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MERCHISTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL MINUTES OF Meeting held on Tuesday 21 October 2003 at 7.00 pm in the Eric Liddell Centre (The meeting followed a presentation about the proposed extension to the Edinburgh Controlled Parking Zone by Brian Torrance, the City's Traffic Control Manager.) 1. Chairperson's Welcome Bridget Stevens (Chair) welcomed those present, who were: Robin Morris, Chris Sharman, Jim Geekie, Desmond Hodges, Frances Hawarden, Rev. John McMahon, Alison Elwell-Sutton, Cllrs Hunter, O'Malley and Tritton, plus fifteen local residents. Bridget Stevens extended a special welcome to Cllr Liz O'Malley who, having recently been elected Councillor for North Morningside/Grange, was attending her first MCC meeting, and to Mr Rintoul of Tollcross CC. 2. Apologies for Absence Apologies had been received from Derek Ainsley, Atholl Stewart, Wies Robertson, Diana Dunthorne, Janice Laxton and Cllr Lorna Shiels. 3. Minutes of Last Meeting Adoption of these Minutes was moved by Desmond Hodges. 4. Matters Arising Item 4.3 (litter) - Bridget Stevens reported that six local schools are participating in the competition being jointly organised by MCC and CEC Environmental Services, and that a poet and a sculptor had been invited to judge the results. Item 7.3 (Bruntsfield Christmas Street Party) - Robin Morris said that he and Diana Dunthorne believed a large scale Party could take up to 12 months to organise, and could not be put on this year. Cllr Tritton suggested that a smaller event should be considered and this was remitted to Robin Morris and his group to explore further. 5. Treasurer's Report A Cash Flow prepared by Derek Ainsley, showing a credit balance of £2028.76 for October 2003 was received. The only transaction noted in September was the receipt of £5.59 bank interest. 6. Other Reports 6.1 Police Report - PC Scott Mackenzie presented a detailed report on crime within the MCC area. He said that the trend continued to rise, particularly in shoplifting and domestic housebreaking. During September there were four minor assaults, but vehicle crimes are the most numerous, including bicycle thefts, and vandalism. In reply to a question about the legality of rental cars belonging to Arnold Clark Ltd being parked in the Polwarth area, PC Mackenzie said that, provided the vehicles are licensed, they may legally be parked in public streets. He also explained that foreign cars may be kept, without a UK licence, in this country for up to a year. The replacement of street lamps, removed by the Council because their standards are defective, was remitted to Cllr Tritton. 6.2 City Development and Transport Neighbourhood Group - no meetings since last MCC. Alison Elwell Sutton would represent MCC at meeting to be held on 29/10/03. 6.3 Planning/Licensing Applications - Chris Sharman had nothing to report, but Cllr Tritton reported that enforcement was still being pursued with regard to (i) 2B Merchiston Crescent (unauthorised fencing) (ii) 4 Merchiston Avenue (unauthorised storage container) and (iii) The Royal Ettrick Hotel (unauthorised signage and felling of mature trees). 6.4 Local Development Committees - Cllr Tritton said that an environmental task force had been set up for the South Edinburgh area. A meeting at the City Chambers on 28/10/03 would discuss Containerisation ie wheelie bins - a subject which provoked much comment, including the majority view that wheelie bins are more popular than the previous method of waste collection. Robin Morris will represent MCC at the Central LDC meeting on 22/10/03. 7. Other Competent Business It was suggested that the LDC should be made aware of the number of sandwich boards or A-boards outside shops in Bruntsfield , where they are a hazard for the visually impaired. Mr Rintoul said that there is now a pilot scheme for A-boards 1m high x 0.75m wide. He also referred to the obstruction caused by domestic wheelie bins being left at random on streets and pavements after being emptied. A letter had been sent to the Director of City Development lamenting the delay in introducing paid parking bays on Bruntsfield Place. The recent publication by CEC of "The Edinburgh Standard for Urban Design" was warmly welcomed. This booklet, clearly written and well illustrated, sets up ideal solutions to architectural and planning problems, against which future planning applications can be judged. (Copies availabhle from 1 Cockburn Street at £5 each - tel 529 3900) Production of an MCC newsletter was discussed briefly, and it was agreed this would only be feasible if a local writers group were willing to take it on. In any case, The Citizen, published every two months or so and delivered free of charge to every household in the area, carried a considerable amount of local news. 8. Next Meeting This would take place at 7.00pm on Tuesday 18 November at Polwarth Parish Church, by kind permission of Rev. John McMahon. The subject for presentation will be "Parks and Open Spaces in Merchiston". The subject of the January meeting will be HMO's. |
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