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MERCHISTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL Minutes of Meeting held on Tuesday, 21 February 2006 at 7.00pm at the Eric Liddell Centre. 1.0 Chairperson’s Welcome Bridget Stevens (Chair) welcomed those present, who included Jan Ambrose, Tom Barron, Ben Bate, Rebecca Brooks, Ian Clement, BB Cohen, Peter Dick, Elizabeth Duncan, Caroline Ellis, John Forgie, James Geekie, C Giles, M Giles, R Hall, Robin Harper MSP, Frances Hawarden (Treasurer), PC Alan Hopper, Elizabeth Huhlings, Bill Johnston, Morag Jones, Janice Laxton (Minutes Secretary), John Lennie, I McMuir, S Maconadi, Will Marchington, Michael Morris, Robin Morris (Secretary), Charlie Morrison, William Mykura, Cllr O’Malley, Caroline Nevard, David Nevard, Bob Rendall, Ronald Reusley, Stewart Roper, Bruce Royan, A Royan, John Smith, Atholl Stewart, James Strachan, Isobel Thakey, Cllr Tritton, Janet Tweedie, Rosalind Wills, J Wood, Miriam Young. Bridget Stevens welcomed Scott Strachan, of Ryden Architects, to the meeting. She also welcomed the following, and thanked them for agreeing to talk at extremely short notice about the new Tesco development at Holy Corner: Ross Fitzgerald of Upstream, PR Consultants to Tesco. Helen Brookes, Peronnel Manager for the new Tesco Metro at Holy Corner. Nicky, Resources Manager for the new Tesco Metro at Holy Corner and Tina, Deputy Manager of the Tesco Metro in Nicholson Street. Bridget Stevens will prepare a summary of the recent meetings she has attended on behalf of the MCC for distribution at the next MCC meeting in March. 2.0 Apologies for Absence Rev Dr Linda Dunbar, Desmond Hodges, Cllr Hunter, Mike Pringle MSP and Colin Young. 3.0 Minutes of Last Meeting held on 17 January 2006 Moved for adoption by Ian Clement. 4.0 Matters Arising 4.1 Graffiti See Police Report below. 4.2 Holyrood Garden Party 2006 As there was no response to her request for nominations, Bridget Stevens offered the MCC Garden Party invitation to Lucy Howie, Youth Worker at the Eric Liddel Centre, who was happy to accept. 5.0 Treasurer’s Report Frances Hawarden distributed a copy of the Cash Flow to date, showing a balance of £169.20. It now shows a distinction between grants received from the CEC and income from other sources. 6.0 Other Reports Police Report PC Alan Hopper apologised for the fact that the Police newsletter was not yet available. He will distribute it as soon as possible. The Police are well aware of the recent increase in the incidence of graffiti in the area and are actively dealing with the problem. Part of this involves indentifying individuals – many of whom are suspected to be pupils at Boroughmuir and James Gillespies High Schools – through their particular ‘tags’. The head teachers of both schools have assisted the Police in this work, and as a result five youths have already been identified. The City of Edinburgh Council is undertaking a similar anti-graffiti campaign. Members of the public who notice graffiti on public buildings should contact Environmental Services on 529 3030 and ask for the Graffiti Task Force, who will deal with the problem promptly. MCC hold an anti-graffiti kit which can be borrowed to remove graffiti on private buildings. Cllr O’Malley also noted that anti-graffiti paint, which allows graffiti to be washed off easily, is available for sale from the City of Edinburgh Council. It was suggested that CCTV cameras might help reduce the problem of graffiti. The Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders, Paddy Tompkins, will speak at a Public Meeting meeting at 7.30pm on Monday, 6 March 2006 at James Gillespies High School. Everyone is welcome to attend. In answer to a question about recent complaints about noise disturbance at the Orwell Lodge Hotel, PC Hopper said that he was not aware of any actual crime having been commited there recently. Bridget Stevens thanked PC Hopper for his report. 7.0 Planning and Licensing New Residential Development, Chamberlain Road Scott Strachan, of Ryden Architects, presented the plans for this new build which will be situated on the site of the former church hall at the Eric Liddel Centre. The building will be in the syle of the adjacent Edwardian villas and will incorporate five two-bed roomed flats. Natural sandstone and slate will be used. A parking space will be provided in the garden for two, and joint garage for three of the flats. It is expected that the selling price for the flats will be £220-225,000. Plans will be displayed in the foyer of the Eric Liddel Centre as well as at the Planning Department in Cockburn Street, and on the CEC website. The ELC management are hoping that MCC and individual residents will support this application Bank House, Morningside Road Approved. Extension, Rudolf Steiner School In progress. Change to Technik Shop Front, 102 Morningside Road Approved. 2B Merchiston Crescent Work has now started to demolish the unathorised fencing and replace it with a stone wall. Starbucks Café, Holy Corner The Planning Sub-committee will keep an eye to see that the signage is in keeping with the conservation area status of the site. Neighbours of licensed Festival Inns premises (Royal Ettrick Hotel, Polwarth Tavern and Orwell Lodge) were continuing to contact MCC about noise disturbance. 8.0 AOCB 8.1 Edinburgh South Local Development Committee There will be a special meeting on 20 March 2006, the topic at which will be Youth Issues. The next regular meeting on 24 April 2006 will include an update on the Livingston Tomb. The following meeting will be on 12 June 2006. 8.2 Edinburgh Transport Strategy Meeting The next meeting will be held on Thursday, 23 February 2006. William Mykura will attend. Anyone wishing to ask him to raise any issues should contact him before then. . 8.3 City Development and Transport Neighbourhood Group The next meeting will be held on 8 March 2006. The topic will be the enforcement of the 20mph zone, which is due to be introduced imminently. The following meeting will be on 24 May 2006. 8.4 Edinburgh South Environmental Forum The next meeting will be held on 22 March 2006. 8.5 A City for All Ages Discussion will be held at the Eric Liddel Centre at 10.45am on Friday, 17 March 2006. Ninety places are available. Anyone wishing to attend please contact Bridget Stevens for an application form. 8.6 Canal Clean-Up All members of the public are invited to join in the annual clean-up on Sunday, 2 April 2006 from 10.00am – 4.00pm. 8.7 Triennial Community Council Elections Cllr Tritton has offered to act as the returning officer for Merchiston Community Council. Nominations are welcomed from members of the public who are on the electoral register and who live within the Merchiston Community Council boundary. There can be up to 16 individual members and 8 representative groups. The timetable is as follows: Notice of Election 11 April 2006 Closing date for nominations 25 April 2006 Polling Date (if required) 25 May 2006 8.8 Retiral Presentation for Derek Ainsley A small presentation is planned for Derek Ainsley, who has contributed so much to Merchiston Community Council over the past ten years. Donations are invited. 9.0 Date and Information of Next Meeting The next meeting will be held on Tuesday, 21 March 2006. The Director of the Cockburn Association will give a presentation. An extraordinary meeting will be arranged soon to allow further discussion of the new Tesco Metro store with Tesco management. Anyone wishing to receive notice of this and future meetings should give their name to Robin Morris. PUBLIC CONSULTATION MEETING ON THE NEW TESCO METRO STORE AT HOLY CORNER Unfortunately, owing to a breakdown in communication between Property Developers Duddingston House and the Project Manager of the new Tesco Metro, Richard Wiskin, who was to have spoken at the meeting, Tesco was not fully represented. However, the following team had kindly agreed to speak at extremely short notice: Ross Fitzgerald of Upstream, PR Consultants for Tesco. Helen Brookes, Personnel Manager for the new Tesco Metro at Holy Corner. Nicki, Resources Manager for the new Tesco Metro at Holy Corner and Tina, Deputy Manager of the Tesco Metro in Nicholson Street. They passed on Richard Wiskins’s apologies and promised to get back to any individuals with the answers to any questions they could not answer themselves. They also apologised for the fact that, because of their lack of knowledge, some of their answers may not be completely accurate. Merchiston Community Council will get back to individuals who left contact details as soon as Tesco are able to provide them with answers to all the following questions: Q When is the new Tesco Metro due to open? A At the end of May 2006, but there is no specific date yet. Q Who will occupy the adjoining villa? A Starbucks and another ‘retail unit’. Q What will the opening times of the new Tesco Metro be? A These are still to be confirmed, but will not be earlier than 8.00am or later than 10.00pm (as approved by the Planning Committee). The closing time of the Tesco Metro in Newington Road has recently been extended from 10.00pm to midnight. Q The plans show a space for a trolley park, yet we have been told all along that the new store would be a ‘basket store’ only, as in the original application. A The trolleys are intended for the use of disabled customers only. Q Can you give an assurance that these trolleys will be of the type designed for use with wheelchairs? A I welcome this suggestion and shall take it back to Richard Wiskins. Q There is a lot of concern that, by providing even a few parking spaces, people will be encouraged to come by car to the new Tesco Metro from outwith the area. This area is already heavily congested with traffic, especially at rush hours. A It is intended that the new store will serve the local community. The parking spaces have been provided primarily for use by disabled customers. Q Will the increased traffic generated by the new Tesco store, especially that involving large delivery vehicles, pose an increased risk to children? (The Transport official who was involved in granting the original planning application expressed the view that a new Tesco Metro would generate less traffic than the existing garden centre. Residents disagreed strongly.) A Plans for the new store were carefully worked out in close consultation with and the approval of the Departments of Environmental Health and the Roads Department. Tesco will continue to monitor the situation, for example with regular driver route assessments. Q Will Tesco install a pedestrian crossing in Merchiston Avenue? A Tesco have no plans to do this. Q When will deliveries be made to the new store? A No deliveries will be made before 7.00am. As with all other Tesco stores, delivery vehicles will be turned away if they arrive before or after these agreed times. Q How will access for delivery vehicles be kept clear for the new store? A There will be ‘No loading’ restrictions on the loading bay for ordinary customers. Q What side of the building will the entrance to the new store be on? A The Colinton Road side. Q What size will the new Tesco Metro be? A 8,500 square feet. This compares to 10,300 square feet at the Nicholson Street Metro. Q There is a lot of concern that the new Tesco Metro will pose unfair competition to other retail outlets in the area. A Tesco always tailor the range of goods they sell in their stores to complement those of neighbouring retailers. The new Tesco Metro at Holy Corner will therefore not have a delicatessen counter, but will only sell prepacked cold meat, etc. In fact, some local traders welcome the opening of this new store as it is expected it will bring more people into the area. In addition, Tesco will bring job opportunities to the area, and become involved with local charities and community organisations, as it is already doing with Merchiston Community Council. Q Holy Corner is a central site in South Edinburgh. What is Tesco doing to lessen the visual impact of the new store? A There are no plans to plant any trees, etc. Some kind of wooden slabbing is planned for part of the boundary wall. Tesco are currently in negotiation with the City of Edinburgh Council over this, and the style of signage for the new store. The frontage of the new store will be flush with the existing villa, as on the original plan. Tesco will get back to Merchiston Community Council with answers to the following questions: Q What kind of security lights will be installed around the new store? Q Will there be any bottle banks in the grounds of the new store? Q Will there be a locked gate across the car park at night? Q How many till points will there be? Q How many full-time equivalent posts will be created in the new store? (It is anticipated that 100-120 people will be employed there, many of them part-time and many from the local community, with approx 40 people at any one time.) Q How will Tesco police the use of their disabled parking bays? Q Will Tesco make any provision to pick up the increased litter which will almost certainly be generated by their take-away counter? (This is not a problem with the Nicholson Street Tesco Metro, where a litter bin is provided outside and a team of contract cleaners regularly patrol the street.) Concern was expressed that that information about the plans for the new Tesco Metro has only been released bit by bit, making it difficult for members of the public to know what was happening and to respond accordingly. Individuals wishing to know more about planning applications can contact Merchiston Community Council, who, as a statutory consultee, are automatically informed about them all. Planning applications can be viewed at the Planning Department in Cockburn Street, or on the City of Edinburgh Council website. Individuals are encouraged to write to the Planning Department directly, with copies to Merchiston Community Council and their local City Councillor. Local people may also want to get together to make direct respresentation to Tesco. Detailed plans for the new Tesco Metro will be displayed in the foyer of the Eric Liddle Centre, as well as on the Merchiston Community Council website. 21 February 2006 The following has been provided by Tesco Head Office in answer to questions raised at Public Meeting organised by Merchiston Community Council on 21 February 2006 Councillors present: Susan B Tritton (Lib Dem) Merchiston Liz O'Malley (Lib Dem) North Morningside/Grange Specific questions raised by residents in chronological order: What are the opening times of the store? Monday – Saturday 8am – 10pm Sunday 9am – 8pm What is the opening date for the store? 29 May, 2006 Will there be a trolley bay located outside the store? Yes When will stock be delivered to the store? Distribution to confirm early April. What will the lighting be like in and around the store? (the lighting of Tesco signs, lighting outside the store and lighting in the store outside opening hours.) There will be lighting in and around the store as agree under the planning consent. However lights will not be left on at night as consideration to neighbours. Will there be security lights in the car park? Yes Will the car-park gates be closed after opening hours? No Will there be a bottle bank in the car park or somewhere else on location? No Will the store sell sandwiches? (residents were concerned about littering) Yes. All of our stores provide sandwiches. Litter bins will be provided in the entrance. Will a cleaner be provided by the store to deal with any increase litter? Litter bins are always provided and all of our stores are kept clean. How many checkouts will the store have? 12 checkouts (six super express and six self-service). Will Tesco make any efforts to improve landscaping, and generally make the building look more attractive? The developer has been granted full planning consent and is responsible for the site. Tesco will only lease the store and be responsible for fitting it out as a Metro. There will be some landscaping and of course we will maintain this. Will anything be done to "minimize" the look of the building clashing with the local architecture? The building will be in accordance with the planning permission agreed by the Local Planning Authority. How will the delivery lay-by be kept clear? (i.e. double yellow lines, clamping, towing etc) This will be under the control and enforceable by the Highways Authority. Suggestions made by residents A basket only store, to discourage shoppers with cars, and thus traffic. Our customers tell us they welcome the provision of trolleys. A trolley is easier for some customers due to the volume and/or weigh of the actual groceries. Certainly many elderly/pregnant shoppers find them very helpful. Wheelchair trolleys should be made available, so that only wheelchair users get that benefit. Wheelchair trolleys will be available. Areas of general concern for residents Parking. Lighting in the car park and in the surrounding area Opening hours Possible increase in litter and how it would be dealt with. Recruitment Centre Opens 6 March 101 High Riggs, Tolcross, Edinburgh EH3 9RP We are looking to recruit around 120 people. |
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