesday 21st April, 2021.

Reason for Restriction: Scottish Water works.

Alternative routes:

Northbound on Mill Street – Mill Street, Glasgow Road, Kilnside Road.

Southbound on Mill Street – Mill Street, Lonend, Barrhead Road, Hawkhead Road.

Westbound on Seedhill Road – Kilnside Road, Glasgow Road, Mill Street.

Glasgow Road, Paisley, from Whitehaugh Drive to Lacy Street, westbound only (i.e. towards Paisley town centre). The closure will be in place from Tuesday 6th April to Sunday 11th April, 2021. This is to allow resurfacing work.

Alternative route: Hawkhead Road, Barrhead Road, Lonend, Mill Street.

Renfrewshire Council is making improvements to its grass cutting programme from 5 April 2021. It will be changing the way it cuts our grassed areas, open spaces, school playing fields, public parks, and cemeteries, as well as how it provides its grass cutting assistance scheme for council house tenants.

Previously the council’s teams worked separately to deliver these services, but its new approach brings them together to coordinate the delivery of the service and tackle local areas at the same time. This will increase the frequency of grass cutting Renfrewshire’s communities receive. The teams will now work to a 14-day cycle and will tackle a different area each day, although they will return to finish any sections they weren’t able to complete the previous day.

The grass in Ralston will be cut on the second Friday of the fortnightly cycle, starting on Friday April 16.

The full fortnightly timetable is shown below. This information is also available on the Renfrewshire Council website, where you can see an interactive map. This allows you to input your postcode to confirm which area you fall under and to see the schedule.

Hedge cutting will continue to be provided twice a year and will operate in line with the new grass cutting model, with communities seeing their first cut between mid-May and mid-July and their second cut between mid-August and the end of September.

If you have any questions, you can email the council’s Environment & Infrastructure department.

Fortnightly timetable

Week1 (from 5 April 2021, then every two weeks)

Monday
Renfrew – Arkleston, Moorpark, Newmains, Dean Park, Town Centre
Tuesday
Renfrew North – Blythswood, Kirklandneuk; Inchinnan; Bishopton
Wednesday
Erskine; Langbank; Houston; Crosslee; Craigends
Thursday
Bridge of Weir; Kilbarchan; Brookfield; Howwood; Lochwinnoch
Friday
Johnstone West – Corseford, Spateston, Milliken Park, Cartside, Quarellton, Cochrane Castle
Saturday
Johnstone – Johnstone Castle, Town Centre, Johnstone East; Elderslie
Sunday
Linwood; Ferguslie Park

Week 2 (from 12 April 2021, then every two weeks)

Monday
Paisley South – Foxbar
Tuesday
Paisley Town Centre; Paisley South – Brediland, Meikleriggs, Lounsdale
Wednesday
Paisley South – Glenburn
Thursday
Paisley South East – Castlehead, Hunterhill, Todholm, Lochfield, Charleston
Friday
Paisley East – Dykebar, Hawkhead, Seedhill, Williamsburgh, Whitehaugh, Ralston
Saturday
Paisley North – Gallowhill, Shortroods
Sunday
Paisley – West End

Because of this week’s weather conditions, the brown bin collection scheduled for Ralston on February 11 has been cancelled. Residents should take in their brown bins and re-present them on the next scheduled collection day, which is Thursday February 25.

All of Renfrewshire’s waste collection services have been affected by the weather conditions. To ensure the council can collect as many bins as possible, food bin and brown bin collections have been cancelled for the rest of this week and will resume on Saturday if possible. This will allow the council’s crews to catch up on the missed collections which occurred because of safe access issues and the extra time it takes to move full bins in thick snow.

The yew tree at the side of St Mark’s Church has a new set of Christmas lights. Thanks are due to Renfrewshire Council for purchasing and installing the lights.

From Monday 11^th January, Seedhill Road will be closed at its junction with Mill Street for approximately three months.

From Monday 8^th February, the southbound carriageway of Mill Street will be closed at its junction with Seedhill Road for around two months. Traffic will be diverted onto a contraflow on the northbound carriageway during this time.

These closures are to allow upgrades to a combined sewer overflow (a sewer which is designed to spill in storm conditions and allowed to do so under SEPA regulations) in Mill Street and improvements to the waste water infrastructure in Seedhill Road. This work is part of Scottish Water’s £3.5m investment to help improve the water quality and natural environment in the White Cart Water.

Renfrewshire Council has asked Ralston Community Council to make the following information available to Ralston residents.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that from Monday 2 November at 6 am, Renfrewshire is in Covid Protection Level 3.

It is important that everyone in Renfrewshire follows the Level 3 restrictions  to ensure that we can suppress the virus and stop the area moving into Level 4 and more severe restrictions.

Level 3 restrictions include:

• Do not host people from another household in your home, or visit other people in their home (unless they are in your extended household).
• You can meet in a maximum group of six people from two households outside (you must physically distance).
• Schools and nurseries remain open, (with additional safety measures).
• Only travel for essential reasons (such as work, education, health, outdoor exercise, shared parenting, weddings, funerals, or shopping).
• Do not travel outside the local authority area for any non-essential reason. Avoid car-sharing and public transport where possible.
• Pubs, restaurants and cafes can remain open until 6pm (with safety measures in place) but no alcohol can be sold.
• Accommodation such as hotels and B&Bs can remain open, but they should be used by local people only.

Follow the FACTS advice at all times to keep yourself and others safe.

If you have symptoms of Coronavirus, book a test immediately and self-isolate while you wait for the results.

If you are contacted by Test and Protect, follow their instructions and self-isolate for the period requested.

For full details on the restrictions in Renfrewshire, visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.

For further Coronavirus health advice, visit www.nhsinform.scot/coronavirus.

If anyone doesn’t have internet access, they can call Renfrewshire Council on 0300 300 0230 for support.

Essential maintenance work will take place overnight on the westbound M8 Junction 26 slip road to Arkleston Road, between 8pm and 6am each night, from Monday 26th October to Tuesday 3rd November 2020. The aim of the work is to resurface the hard shoulder.

The scheme is intended to ensure the safe and reliable operation of the trunk road at this location and to reduce the need for future maintenance.

The work will take place in two phases, with a signed diversion route in operation.

• PHASE 1: 8pm Monday 26^th October – 6am Friday 30^th October
  • Overnight Lane Closures with Fast Lane 3 only open
  • M8 Jct 26 Westbound On-slip Closed and
  • Jct 27 Westbound Off Slip Closed
• PHASE 2: 8pm Monday 2^nd November – 6am Tuesday 3^rd November
  • Overnight Lane Closures with Hard Shoulder only open,
  • M8 Jct 26 Westbound On-slip Closed and
  • Jct 27 Westbound Off-slip Open

The road will be open as normal outwith these times.

Diverted traffic will leave the M8 at the Junction 26 off-slip road to the A736 Hillington Road and continue to the A761 Paisley Road West. From here, vehicles will follow the diversion to the A726 and on to the A741 Renfrew Road to re-join the westbound M8 at Junction 27.

Renfrewshire Council has launched a consultation on the proposed creation of biodiversity areas in Renfrewshire.

Because of the need to focus on essential services during the Covid-19 lockdown, grass cutting was paused during the lockdown period and this led to grassed areas growing longer than normal, while at the same time encouraging more wildflowers and wildlife. The council has received positive feedback on these changes and has identified an opportunity to develop new biodiversity areas within its communities. The council wants to create these areas to encourage wildlife to live there and for natural plants and flowers to blossom, and  will be adding to areas where required to improve the way they look and ensure that they can continue to flourish for years to come.

The council’s technical officers have identified and visited a number of proposed biodiversity areas, a maximum of ten in each community, to make assessments based on growing conditions, suitability and prominence of wildflowers and wildlife. The council now wants the local community to read these assessments and decide whether the designated areas are suitable to become biodiversity areas and to let it know any other areas the community believes would be suitable.

Any new biodiversity areas would not be left to grow out of control. They would be maintained and cut at the end of the growing season to increase the variety of insects, plants and wildflowers able to flourish. Where additional biodiversity aids, such as wildflower seeds, are required then these will be added; a number of areas suitable for this have already been identified. If a community decides that an area is not suitable for this treatment, it will be returned to the grass cutting programme.

The council is also asking the community to identify other areas where biodiversity could be encouraged, e.g. road verges, roundabouts, parks, so that it can shape future proposals that support the views of local people.

One of the proposed areas is on the east side of Penilee Road, between School Road and Atholl Crescent, and two are at the east end of Barshaw Park.

To take part in the consultation, go to Renfrewshire Council’s website. The closing date for completing the consultation survey is midnight on Sunday September 13.

Renfrewshire Council has announced that parking charges in council-owned car parks will be reintroduced on Monday August 17.

Parking charges have been suspended since the start of the Covid-19 lockdown in March. Residents were advised to stay at home wherever possible, unless they had to make an essential journey for food, medicine or work, and this also meant there were no visitors to the area. Therefore, parking within the council’s car parks was minimal and charges were removed to assist key workers to carry out their role.

In line with the Scottish Government’s route map, travel for exercise and leisure activities is now permitted and there has been a significant rise in the use of the council’s car parks as a result. Therefore, to ensure that there is a turnover of spaces for those who need them, charges will be reintroduced from Monday August 17. Anyone using a council car park will require to purchase a ticket for the length of time they plan to stay and display it clearly in their windscreen.

The parking pilot in six of Paisley town centre’s car parks remains in place and continues to offer the first three hours of parking free of charge at specific times – although a ticket must still be obtained and displayed.

The council’s enforcement officers will be advising motorists in advance of the reintroduction of charges to ensure that no one is unaware and potentially caught out.

More information on the reintroduction of charges, and the Paisley parking pilot, can be found on Renfrewshire Council’s website.

Morrisons Supermarkets have made a charitable donation of £3250 to match the amount raised by Roffey Park Road residents and bring the total raised to £6500. The residents raised the money by playing street bingo from April to the start of July, during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Morrisons’ donation was split evenly between the Accord and the Princess of Wales hospices, with £1625 going to each. This means that, of the total of £6500 raised by the fundraising effort, £2945 was given to each of the hospices and £610 to Renfrewshire lifeline charities.

Details of the residents’ fund-raising efforts can be found in a previous news item on this website.

Following the latest update on the Scottish Government’s route map out of lockdown, some services inside Renfrewshire’s library buildings will resume on Monday, July 20.

All 12 of the libraries will be open for returns and for borrowing on a click and collect basis, as part of measures being put in place to ensure the safety of staff and library users. Books can be reserved online or by telephone on 0300 300 1188. Access to buildings will be on a one in, one out basis. Each one will have a simple drop-off point for return.

The new opening hours for Ralston Library will be 10 am – 1 pm & 2 pm – 5 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday & Saturday.

Renfrewshire Council is implementing a scheme to temporarily widen footways where people queue outside and the footway is too narrow for social distancing to be maintained. This will be achieved by the installation of barriers at affected locations. Council officers have visited business premises and spoken to affected businesses about the council’s intention to install the barriers.

The works are designed to support business and vulnerable residents as pavements become busier with more people venturing outside. Any barriers removed and replaced with temporary barriers will be reinstalled to their original positions when these measures are no longer required. A contractor has been appointed and is expected to install the barriers in the next two weeks.

The location in Ralston that will be affected is at the foot of Penilee Road. A barrier will be installed on the kerbline in front of the shops to stop vehicles parking on the footway.

Renfrewshire Council’s waste recycling centres reopened on 1 June. The centres are initially accepting only ordinary household waste, and the acceptance of other waste types will be phased in.  Details of opening times and the phasing programme can be found on the Renfrewshire Council website.

Renfrewshire Council has asked Renfrewshire’s community councils to make the following information available to community members.

More than 840 volunteers have signed up for the Scottish Government’s national campaign Ready Scotland, which allows people to offer practical or emotional support if they are fit and well. You can sign up via www.readyscotland.org/coronavirus/volunteering.

Locally, almost 100 volunteers have signed up for the Renfrewshire Volunteer Reserve, run by Engage Renfrewshire, which has created a bank of volunteers to work with the council’s community partners. If you are healthy and able, you can sign up via the Coronavirus section at www.engagerenfrewshire.com.

The council has set up a Local Assistance Helpline for those who received a letter from the Chief Medical Officer requiring them to be shielded. If a vulnerable person does not have a support network to bring them essential food and medicine, the council can deliver this to them and encourages everyone who receives a letter to call it on 0300 300 0230 or text the Scottish Government’s national support line with their CHI number on 07860 064 525. This service is open seven days a week from 08.45am to 4.45pm.

The council’s health and social care teams continue to provide essential care for its residents both in their own homes and within care homes, and it is continuing to support its key workers by providing childcare to allow them to carry out their roles.

The council’s waste collection teams are currently continuing to deliver a full service, including all recycling and food and garden waste bins. The council collects more than 141,000 bins every week, and would appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as it is operating with a reduced workforce at the moment. If your bin is missed, you are asked to report this; the waste collection team will return to collect it within five days.

At this time, everyone must follow the latest Government guidance and stay at home in order to save lives. Everyone should follow social distancing measures, wash their hands repeatedly throughout the day and only leave their home for essential reasons.

The council’s website has a dedicated Coronavirus section which covers various topics, including health and money advice, business support and changes to council services, and there is also a dedicated section for communities which looks at volunteering within the local area. This is updated daily and can be found at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/coronavirus.

You can also follow the council on Twitter ­­– @RenCouncil – for all the latest updates as well as the chance to ask any questions that you may have.

The guest speaker at the February meeting of Ralston Community Council will be Fraser Carlin, Head of Planning & Housing, Renfrewshire Council, who will speak about the current housing developments at Hawkhead and Dykebar Hospital.

The meeting will be held on Thursday 13 February at 7:30 pm in Ralston Community Centre, Allanton Avenue, PA1 3BL. The agenda for the meeting is available on the website.

The meeting is open to the public and you will be made very welcome if you wish to come.

The Ralston Community Council annual general meeting will be held at 7:30 pm on Thurday, 10 October, 2019, in Ralston Community Centre. The meeting is open to members of the public.

The AGM pack contains the AGM agenda, and also the notice of election results for 2019, the council’s constitution and the council’s standing orders. Item 8 on the agenda (Renfrewshire Community Council Forum) refers to an RCCF  information leaflet. The RCCF leaflet is available on the website.

The AGM will be followed by the October meeting of the council. The agenda for the meeting and the  minutes of the September meeting are available on the website.

The Ralston Community Fun & Games Day planned for Saturday 14 September has been cancelled because of the waterlogged state of the ground at Ralston Sports Centre and the uncertain weather forecast for the next 48 hours.

Ralston Community Fun & Games Day will be held at Ralston Sports Centre on Saturday 14 September 2019, from 12 noon until 4 pm. In addition to games and activities, there will be stalls, refreshments and entertainment.

Please note that a photographer will be in attendance.

This event is supported by Renfrewshire Council.

Seedhill Road, Paisley, from Mill Street to Cochran Street.  The closure will be in place on Monday, 08^th July 2019 till Sunday, 25^th August 2019.  This is to allow for carriageway resurfacing works to take place on Mill Street.

Alternative route:  Seedhill Road, Hawkhead Road, Glasgow Road, Mill Street or vice versa.  Emergency and limited local access will be maintained.

Penilee Road, Paisley, from School Road to Arkleston Road.  The closure will be in place on Monday, 17^th June 2019 till Sunday, 30^th June 2019.  This is to allow for carriageway resurfacing works to take place.

Alternative route:  Arkleston Road, Glasgow Road, Penilee Road or Vice Versa.  Emergency access will be maintained.

The Peace Garden Open Afternoon will take place on Saturday 18 May 2019; 14:00 – 16:00. This provides an opportunity to stroll round the garden and enjoy the profusion of plants currently on display as well as the following activities:

• Performance by Flutephonics flute group
• Display of artwork by Paisley artists
• Guided tour with description of Barshaw history
• Light refreshments.

A recommended donation of £3 helps cover the cost of the event and will also help with the continuing maintenance of the garden.

The event is organised by Friends of Barshaw Park. More details can be seen here.

Nursery Grown Bedding Plants, Pots & Tubs, Baskets (plants by McLaren Nurseries, Lugton, Past Barrhead).

Come along and enjoy yourself:

• Tea & Coffee, Home Baking,  Scones with jam & cream, Meringues and Strawberries
• Crafts:  Decorate and plant a pot
• Hot dogs
• Prizes for best vegetable animal Categories P1-P7

Where?

• On the Church  Lawns
• St Marks Oldhall
• Glasgow Road (opposite  Penilee Road)
• Paisley

We’ve arranged a litter pick in Barshaw Park. Come join us and help make the park sparkling clean!

Meet in the car park at 3:30pm. Litter pickers, bags and gloves available from the car covered in ‘Team up to clean up’ bibs.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1167138816780352/

On Monday 1 April until Friday 5 April, Buchlyvie Road will be closed from School Road south-eastwards for 20 metres.

This is to allow for Scottish Water works to take place.

Alternative route:  School Road, Penilee Road, Auchmannoch Avenue, Buchlyvie Road or Vice Versa