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MINUTES OF MERCHISTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL MEETING
HELD ON TUESDAY 22 JANUARY 2008 AT 7.00PM
ERIC LIDDELL CENTRE, HOLY CORNER
CHAIRPERSON'S WELCOME
Bridget Stevens welcomed those present,
including Cllrs. Marilyne MacLaren, Alison Johnstone, Jim Lowrie, Mark McInnes,
Andrew Burns and Paul Godzik; Ian Doig, Kay Smith, Robin Morris, James Geekie,
Frances Hawarden, Mairiannia Clyde, John and Belinda Lennie, PC Alan Hopper, Bob
Rendall, Lucy Howie, and around 16 members of the general public.
Presentation by Convenor of Education and
Councillor for Meadows/Morningside Marilyne MacLaren and Lindsay Glasgow, Asset
Planning Manager, City of Edinburgh Council Children and Families Department on
The Future for our Schools.
Councillor MacLaren referred to options
regarding the future of James Gillespie's and Boroughmuir schools. Both of
these schools are in urgent need of being refurbished or replaced. A feasibility study is underway and Council officials are preparing an appeal to
the Scottish Government for support in rebuilding and refurbishing school
buildings across the city. Councillor MacLaren mentioned a large budget deficit
passed on from the previous council administration. She informed the meeting
that, after the May elections in 2007, there had been no alternative to a claw-back
of £15m. This year a further claw-back of £18m is expected. It was still hoped that Boroughmuir could
move to a new site but there was none earmarked at the present time.
Lindsay Glasgow said that a cross- party group
has been set up to look at the possible closure of some Edinburgh schools, and is to meet for the
first time this month. Poor exam results, falling rolls and high running costs
are all likely to be factors when council officials consider individual schools
for closure.
There were numerous questions from the
floor, mostly centred around the issues of funding of the new/improved schools.
It appeared that the original ambitions for improvement within the Edinburgh
Council area would be difficult to meet without significant Scottish Executive
support. Some questioners referred to funding models adopted by other Scottish
councils, and to resources which should be released following selective school
closure in due course.
Bridget thanked both Cllr. Marilyne
MacLaren and Lindsay Glasgow for taking time to attend the MCC Meeting
BUSINESS MEETING
The chair welcomed to the Business Meeting:
Chris Marshall from the Edinburgh
Evening News, Sarah Beattie Smith, from
the Edinburgh College of Art Students Representative Council, and Sarah Price,
Chair of the newly re-formed Thorneil
Village Neighbourhood Association.
1.0 Apologies for Absence
Beccy Brooks, Ann
Royden, Cllr Gordon Buchan.
2.0 Minutes of Last Meeting held in
November 2007 were circulated.
Amendment to item under AOB: Satellite Dishes. Kay
Smith proposed the following replacement: "Kay Smith had notified the
Council Planning Department that a satellite dish had been erected on the front
of a tenement building in Bryson
Road. The department confirmed that the flat
concerned did not have planning permission. However, with the recent
implementation of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development)
(Scotland)
Amendment Order 2007 permission, within certain limitations, is no longer required.
The satellite was moved in any case to the chimney stack on the roof. The
siting, for dwellers of top flats opposite at least, is even more obtrusive.
However it is within the rules of the 2007 Order. There has been a slackening
of restrictions on the siting of satellite dishes in order to allow the spread
of digital technology according to Scottish Government policy.”
The adoption of the Minutes was then Moved
by Jim Geekie, and Seconded by Marianna Clyde.
3.0 Matters Arising
- Noise at Napier University:
After intervention by MCC and local councillors, it had been agreed that in future, deliveries
of bottles would be made at more acceptable times.
- Bicycle Racks: Robin Morris reported that
more bicycle racks had been provided in the Bruntsfield area.
- Polwarth Terrace: Cllr. Godzik advised
that he had taken up the issue of street lighting in Polwarth Terrace and Napier Road,
building on earlier pressure on the city council from PC Hopper and former
Merchiston councillor Sue Tritton.
- Cycling Problems: The police are
carrying out a crack-down on illegal cycling (speeding/no lights etc). Local
residents have been made aware of this and are urged to report offenders to the
police.
- Union Canal:
it was understood that Cllr Tim Mackay
had been designated “Canal Czar”.
Although he represents a ward on the north side of the city, he is a
resident of Bruntsfield and a user of the Canal. Cllr
MacLaren undertook to provide MCC with an outline of the Czar’s
responsibilities.
4.0 Short Presentation by Lucy Howie on the
3M's Youth Partnership
Lucy was delighted to report that the 3m's
Partnership had been granted funding for a further year.
She then delivered an overall survey of
what the Youth Partnership had achieved during the past year, which included details
of activities of the Wednesday Club, Young People's Kool Club, and the
Transition Group among others. Other activities include
Easter and Summer programmes, and One to
One sessions, assisting where appropriate with problems e.g. of bullying at
school.
Lucy is still hopeful that plans for a
Youth Cafe would be realized and the hunt is still on for suitable premises and
funding. Bob Rendall, Eric Liddell
Centre CEO, said that any suggestions for sources of support for this would be gratefully
received.
Bridget thanked Lucy for her presentation
and wished her luck for the future of the project.
5.0 REPORTS
i Police Report circulated.
Community Beat Officer, PC Alan Hopper,
reported that in the month of December 2007 there had been a decrease in house-breaking
etc crime in the area, not least because one of the people mainly responsible
had been arrested and is now in prison.
He again reminded those present to report
any sightings of fresh graffiti, especially those with “tags”. He
reported that a youth had been arrested and charged with numerous graffiti
offences.
There had been a regrettable rise in the
theft of bicycles.
During the month there had been 174
incidents logged by the police in respect of
Beat 47 (Meadows/Morningside). Of these 17 were graded as emergencies,
35 were graded as requiring response within one hour, and the remainder were
dealt with by the Community Beat Officer or Patrol Officers.
PC Hopper agreed to clarify the situation
in Polwarth Gardens regarding double parking which causes obstruction. He advised that it
is legal to take a picture of offending vehicles.
Various members at the meeting voiced their
concern at the apparent shortage of police in the area.
Bridget thanked PC Hopper for his detailed
report and congratulated him on the arrests.
NOTE
– some streets within the MCC area are in Beat 48
(Craiglockhart/Fountainbridge), whose Community Beat Officer is PC John
Goodall.
ii Planning
Cllr. Jim Lowrie was introduced as the Chair of the City Council’s Planning
Committee
- 10a Greenhill Park.
This application has been subject to a
"mixed decision" by the Planning Department. The application has been
basically approved, with two qualifications: the windows proposed in the west
wall of the extension of the existing building require to be below the height
of the west boundary wall of the property. Also approval has been withheld from
the proposed new railing and gate at the north
west corner of the site, in view of the impact this
would have had on the safety of access by a neighbour to her garage on the
premises.
This application is significantly less
ambitious than the previous one, and preserves the original building largely
intact.
- Newbattle Terrace/Whitehouse Loan
The latest proposal is for a block of
eleven flats and a small terrace of 3 town houses. All car parking is to be
underground but consists of only one space per residence.
Cllr. Lowrie advised that a lot of
developers do not want to put in more than one unit for parking. This situation
is under review.
John Lennie mentioned that the City
Structure Plan shortly to be replaced by its successor had stipulated that new
developments in non-tenemental areas must provide a minimum of one and a half
car parking spaces per residence. He questioned whether this policy had been
officially changed.
Bridget informed that she would be
attending a "Planning Aid" group meeting. This group offer advice to
Community Councils and other community groups.
iii. Licensing
Polwarth Tavern
This establishment was still causing
disturbance to its neighbours. Robin
Morris reported that he had attended a meeting of the Licensing Board on 14
January, when the decision had been to permit 1.00am extensions on only two
nights a week (Friday and Saturday), with closing time on the other nights
being 12 midnight. Many local residents
would prefer earlier closing times.
iv. Treasurer - Report circulated
Frances
had separated the two Grants received. An official one for £875 and an
unofficial one for £526.40. She was awaiting an invoice to repay the unofficial
one.
Even after paying out all expenses we are
comfortably in the black.
Bridget thanked Frances for her customary detailed
report.
5.00 ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Bridget recommended the following items be
held over until next meeting, as the presentations and their responses had
taken up more time than had been anticipated:
Application to Community Grants Fund; South Suburban railway update; CPZ developments; Membership of MCC; Housing Associations (Mairianna)
6.00 Date of Next Meeting
Tuesday 19th February 7.00pm at St
Michael's Church, 1 Slateford Road.
Topic: The Future of Health Provision in
our Area
(It was suggested that, for our March meeting,
the topic might be Planning – with particular reference to recommendations made
by planning officials and their adherence or otherwise to published local plans
and conservation area guidelines)
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