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MERCHISTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday, 18 January 2005 at 7.00pm at the Eric Liddell Centre. 1.0 Chairperson’s Welcome Bridget Stevens (Chair) welcomed those present: Derek Ainsley (Treasurer), Petra Biberbach, Judy Bury, Ian Clement, Brian Cohen, James Geekie, Desmond Hodges, Frances Hawarden, Morag Jones, Belinda Lennie, John Lennie, David Leslie, Marilyne MacLaren, Fiona Mitchell, Robin Morris (Secretary), William Mykura, Cllr Liz O’Malley,, Chris Sharman, Robert Stewart, Cllr Sue Tritton, Guin Williams, Janice Laxton (Minutes Secretary). 2.0 Apologies for Absence Eric Fèvre,Cllr George Hunter, Charlie Morrison, Colin Young 3.0 Minutes of Last Meeting held on 18 November 2004 Add under 2.0 Marilyne MacLaren. 4.0 Matters Arising 4.1 Memorial to Diana Dunthorne Eric Fèvre has contacted Edinburgh Council. He will report back at the next meeting. 4.2 Advertising of MCC Meetings and Communication The MCC notice board outside the Eric Liddell Centre has now been repaired. Desmond Hodges brought the proof for the second printing of the bookmarks to the meeting for approval. Kay Smith (Friends of Harrison Park), Desmond Hodges and the Canal Society are consulting on the design and site for a joint notice board in Harrison Park, funds for which will be needed by the end of the financial year. 4.3 Refurbishment of Churchill Theatre A neighbour notification has now been issued. Any member of the public can make an objection if they wish. Chris Sharman will co-ordinate the Planning Sub-Committee’s response to the detailed plans which are now available. Sue Tritton confirmed that Edinburgh Council will have invited the Cockburn Association to comment. 4.4 City Development and Transport Neighbourhood Group Minutes from meeting of 30 November 2004 are now available in circulation file. 5.0 Treasurer’s Report Derek Ainsley reported a balance of £1,359.44, a slight increase on last month due to the grant for litter bins along the canal which has now come through. Bridget Stevens thanked him for his work. 6.0 Other Reports 6.1 Police Report Inspector Nisbet reported that new distribution points for the Police Bulletin are being installed in local libraries, etc. He has just launched a six-week operation to target car crime, with six officers dedicated to this. Thanks to the vigilence of a member of the public, one man has just been arrested who has admitted to 33 crimes. Finger print evidence for recent shop break-ins in Bruntsfield mean that the culprits can be identified. Recent footage of littering in Bruntsfield Place, taken by a Police mobile video unit, was shown to a local school, with a positive response. Local Community Officers will be back on the beat soon. Police Newsletters for South Edinburgh are available on the web at: http://www.southedinburgh.net Bridget Stevens thanked him for his report. 6.2 Joint Meeting of City Development and Transport Neighbourhood Group and Local Environmental Forum The general feeling was that the combined meeting of these groups on 27 January 2005 did not work. Follow-up meetings will take place as follows: 6.3 City Development and Transport Neighbourhood Group Thursday, 24 February 2005 at George Watson’s College. The local environmental action plan will be discussed. Members of the public are welcome to attend. 6.4 Local Environmental Forum Wednesday, 9 March 2005 at the City Chambers. Members of the public are welcome to attend. 6.5 South Edinburgh Crime Prevention Panel An all-day exhibition will be held in Cameron Toll on Saturday, 12 March 2005 featuring advice and information on crime prevention. A range of gadgets will also be available. 6.7 Planning and Licensing Applications 2b Merchiston Crescent The application to build a conservatory in most of the front garden has been rejected. Because a satelite dish has been put up on the same building, the application will have to be looked at again. Satelite dishes are not allowed in a conservation area. Unauthorised Container 4 Merchiston Avenue This has now been removed by the owner. Unauthorised Fence 2b Merchiston Crescent This application is going before the Planning Committee on 16 February 2005. If it is rejected, the owners would have the right to appeal. Redwood House, Polwarth Terrace/Gray’s Loan An application has been made by Applecross developers to build nine ‘ultra-modern’ flats on the site of a former Napier building. Bridget Stevens and ? have met with representatives of the developers Ettrick Hotel MCC hope to build a good working relationship with the new manager who has just taken over. Chris Sharman will work with the Planning and Licensing Group to formulate a MCC view on the appropriateness or otherwise of modern building materials and design in a conservation area. Anyone with views on this subject should contact Chris Sharman. 7.0 AOCB 7.1 Stair Vandalism An act of vandalism has recently been committed in a stair in Merchiston Park. Inspector Nisbet urged the owners to report this to the Police. They were also referred to Cllr O’Malley who could provide information on obtaining the new graffiti kits. 7.2 Napier University Car Parking Charlie Morrison explained that Napier University recognised the problem with on-street parking both at the Merchiston and Craiglockhart campuses but said that, although the University had suggested double yellow lines, these cannot be imposed; particularly in a residential area. Since the introduction of charges for parking, the University has been actively encouraging car-sharing as a way of reducing one-car one-passenger use, something that Edinburgh City Council require as part of Napier’s Integrated Transport Plan which was submitted as part of planning at Craiglockhart. Schemes such as interest free loans for annual bus passes provide an added incentive to both staff and students to use public transport. However, without an integrated transport system city wide, the number of people switching to using public transport will remain limited. The provision of shuttle buses between sites would prove expensive; however it is hoped that it will be possible to make more use of the University's existing fleet of vehicles in future. It is planned to allow local residents the use of free space at the Merchiston car park from 5.00pm - 7.30am daily. Napier University also plan to move their main store base to their Sighthill campus, this will reduce the amount of delivery vehicles accessing/exiting from its Merchiston site. 7.3 Distribution of Police Monthly Newsletter Robin Morris asked that this newsletter be distributed more widely in the area. Inspector Nisbet assured him this would be done. 8.0 Date and Information of Next Meeting Tuesday, 15 February 2005 at 8.00pm at the Eric Liddell Centre. It is hoped that a debate on the Pros and Cons of Congestion Charging will precede this meeting, starting at 7.00pm. |
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