LCCC April 2024 minutes

Minutes of Leith Central Community Council ordinary meeting, at Nelson Hall, McDonald Road Library, on Monday 15 April 2024 at 7:00pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. nem con means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.

1 Welcome, introductions, attendance, apologies

1.a Present, apologies

Jun(AGM)

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Voting members

Zoe Curry

No meeting

Alan Dudley

Charlotte Encombe

Pierre Foressier

Nick Gardner

Sheila Kennedy

Jed Milroy

Ian Mowat

Alex Ortiz

Harald Tobermann

John Wilkinson

Non-voting members

Bruce Ryan

Cllr Jack Caldwell

Cllr James Dalgleish

Cllr Amy McNeese-Mechan

Cllr Susan Rae

Ben Macpherson MSP

Deidre Brock MP

Number of others attending

*11

P = present, A = apology, X = neither present nor sent apology, NA = not applicable

* including PCs Sadlik and Clark (Police Scotland), R Price (NTBCC) and Alan McIntosh (Broughton Spurtle)

1.b to note: declarations of interest in any items on the agenda

H Tobermann – item 5.a. His employer (Out Of The Blue) has an interest in this development.

1.c to agree: order of business below

agreed

2 Approval of minutes of the ordinary LCCC meeting on 18 March 2024

Approved as is (proposed S Kennedy, seconded C Encombe, nem con)

3 Matters arising from March minutes (and not included on agenda below)

Item	Actor	Action	Progress
4.b	LCCC	Ask for more resources for police	in progress
5.b	LCCC planning	Continue to monitor the Manderston St bingo hall potential development	Item 5 below
6.a.ii	WELM rep	Share guidelines on delivery/loading matters with LCCC	complete
7.e	S Kennedy	Forward the email about taking of a planter to other LCCC office bearers and Cllr Caldwell	complete
9.b	C Encombe, B Ryan	Respond to CC boundaries and scheme review	Item 9 below

4 Policing matters

4.a to note: local (ward) Police Report April 2024

There was an initiative on drugs, resulting in considerable seizures of drugs and cash assumed to be derived from crime.
The North East Support Team was very active in March on road-traffic offences, especially driving while using cellphones.
- This team consists of special constables: paid volunteers who have the same powers of arrest as regular constables, are trained by both Scottish Police College and local regulars, but focus on community issues. Potential volunteers need to be over 18½ years and to have resilience/robustness. Those working already working in the criminal justice system (e.g. police officers, court officers) cannot become special constables.
- Action: PCs to ask their management if CEC should advertise for volunteers, e.g. among ethnic minorities.
The PCs did not answer whether it is an offence for cyclists to use handle-bar mounted phones to navigate. However, there is enforcement against offending cyclists and e-cyclists.
- Volunteers should contact community police. Specials get paid a bit but are about community working
- They have same powers of arrest as regulars police because they are constables
The PCs have not had any involvement with the recent Hate Crime Act.

4.b to note: detailed ward crime (Apr-Jun23) and stop and search (Apr-Dec23) statistics

Lack of robustness in these statistics was noted by H Tobermann, as was the discrepancy between ward crime data only being available for April to June 2023 and the S&S data being available to the end of 2023. HT suggested that such data should be readily available as crimes are recorded, or at least available very soon after the end of the year.

5 Planning

5.a to note: Residential development (106 flats and townhouses with associated roads, parking, greenspace) @ 165 Broughton Road (comments by 3/5/24)

H Tobermann: while this site is in NTBCC’s area, it is on the border with LCCC. It is on the potential Powderhall cyclepath. The site housed Edinburgh’s waste-transfer but is now unused. It consists of the waste-transfer station, the stables and a bowling green, situated on a former dump. CEC would like the site to have normal and sheltered housing and a nursery. The stables have been converted into artists’ studios (managed by Out Of The Blue) but lack electricity and water supplies, and sewage connections, and is decaying. A developer working with CEC has now submitted this application, which would move matters on a bit, but does not deliver the missing services. The site will need costly decontamination.
- Cllrs McNeese-Mechan and Caldwell: lack of services is due to Scottish Water and Scottish Power, not CEC, which is chasing. A procurement contract has been agreed, and the process for procurement of connections is under way, but no date for delivery is yet established. (It should be later this year.) The providers do have capacity, but there was disagreement between CEC and others over how to deliver, leading to legal delays. Cllrs have asked for the relevant website to be appropriately updated.
- Action: LCCC to keep interested in this topic.

5.b to agree: LCCC’s objection to conversion of existing bingo hall (former Capital Cinema) to purpose built student accommodation including new build extension, 26 Manderston St (24/01162/FUL, comments by 20/4/24)

P Foressier: the application is seriously deficient – see the draft objection. Further, development here needs to improve the conservation area and fulfil the local place brief. This does not have employment-scheduling requirements.
- Cllr Dalgleish: if an application receives 20 or more objections, or the planning officer judges the application to be important or controversial, the application will be considered by the DMSC, not delegated to planning officers.
- C Encombe: people can use LCCC’s draft objection as a basic for their own objections, but should not simply copy it.

5.c to note: appeal against enforcement case regarding 11 Pilrig Street (unauthorised alterations to listed building, illegal operation of residential premises as unstaffed STL since July 2022) stalled in Court of Session until at least ‘several months after mid-May’, with a decision ‘at least a month after that’

noted

5.d to note: Reporters’ recommendations regarding Edinburgh Local Development Plan – City Plan 2030

noted
H Tobermann: Local Authorities must create local development plans every few years, which then need Scottish Government approval, e.g. that the LDP meets national requirements. (This process is also an opportunity for developers to lobby for their wishes before LDPs fix requirements.) CEC is now considering SG’s response to the current draft LDP.
- Cllr Dalgleish: CEC officers are still working through SG’s response. It will come to CEC planning in May or June, then to full CEC for ratification in June, followed by final SG approval. (CEC would need very strong reasons to reject SG recommendations.)

5.e to note: status of current planning applications (April 2024)

noted

5.f to note: any other Planning matters relevant to LCCC area

P Foressier: C Encombe and I met with CEC head of planning, covering a boom in building of student accommodation and related loopholes (which the new LDP might address), planning officers working from home (leading to loss of institutional knowledge, unavailability of officers by phone, lack of helpdesk) and lobbying by developers to bypass guidance.

S Kennedy: I have reminded CEC of LCCC’s up-to-date email addresses.

6 Transport and clean streets

6.a to note: upcoming CCTT deputation to April Transport & Environment Committee on the Tram Project ‘close out’ report

H Tobermann: there are still many issues and unfinished work in this project, including traffic signals not working well, causing delays. The trams team staff are now on monthly rolling contracts, so may not be giving the work their full attention. CCTT’s deputation will be high-level, covering types of faults rather than individual faults. CEC’s close-out report will be considered by TEC on 25 April, so will not be available for public scrutiny until 19 April. (Hence it will be difficult to publicise any written deputation before the TEC meeting.)
- WELM rep: there will also be coverage of related items on 23 April. WELM will submit its own deputation.
- H Tobermann: the existing contractors have the remainder of a 2-year period to fix defects, but currently has no workers on site. Hence there is a danger that work may be delegated to poor subcontractors. After the defect period, CEC is responsible for fixing issues.
- Cllr Caldwell: there may be two lists of issues: defects which must be fixed, and issues arising from contractors building to poor designs (which are technically not defects and hence not contractors’ responsibility to fix.).

6.b to agree: LCCC request for a formal review regarding bin hub Implementation in controlled parking zone (CPZ)

A McIntosh/S Kennedy: the request should specify which CPZ(s) it covers, and also mention Rossie Place.
- Action: H Tobermann and P Foressier to finish and submit the request, CCing ward councillors.

6.c to note: any other Transport and clean streets matters relevant to LCCC area

none

7 Parks and green spaces

7.a to note: (verbal) report from Friends of Pilrig Park

no FoPP representative present, hence no report

7.b to note: application for event (‘The Newhaven Lighthouse 10k’) in St Mark’s and Pilrig Park on 28 April 2024 (comments by 18-4-24)

C Encombe: this application is irrelevant to LCCC because it the event does not come into Pilrig park.

7.c to note: application for Bun Sgoil Taobh Na Pairce’s Sports Days in Pilrig Park 6 and 13 June 2024 (comments by 19-4-24)

noted

7.d to note: any other Parks and green spaces matters relevant to LCCC area

S Kennedy: Montgomery St Park has new signs banning dogs, but the signs lack CEC branding and so are being ignored, leading to much bad feeling. (Previous signs were also ignored for a long time.)
- Cllr McNeese-Mechan: the new signs were installed by CEC. It is unclear by they lack CEC branding.
- Cllr Caldwell: the park was designated as a play-area in 1997, making it dog-free (and hence somewhat unusual). Petitions with suitable numbers of signatures would be considered by CEC’s culture and community committee.
Cllr Caldwell: Friends of MSP will undertake litter-picks on Saturday 20^th and Sunday 21 April.

8 Licensing

8.a to note: consultation on overprovision of licensed premises (ends 13-5-24)

A McIntosh: overprovision is not simply about numbers of premises but also how long they are open, so nuanced responses are needed.
- Action: S Kennedy to submit LCCC’s response.

8.b to note: any Licensing matters relevant to LCCC area

none

9 LCCC Governance

9.a to note: upcoming AGM (notice, annual report, accounts, nominations for office bearers, meeting format)

C Encombe: AGM is on 20 May. LCCC needs new members.
Action: B Ryan to run election of office-bearers.

9.b to agree: to appoint an Engagement Officer (social media and notice board)

agreed: LCCC will make this appointment as part of the AGM.

9.c to note: LCCC response to Community Council Scheme and Boundary Review 2023 – Phase 2

This response was submitted by C Encombe, with input from B Ryan.

9.d to note: any other LCCC governance issues

none

10 Open forum (local residents)¹

none

11 AOCB (LCCC members)²

J Milroy: the Steads Place street party will be on 15 September. All welcome!

12 Bulletin

Edinburgh’s Melville Crescent set for major £2·1 million improvement project this year (EN, 2/4/24)
- H Tobermann: if CEC can spend such money on this, it should also ensure the trams project is finished properly.
Police called to controversial Edinburgh swinger’s club following disturbance (EN, 11/4/24)
- H Tobermann: why does it take swinging to provoke CEC to undertake enforcement?

13 Future meetings and planned meeting topics/presentations

2024: 20 May (AGM), 17 June (no meeting in July)