LCCC September 2024 minutes

Minutes of Leith Central Community Council AGM, at Nelson Hall, McDonald Road Library, on Monday 16 September 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

2023

2024

Name

Oct

Nov

Dec

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May (AGM)

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Voting members

Alan Dudley

No meeting

Avril Ewing

Charlotte Encombe

Pierre Forissier

Nick Gardner

Luci Holland

Sheila Kennedy

Jed Milroy

Simon Preston

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

Tracey Gilbert MP

Others

Numbers attending

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

The table omits former voting members Zoe Curry and Alex Ortiz, and former MP Deidre Brock.

Police Scotland and Friends of Pilrig Park also sent apologies.

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

none

1.c to agree: order of business below

2 Approval of minutes of the ordinary LCCC meeting on 19 August 2024

Approved subject to noting in item 4.c that ‘the report will reflect park users’ views on a range of issues – positive and negative – and is not specific to drugs / antisocial behaviour. It should be ready to share in coming weeks’. (proposed S Preston, seconded H Tobermann, nem con)

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

Item	Actor	Action	Progress
3, row 4	P Forissier	Contact relevant police team to ask for return of CCTV to Dalmeny St.	In progress¹
3, row 7	P Forissier	If time permits, submit LCCC’s objection on Ashley Place	Complete²
3, row 8	P Forissier	If time permits, submit LCCC’s objection on Murano Place	Complete
3, row 10	P Forissier	Submit LCCC’s objection to the 8 Middlefield PBSA, based on residents’ input	Complete
4.a	C Encombe	Contact police about their lack of engagement with LCCC	Complete
4.c	FoPP	FoPP to share report about drug problems when it is ready	Held over
4.c	Cllr Caldwell	Ask CEC to cut back bushes, seek a public safety grant, chase up the community policing team and push for progress on lighting	Complete³
4.c	FoPP	Engage with CEC over disposing of needles	In progress³See also item 4 below.
4.c	Cllr Caldwell	Follow up motion about needles on stairwells	In progress³See also item 4 below.
5.b	LCCC	Give FoMSP a regular agenda item	Complete
6.a	H Tobermann	Request that the company organises shuttle-buses to pick up workers from outwith Edinburgh from park-and-rides	Complete
6.b	B Ryan	Attend one of the UofE civic university events	Complete
6.c	H Tobermann	H Tobermann to submit objection about proposed conversion of 8/2 Smith’s Place to STLs	in progress
7.c	LCCC	Campaign as agreed for the trams project to be finished properly	Complete
7.c	Cllr Caldwell	Contribute to this campaign	Complete
7.d	Cllr Caldwell	Work with LCCC on future local traffic improvement programme opportunities	Complete
8.a.i	S Kennedy	Raise late-licensing concern with CEC	Complete
8.a.ii	S Kennedy	Submit an objection to the ‘recorded music’ application	Complete
8.a.iii	S Kennedy	Ascertain if the barriers are contrary to regulations; submit objection if they are	Complete
9.a	S Kennedy	Notify CEC about co-options	In progress

¹ Action: P Foressier and C Encombe to pursue this.

² no formal application has been made, so there is no relevant action for LCCC at this time.

³ Call Caldwell: only one pharmacy within LCCC’s area still takes sharps, and when I spoke to them they didn’t seem to know about the collection contract issues that others experienced. This needs public scrutiny so I have used my Council Question at the end of the month to ask Edinburgh Integration Joint Board about this. There is a site meeting on Wednesday about lighting. CEC Housing committee is awaiting a briefing on needles on stairwells.

4 Policing matters

4.a to note: local (ward) Police Report July/August-September 2024

There was some concern over the 52 calls about missing persons, but it was noted that this does not mean there 52 people have disappeared. Concerns may be unfounded, and one person may be the subject of several calls.
H Tobermann: I was visited by 4 police, who apologised for not attending this meeting due to staff shortages. PC Sadlik has now been replaced in the community policing team. However, overall Edinburgh police are stretched.

5 Parks and green spaces

5.a to note: progress on drug issues (dealing, needles) in Pilrig Park, raised at August meeting

Cllr Caldwell: I am chasing for clearance, and so have reported the issue to public safety bodies. I will be meeting with FoPP soon about lighting issues: the path that has the majority of issues will be lit. However there are no plans to light the path past the substation so I will continue to pursue this.
H Tobermann: a mobile police station will be at Pilrig and Dalmeny St parks this Thursday.
Cllr Caldwell: CEC is seeking specialist clearance contractors to open up, not fully clear, the woodland. As PC Crawford noted, lighting and clearance is likely to only move the problems elsewhere, so holistic approaches are needed..
J Milroy: I encountered two people injecting at a bin-hub near Stead’s Place, and asked them not to leave their needles lying around. They apologised but stated there are no consumption rooms or other facilities for safe drug use or disposal of needles. There is no accommodation help available to get out of the situations these people are in. This helps explain why the park has so many needles. It is unlikely that they are sleeping rough in the park.
J Wilkinson: would a sharps bin in the park help? The Scottish Government wishes to create separate, supervised consumption rooms but the UK Home Office has forbidden this.
J Milroy: this would sanction drug use here, and expose children to drug use.
A resident: it is accepted that normal bins have places for cigarette ends. Why shouldn’t they also have sharps bins?
H Tobermann: such problems require government action. I will write to the Scottish and UK Governments.

5.b to note: update from Friends of Pilrig Park

FoPP via email: the monthly litter pick and tidy up morning is this Saturday (21 Sep) 10-11.30am, meeting at the Balfour St entrance. Litter picking equipment and gloves are provided.

5.c to note: update from Friends of Montgomery Street Park

S Preston: I have seen no reports of antisocial behaviour at MSP. FoMSP’s Parklife magazine is in progress. We are undertaking many things, including our Halloween event (27 Oct, 5:30-6:30) and the Parklife launch party (28 Oct)

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

J Milroy: Stead’s Place street party was fun and very diverse. I commend CEC on the very efficient, zero-cost road-closure.
Access to Stanwell Street is now only via some steps, but these have been closed off by the developers. A worker stated that this is the developer’s land – they may close this route permanently.
Cllr Caldwell: section 3.3 of the 2020 planning statement states that open active travel must be maintained. There is no permission to close this route so this is almost certainly a material variation. I am waiting on CEC’s action.
Action: P Foressier to visit the site, then make an informed inquiry to the developer.

6 Planning

6.a to note: verbal report from workshops about the University of Edinburgh’s 2025 – 2030 Community Plan (28/8 or 3/9/24)

J Wilkinson/B Ryan: this event demonstrated that Uof E is funding very worthwhile things, but the event could also be seen as self-promotion by U of E. For example, we have not seen the engagement with community councils, despite our own long involvement with CCs, as mentioned on page 5 here. Suggestions from attendees included gathering data to substantiate what Edinburgh’s communities really need.
H Tobermann: perhaps such funding could be obtained to develop sharps bins for parks etc (item 5.a)

6.b to note: review of CEC’s short-term let licensing policy: public consultation (closes 14 October) and session with community councils on 1 October 2024

C Encombe: members and others should respond to the consultation.

6.c to note: any other Planning matters relevant to LCCC area

P Forrisier: I have not been able to obtain projections of student numbers.
H Tobermann: reliance of large numbers of overseas students is volatile.
Cllr Dalgleish: a report on this will soon come to CEC. I will share it if I am allowed.

7 Transport and clean streets

7.a to note: LCCC objection to refurbish office building ‘Calton Square’ (59 Leith Street, 24/03604/FUL) due to anticipated impact on public transport from road closure during construction

H Tobermann: LCC objected on transport grounds only: we need to be sure that buses will not be blocked. So far there are only 2 comments.
It is relevant that Cllr Day has spoken against a development at George IV bridge, because the developers of a hotel have been disrupting traffic for a long time.
Action: H Toberman to write to CEC planning about this concern.

7.b to note: any other Transport and clean streets matters relevant to LCCC area

H Tobermann: the trams team has recently been greatly diminished. However, I am meeting with this team in early October to see what can be done, and with the CEC transport convenor. (This meeting will also cover 7.a’s issue.)
SFN has been undertaking rectification of tram works since 9 September. I have not been able to obtain the programme of works, but [presumably] there will be lots of night work. The Annandale St junction is due to be closed at some point. I will try to find details.
CCTT still exists, despite personnel changes at NTBCC, and LLCC and LHNCC struggling for members.
Cllr Caldwell: work on trams is still being pulled together. Relevant people are aware of sensitivities about East London St. A separate CEC TEC programme of works on Elm Row/Brunswick St area is being created. This would include landscaping and movement of the cycle lane on Elm Row, work on bollards at Montgomery St, reinstatement of a left turn and (hopefully) a path through the ‘teardrop’.
Cllr Caldwell: the trams team is creating a list of schools that will receive planters, which are currently on Leith Walk. 15 planters will remain on Leith Walk.
LCCC office bearers were very unhappy that any of the planters would remain. For planters that might be ‘devolved’ to local shops etc, it was questioned who would be responsible if things go wrong.

8 Licensing

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

See matters arising for actions from last meeting. No new matters were raised.

9 LCCC governance

9.a to note: likely date for Community Council elections to be moved to February 2025 to provide ‘sufficient lead in time to promote the public awareness of community councils’

It was noted that February would be the start of the process. Any necessary actual votes would be in March. It is likely that representatives of local interest groups will also need to be reconfirmed at this point.

9.b to note: Cockburn Association concerns regarding dwindling attendance at Civic Forum

C Encombe: despite LCCC paying a yearly subscription, I have not heard from the CA for a long time.
H Tobermann/P Forissier: for 20-30 years, the CA has run the civic forum, bringing together CCs, local amenity groups and CEC planning officials, including the head of planning. However, the civic forum is now struggling for attendance, and attendees tend to be old. If the forum folds, a valuable avenue will be lost.
J Wilkinson: the Cockburn Association is undertaking a ‘responsible tourism’ day on 30 October at St Augustine’s, and an open day at the Royal High School.
C Encombe: CA is holding doors open days on 28-29 September. I will attend.

9.c to note: vacancy of Vice chair to be filled (advice and support available)

H Tobermann: the main task is preparation and issuing of detailed agenda. This is not hard technically, but needs someone who has their ear to the ground and able to digest relevant information. I will support anyone taking on this role.

9.d to note: any other LCCC governance issues

no points raised

10 Open Forum (local residents)

A resident: There is a bright advertisement panel over the Leith Walk police box. Could it be used to advertise LCCC?
LCCC members: such endorsement by LCCC could be inappropriate, given LCCC’s opposition to this noticeboard.
A resident: I learnt of LCCC via its noticeboard outside the library. Many of my fellow students would be interested in attending LCCC meetings.
Action: C Encombe to keep the noticeboard outside the library up to date.

11 AOCB (LCCC members)

11.a Dalmeny St park

P Forissier: many skateboarding events in the park have pushed boundaries, and residents were not notified of them.
Cllr Caldwell: an event in the park was permitted by CEC subject to there being no amplified sound.
P Forissier: there was much noise, and the police did not quash it. So much has been dumped in the park, especially pallets, that it no longer looks like a park. Some of the skateboarders have been aggressive.
H Tobermann: Out Of The Blue used to have a skatepark on a site ‘tucked away’ near Leith Walk, but it was closed some months ago, because CEC stated this whole site would close. Notifications about events in parks are haphazard.
Action: Cllr Caldwell to engage with the parks team over such issues, to chase up what is happening with skateparks being developed in better locations elsewhere, and to seek better notifications.

11.b Powderhall drainage

Cllr Dalgleish: CEC finance is due to receive this week a report on the drainage connection agreement. It appears that Scottish Water may make a temporary connection to the exiting combined sewer, which may help with current issues. If the report is accepted, works will take place in late 2024.
H Tobermann: if combined sewers are overfilled, there will be problems.
Cllr Dalgliesh: this will be temporary – there will be a permanent solution in place by July 2029 at the latest.

11.c Tactile pavement issues on Leith Walk

A Dudley: not all necessary TPs have been installed, and those that have been are installed were placed incorrectly, i.e. following building lines rather than where they are needed at crossings. Deputations to CEC and the Transport committee have been ignored. How can LCCC help get this fixed?
C Encombe: I have written to RNIB, to no avail. Also, the cycle-lanes should have been 40mm lower than pavements. They aren’t, so there is no tactile warning of visually impaired people.
J Milroy: does this situation led to a legal issue for CEC due to safety concerns? If so, should LCCC flag this to CEC?
A Dudley: CEC removed all the kerbs to create continuous pavement, assuming that traffic would stop for people crossing roads. However, visually impaired people cannot see whether traffic has stopped.
Cllr Caldwell: it has been noted that there are some inconsistencies. However, Edinburgh Street Design Guidance states that tactile paving should be at building lines, despite what might be expected. Active Travel is not responding to queries about why ESDG states this. RNIB is supportive.
B Ryan: how did ESDG come to be like this? Does it differ from other local authorities’ street guidance and/or relevant national standards? If so, why?
Action: H Tobermann to push such issues with the trams team, and find whether contractors are due to work on them.
Action: A Dudley to contact RNIB again, and possibly Equality & Human Rights Commission

11.d Furniture in LCCC’s meeting venue

C Encombe: I have contacted McDonald Road library’s development leader about the ropey furniture here. He is seeking funding for new furniture.

12 Future meetings and planned meeting topics/presentations

2024: 21 October, 18 November
2025: 20 January, 17 February, 17 March, 21 April, 19 May (AGM), 16 June