This blog is where you will find community council information, including meeting times, minutes and agenda. Do please comment on postings.

Thursday 24 April 2008

Trams Update

Phase 2 of the City Centre Traffic Management programme associated with Trams for Edinburgh and the utility diversion work on Shandwick Place will be introduced this weekend. A series of enabling works has been taking place over the last few days and will continue until this weekend to enable phase 2 traffic management to be implemented.

If you have any questions concerning this work or you would like some leaflets then please do not hesitate to contact Alf Orriell, Community Engagement Coordinator
or Mike Connelly, Stakeholder Relationship Manager at tie.

tie Limited
Citypoint
65 Haymarket Terrace
Edinburgh EH12 5HD
Tel: +44 (0)131 622 8336
Fax: +44 (0)131 622 8301
Mob: 07973 696965
Email: Alf.Orriell@tie.ltd.uk

CLAN Edinburgh Challenge Fund

Here is information on the CLAN Edinburgh Challenge Fund which Capital City Partnership have been asked to circulate and which may be of interest.
The Challenge Fund supports bids to run innovative literacy projects. Any organisation can apply for a grant
Amounts vary: a small project might be awarded up to £5,000, but there is scope to £10,000 and some room for phased bids. There are take-up dates several times a year, and we can sometimes help identify potential partners

The date for the next round of the CLAN Edinburgh Challenge Fund submissions has been set as Friday 6th June 2008.

There will be a Briefing Session for potential applicants in the CLAN Edinburgh Office building (map attached) at 2.00pm (Registration/coffee – 1.45pm) on Wednesday 7th May 2008, which is obligatory for applicants who have not attended a previous briefing session. It is also recommended for other applicants who may not have attended a briefing since the pack was considerably revised in January 2007. If you wish to attend the Briefing Session, please contact Clark Dawson on Tel: 0131 270 6072 e-mail: clark@clanedinburgh.org to register in advance.

More information about CLAN Edinburgh can be found on our website www.clanedinburgh.org. The NEW Challenge Fund application form and information pack is also available to download on the CLAN Edinburgh website.

Should you wish to discuss a potential bid or wish for more information about the Challenge Fund, please contact either Richard Terry on Tel: 0131 270 6071 e-mail: richard@clanedinburgh.org or Angus Whyte on Tel: 0131 270 6076 e-mail angus@clanedinburgh.org .

Eco Schools in Edinburgh

Eco Schools is an international initiative designed to encourage whole-school action for the environment. It was developed in 1994 by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), who are based in Portugal, and introduced into Scotland, in 1995. Schools in 41 countries are now involved in the programme and it is estimated that 4 million children and young adults are taking part. The programme is managed in Scotland by Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB).

Eco Schools is a recognised award scheme that accredits schools that make a commitment to continuously improve their environmental performance. The programme was adopted in late 2001 by the Scottish Executive Education Department as a performance measure, national priority four: values and citizenship. It is also a learning resource that raises awareness of environmental and sustainable development issues throughout activities linked to curriculum subjects and areas.

The aim of the Eco Schools programme is to make environmental awareness and action an intrinsic part of the life and ethos of the school for both pupils and for staff and to engage the wider community. The Eco Schools programme can help schools to –

 Improve the school environment
 Reduce litter and waste
 Reduce energy and water use
 Devise efficient ways of travelling to and from school
 Promote healthy lifestyles
 Encourage active citizenship
 Build strong partnerships with a variety of community groups
 Develop international and global links

The eight core topics within Eco Schools Scotland are Biodiversity, Energy, Health & Well-being, Litter, School Grounds, Transport, Waste Minimisation and Water. The programme is designed around seven core structural areas – Eco-committee, Environmental Review, Action Plan, Monitoring and Evaluating, Linking to the Curriculum, Involving the Whole School and the Wider Community and the Eco-code. Internationally, the topics used differ but the award criteria set is exactly the same.

There are three award levels in the programme - bronze, silver and Green Flag. Schools do not have to progress through the award structure i.e. a Green Flag can be gained without achieving a bronze or a silver award. Eco Schools is a process of continuous improvement so to maintain Green Flag status, schools must renew the award every two years. There are no other time constraints in the programme i.e. between a bronze and a silver award.

The Eco Schools programme does not insist on environmental perfection from the outset. It is designed so that schools can slowly build up an environmental ethos by expanding and developing environmental work as time spend on the programme progresses. For this reason, to progress through bronze or silver or on to a first Green Flag award, schools need only look at a minimum of two of the above topics. After two years, when applying for a second Green Flag, schools must show that they have sustained their work in the first two topics and have developed another two and on until all eight topics have been covered in-depth, as a school progresses to its 4th flag. There is nothing to stop a school looking at all eight topics in depth in one go though!

It is important to note that any retrospective environmental work that a school has carried out will count towards Eco Schools award progression. Also, any work carried out or planned for Active Schools, Enterprise, Healthyschools+, Safe Routes to Schools or Grounds for Awareness for example does count too.


On registration, schools receive copies of both the Scottish Eco Schools handbook and video. There are other resources that are available via e-mail. All resources are free of charge and there is no obligation to develop Eco Schools activities although there are numerous support mechanisms in place to help. A grant of £250 is available to all schools in Scotland when a first award with the programme is gained (should it be bronze, silver or Green Flag).

In April 2006, a three year sponsorship deal worth nearly £40,000, was signed between the Royal Bank of Scotland Group and the Council. This means that when a school gains a second award through the programme in Edinburgh, they can apply for a grant for £250. Forms are automatically sent from the Council to schools when confirmation of their second award is given from Keep Scotland Beautiful. This is a one-off grant and is only open to schools in the City of Edinburgh.

Over 3000 schools are registered and involved in the scheme in Scotland. To date, 538 schools have achieved Green Flag status. In Edinburgh, 208 private and local authority schools (95% of all local authority schools) are registered and fourteen schools – Bright Horizons Family Solutions (Gogarburn), Bonnington Primary, Calderglen Nursery, Carrick Knowe Primary, Dalmeny Primary, Dean Park Primary, East Craigs Primary, Ferryhill Primary, George Heriot’s, Greengables Nursery, Hermitage Park Primary, Pirniehall Primary, Prospect Bank School and St. Crispin’s School are currently at first Green Flag level.

Children’s House Nursery, Cowgate Under 5’s , Currie High, Echline Primary, Kaimes School, Kirkliston Nursery, The Royal High Primary, St. Leonard’s Nursery and Towerbank Primary have progressed onto second Green Flag level and Portobello High recently gained their third. 119 have gained bronze and 69 have gained a silver award.

The Education Section within Services for Communities can provide advice and guidance with the progression of Eco Schools work in Edinburgh. Through their local and national contacts, they can put schools in touch with organisations in the city and beyond that can help with any of the eight core topics.

Jamie Pearson, Education Officer, is the main contact in The City of Edinburgh Council for Eco Schools. He joined the council after two years of working as the Information Officer for Eco Schools Scotland. He is a lead assessor for the programme in Scotland so can give detailed advice on implementing the programme in your school and the progression of awards.

As well as providing talks and advice, the Education Team also produce a quarterly newsletter and are planning to develop an Eco Schools Edinburgh web-site in the summer break.

For more information on the programme in Edinburgh, contact Jamie on (0131) 469 5472 or e-mail jamie.pearson@edinburgh.gov.uk

To register with Eco Schools in Scotland, contact Catriona Rae on 01786 468234, e-mail catriona.rae@ksbscotland.org.uk or write to –

Eco Schools
c/o Keep Scotland Beautiful
Islay House
Livilands Lane
Stirling
FK8 2BG

Edinburgh (local information) - www.edinburgh.gov.uk/ecoschools
Scotland (downloads and general information) - www.ecoschoolsscotland.org
International (information on all 41 countries in the network) - www.eco-schools.org

Tuesday 15 April 2008

Unapproved MSCC minutes 9 April 2008

(There will be an opportunity to approve these minutes at the May meeting of the group)

1 Sederunt and Apologies
Susie Agnew noted apologies and welcomed attendees to the meeting.

2 Minutes of meeting held 12th March 2008
The minutes were accepted as a true record. (Proposed: Cherry Ledlie; Seconded: Dorothy Ryle.)

3 Matters Arising
There were no matters arising that wouldn’t be covered later on in the meeting.

4 Police Report
PC Mike Brooks stood in for PC Lindsey Thomson to provide an updated police report:
In the last month, 72 crimes have been reported in this ward, and 21 of these have been solved to date.
- There have been six vandalisms.
- There have been several housebreakings, six of which have been solved. Housebreakings included incidents on Marchmont Street, Marchmont Crescent, Warrender Park Terrace, Glen Street and Roseneath Street. Scotmid has been broken into twice. The hairdresser’s on Warrender Park Road has also been broken into, and this seems to be part of a trend of break-ins to hairdressers across the city.
- There has been an upsurge in the theft of pedal cycles and the police are continuing to look at ways of addressing this.
- There have been regular weekend protests at Quarter Mile by anti-globalisation protesters, mainly aimed at Sainsburys and Starbucks, and this has included some petty vandalism.

General group discussion followed, and concerns were raised about incidents which took place overnight from the 31st March – 1st April, when a number of cars in the area had their tyres let down. PC Brooks explained that this was a seemingly one-off action by a group of climate change activists, calling themselves April Fools/April Fuels, and was said to be aimed mainly at 4x4 vehicles. The group expressed concern about the dangerous nature of these incidents if drivers hadn’t noticed that their tyres had been let down, and acknowledged that this is a separate group of people from those who routinely undertake auto-crime in the area.

It was also mentioned that residents should notify the Bike Station at Kittles Yard on Causewayside of any abandoned bicycles.

5 Report on seminar to discuss Scottish Planning Policy SPP3: Planning for Housing

Susanna Lacey reported back on her attendance at this seminar, concentrating mainly on the issue of licences for Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs). The seminar included three presentations: one on the Scottish Government Planning Policy Review, one on Common Community Perspectives and one on Local Authority Perspectives. Attendants then split into discussion groups. Susanna highlighted some of the views that were expressed during the presentation and discussion groups, including the following:
- HMOs are not just for students, with an increasing number of occupants being transient workers and young professionals.
- Enforcing HMOs is difficult for the Council, and investigations are generally only made after a complaint. It can take 18 months for a decision, and result in a fine of £250. Higher fines for landlords were suggested.
- Planning is a devolved issue in Scotland.
- Councils don’t currently have strong powers to “close down” HMOs, or many resources to “police” HMOs.
- Many people at the seminar were against HMO quotas, including student representatives and the homeless charity Shelter.
- Many people at the seminar were supportive of HMO quotas.
- Should moves to tackle the “problem” be through planning or licensing?
- Applying quotas to HMOs may lead to illegal HMOs.
- There is a need for mixed, sustainable communities.
- HMO quotas could be perceived as social engineering.

The issue of HMO quotas triggered much discussion and speculation amongst MSCC members, and various issues were raised, including the following:
- The MSCC has spent considerable time in previous years looking at the issue of HMOs.
- There is an “HMO team” at the Council who will investigate suspected HMOs.
- 12% of the Edinburgh population is students.
- There is a recent trend towards the opening of new managed accommodation for students.
- There was some discussion of “difficult behaviour” by residents, whether this can be attributed mainly to students or HMO occupants, and the use of the HMO list as a tool to deal with difficult behaviour. It was suggested that strict tenancy agreements from landlords could help with anti-social behaviour by tenants, and it was questioned whether HMO licenses were relevant to anti-social behaviour since HMO licenses are mainly about ensuring the safety of tenants through the introduction of smoke alarms etc.
- The legality of applying quotas to HMOs has been questioned, and although Glasgow Council has introduced some quotas, it has been said that this was against the advice of their legal department. Certainly, Edinburgh Council maintains that it cannot legally introduce HMO quotas.
- HMO quotas are a planning issue, licensing is a separate issue.
- HMO licenses last for a year (possibly now extended to 3 years) and are difficult to remove. However, the Council can refuse to renew licences.

After lengthy discussion around many of these issues, it appeared that many within the MSCC were in favour of HMO quotas, and the group agreed that it would like to investigate this issue further.
ACTION
Susie Agnew will invite appropriate individuals from Edinburgh Council licensing department and planning department to the June meeting, which will include this issue as a main item on the agenda. A student representative will also be invited.

6 Planning Act 2006
A consultation is currently underway on the implementation of this act, and ends in May. There was brief discussion of this consultation, and though few people present had read the consultation document, preliminary indications were that the new arrangements are likely to have positive rather than negative implications for the MSCC. It is likely that the MSCC will have to be more organised in its planning objections in the future, but that the community will have an earlier opportunity to hear about and feed back on new plans.
ACTION
Anne Laird will review the consultation document and prepare a response if appropriate.

7 Meadows Festival
The Meadows Festival will take place on 7th/8th June. There will be various stalls, bands and activities, including football. Although it was not possible this year to plan the festival to coincide with Keith Taylor’s amusements on the Meadows, he has agreed to provide a bouncy castle and a few rides for children, and it is hoped that the two events will be able to coincide next year.

£30,000 is required to put on the festival. An Arts Council grant of £10,000 has been applied for, £500 sponsorship has been provided for the football, and there are plans to apply for a Neighbourhood Partnership grant for further funds. Prices for hiring stalls are available at the Meadows Festival blogspot: www.meadowsfestival.blogspot.com

ACTION
- Cameron Rose will e-mail Susanna Lacey the relevant form for applying for a Neighbourhood Partnership grant.
- Mike Shields will arrange with Susanna Lacey to meet with the planning committee.
- Susie Agnew and Sarah Marchbanks will look at the MSCC accounts with a view to the MSCC making a small donation towards the funding of the festival.
- Anyone who is interested in volunteering to help out with the festival should contact Susanna Lacey: slacey1@aol.com or access via the blog at www.meadowsfestival.blogspot.com.

8 Urban Circus (Ladyboys of Bangkok)
Susie Agnew informed the group that Peng Lee Yap has written to the Council expressing the view that a limit of 10pm for music should be imposed through the public entertainment license. Cllr Cameron Rose reported that a short-life working group has been set up to look at issues such as this concerning the Meadows, but won’t have guidelines drawn up by August.

Peng Lee Yap has also objected to the granting of a liquor licence to the Urban Circus. Such a license has not yet been applied for, but has been granted in previous years. Peng Lee Yap’s letter also suggested that if a liquor license is granted it should have a limit of 10pm and be on condition that the area is tidied up afterwards.

Mike Shields reported that he will be meeting with representatives from the Urban Circus to discuss exactly what the Urban Circus require in terms of vehicles, caravans etc for their camp during August, bearing in mind various concerns that have been raised by local residents in the past.
ACTION Mike Shields will convey the feelings of the community council at his meeting next week.

9 Any other business
9.1 Streetscape
Developments to the Marchmont streetscape (discussed in length at previous meetings) are now underway, and Susie Agnew reported that they are not quite as she had expected, with pavements being widened by 75cm rather than 150 cm due to some issues uncovered during the development work.

Some extra money has been found for the project, and will be used to lay a new surface on the footpath down Argyle Place to match Roseneath Street. A request for additional cycle racks was made by traders, and these are being placed on Argyle Park Terrace. Susie Agnew also reported that the pavement on the south side of the street between the hardware shop and near the Earl of Marchmont has very bad tarmac and she will write to request an improvement.
9.2 Cycle Racks
There are new cycle racks available for public use outside Marchmont St Giles Church.
9.2 Benches in Grange Cemetery
George Bell, Susie Agnew and Dorothy Ryle met to discuss the more helpful positioning of benches in the Grange Cemetery. They agreed that one of the existing benches would be moved to a better place, and that the Council will probably be able to find another bench to put in the cemetery. Susie Agnew expressed appreciation for the helpfulness and co-operation of the Council in this matter.
9.3 Grant from Neighbourhood Partnership
The £2000 grant from the Neighbourhood Partnership has now arrived and needs to be used within the next 4 months.
ACTION
Susie Agnew will ask Melanie Main if she will action the spending of this grant.
Susie Agnew will make inquiries into the location of the MSCC’s hanging baskets, which were apparently used once a few years ago and have not been seen since.
Fiona Scott will look into the location of the MSCC’s gazebos, which also seem to have disappeared. If they are located, they will be lent to the Meadows Festival.
9.4 Other items of interest
Susanna Lacey notified the group of various other items of interest, including:
- Community Council training sessions
- World Heritage Day, taking place on 18th April in the Scottish Storytelling Centre
- Care & Repair for older and disabled people
- Energy Efficiency in historic homes conference on the 2nd May
- Community Council Joint Meeting on 24th April at 7pm in the Council Headquarters, looking particularly at partnership working and the role of community councils.
Information about all of these items will be available on the community council blog: www.marchmontandsciennes.blogspot.com.
ACTION Anyone wishing to attend the Community Council joint meeting should let Susanna know: slacey1@aol.com.
9.5 MAGPIE
John Simon reported that an emergency meeting of MAGPIE will take place on 17th April at 7.30pm at the Croquet Club to discuss the future of MAGPIE. Various individuals expressed an interest in attending, and John Simon and Susanna Lacey intend to attend.

10 Date of next meeting
The next meeting will take place on Wednesday 14 May 2008, beginning at 7.30pm at St Catherine’s Argyle Community Hall, Grange Road, Edinburgh.

Sunday 13 April 2008

Meadows Festival Association

The Meadows Festival Association is looking for volunteers to help with various activities at the forthcoming festival on Saturday 7th and Sunday 8th June 2008. Please access their site below to see if you would like to volunteer. Your help will be greatly appreciated.

Meadows Festival Association

Parking Pemits for Business Premises

THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL (TRAFFIC REGULATION; RESTRICTIONS ON WAITING, LOADING AND UNLOADING, AND PARKING PLACES) (VARIATION NO ) ORDER 200_ - TRO/08/06A
THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL IN EXERCISE OF THEIR POWERS UNDER SECTIONS 1(1), 2(1) TO 2(3), 4(2), 35, 45, 46, 49 AND 53 OF, AND PART IV OF SCHEDULE 9 TO, THE ROAD TRAFFIC REGULATION ACT 1984, AS AMENDED, PROPOSE TO MAKE AN ORDER.
THE EFFECTS OF THIS ORDER WILL BE TO:
(a) Rename ‘Retail Permits’ as ‘Business Permits’ and allow an extended range of businesses to apply for these;
(b) Limit the number of permits to two for each qualifying business;
(c) Allow the requirement that business vehicles must be liveried to be relaxed;
(d) Require businesses to demonstrate that their vehicles are essential to their daily operations;
(e) Clarify that tradespeople operating from home are entitled to apply for a trades permit.
(f) Allow tradespeople to buy permits for any number of complete months.
A COPY OF THE DRAFT ORDER TOGETHER WITH (1) A MAP SHOWING THE AREA AFFECTED, (2) A STATEMENT OF THE COUNCIL’S REASONS FOR PROPOSING TO MAKE THE ORDER AND (3) A COPY OF THE ORDER TO BE VARIED MAY BE EXAMINED BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9:00 AM AND 3:30 PM ON MONDAYS TO FRIDAYS DURING THE PERIOD 11 APRIL TO 7 MAY 2008 AT THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL, MAIN RECEPTION, CITY CHAMBERS, HIGH STREET, EDINBURGH.
ANY PERSON WISHING TO OBJECT TO THE PROPOSED ORDER SHOULD SEND DETAILS OF THE GROUNDS OF OBJECTION IN WRITING, QUOTING REFERENCE TRO/08/06A TO THE DIRECTOR OF CITY DEVELOPMENT, (TRANSPORT), WAVERLEY COURT, 4 EAST MARKET STREET, EDINBURGH, EH8 8BG, NOT LATER THAN 7 MAY 2008.
ROADS AFFECTED:
THIS ORDER AFFECTS ALL ROADS FORMING CONTROLLED PARKING ZONES 1 TO 8 INCLUSIVE.
FURTHER ORDERS, TO BE ADVERTISED LATER IN APRIL, WILL EXTEND THESE CHANGES TO ALL OTHER ROADS WITHIN THE CONTROLLED PARKING AREA.

DAVE ANDERSON, DIRECTOR OF CITY DEVELOPMENT

Friday 11 April 2008

COMMUNITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING

THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2008

Here is the agenda for the above meeting which will be held in the Council Headquarters, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh.

The main focus of the evening will be partnership working and the developing role of community councils. Russell Bain will present the Scottish Government’s perspective on community councils and Angela Leitch will report back on the latest developments on partnership working in Edinburgh. There will be opportunities to raise questions at the meeting and share good practice in the workshop sessions.

If you would like to attend, it would assist greatly if you could respond to the secretary at slacey1@aol.com by 18th April.

I hope you will be able to come along to the Joint Meeting.

AGENDA
6.30 Reception and Coffee

7.00 Welcome and Introduction
Councillor Jenny Dawe, Leader of the Council, Chair of Edinburgh Partnership

7.15 Community Councils - the Scottish Government Perspective -
Russell Bain, Scottish Government

Update on Partnership Working in Edinburgh
Angela Leitch, Head of Performance and Community Engagement,
Services for Communities

7.45 Questions

8.00 Workshops

8.45 Feedback

9.00 Closing Remarks

Thursday 10 April 2008

COMMUNITY COUNCIL TRAINING PROGRAMME

Details of the training and the booking form are posted on the community council site at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/communitycouncils.
Registration forms should be returned as soon as possible or at least 7 days before the training takes place.

COMMUNITY COUNCIL JOINT MEETING

THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2008

You are invited to the Community Council Joint Meeting on Thursday 24 April at 7.00 pm in the Council Headquarters, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh. Tea and coffee will be available from 6.30 pm.

The main focus of the evening will be partnership working and the developing role of community councils. Russell Bain who has responsibility for community planning with the Scottish Government will give a presentation on recent developments relating to community councils in Scotland.

Community councils have a key role in representing community interests on Neighbourhood Partnerships. There will be opportunities at the meeting to share good practice and consider if any changes are required to the Scheme for Community Councils to enable CCs to operate efficiently and transparently.

An agenda will be issued prior to the meeting and if you have any comments about the proposed topic, please do not hesitate to get back in touch.

It would assist greatly if you could reply to the secretary by 18th April.

RSPB Homes for Wildlife project

Here is information about two biodiversity projects that the RSPB are running.
The first is Homes for Wildlife, which aims to
inspire people to do more for wildlife in their gardens. The RSPB are
hoping attend events in Edinburgh's parks this summer with the aim of
further promoting this project in Edinburgh. The second, Wildsquare,
encourages children to look at the wildlife in a kilometre square near
where they live (which could include your park).


Homes for Wildlife is an exciting new RSPB activity, which aims to inspire people to make a real difference for the wildlife in their gardens. We hope to encourage thousands of people across the UK to make their homes and gardens richer in wildlife by following simple wildlife gardening advice. Whether you have a small window box or a large garden, you can help a range of birds, mammals and insects.

The RSPB has produced a special 35 section Homes for Wildlife pack, full of tips and hints to make your garden a wonderful place for wildlife. You can apply for your free pack by completing a Homes for Wildlife project card or you can register online - www.rspb.org.uk/hfw. Our website allows you to receive tailored wildlife-gardening advice and details of surveys you can take part in.

In Edinburgh we have been promoting Homes for Wildlife at garden centres and at the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh and would like to also reach people visiting City parks. Karen Hay from the Parks and Greenspace Service has told us that some of the Friends of Groups hold events which we might be able to attend.

Could you let us know if your group have any special events planned between April and September that you would be happy for us to attend? If you don’t have any events planned for spring or summer, our Homes for Wildlife Officer may be able to work with you to develop and organise an event. We are also looking into the possibility of developing a presentation on the project as part of our Community Talks programme so please contact us if you would like us to speak to your group members.

Finally, Edinburgh Council have very kindly set up a link from their website to ours; we would be very grateful if those of you who have websites could also set up a link (www.rspb.org.uk/hfw). Please contact Nicola Bell if you can help us promote Homes for Wildlife or would like more information about the project - nicola.bell@rspb.org.uk (0131 311 6500). Thanks very much for your support.

Wildsquare – RSPB project for children
RSPB runs Wildsquare, an exciting project for children which fits very well with the Biodiversity module of Eco Schools. It aims to get children to look at the wildlife in a one kilometre square near to where they live or go to school and carry our surveys and other activities using the RSPB Wildlife Explorer web pages. There are indoor and outdoor activity sheets to do throughout the year plus extra surveys that they will announce through the news update page. Once children take part in a survey they can tell the RSPB what they have seen in their Wildsquare.

The website currently features information from the Nuts and Berries survey and they are planning on holding mammal and butterfly surveys in the coming months. Your class can take part in all of these activities by registering on the RSPB website - www.rspb.org.uk/wildsquare. Each child will then be sent a wildlife calendar, stickers and a special ring binder where they can store all of their activity sheets.

Friday 4 April 2008

AGENDA WEDNESDAY 9 APRIL 2008

The next meeting of the Community Council will be held
On WEDNESDAY 9 APRIL 2008 at 7.30pm in
St Catherine’s Argyle Church Community Hall, Grange Road

All who live or work or are active in the area are welcome.
Hearing loop available.

1. Sederunt and Apologies.
2. Minutes of Meeting held 12 March 2008.
3. Matters Arising.
4. Police Report.
5. Report on Planning/HMO Seminar
6. Meadows Festival.
7. A.O.C.B.
8. Next Meeting 14 MAY 2008.

Thursday 3 April 2008

MSCC Discussion Group

For those of you who would like to have debate and discussions about various issues relevant to MSCC, just a reminder that a discussion group has been set up previously.

To post a comment with this discussion group please e-mail to:
mscc-discuss@googlegroups.com

To enter the site and view comments please use the following link:

www.groups.google.com/group/mscc-discuss?hl=en

Wednesday 2 April 2008

Energy Heritage

Energy Heritage: Energy Efficiency in Historic Homes Conference

Friday 2 May 2008, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh
FREE

Improving the energy efficiency of historic homes can be a complicated process. This is the subject of this FREE one-day conference in the heart of Edinburgh. Spaces are limited, so reserve your place now!

This conference will cover the issues surrounding energy efficiency in historic homes, and demonstrate how they can be made more efficient while retaining their historic integrity. A case study of the Energy Heritage pilot study will be presented, covering a range of measures and householders’ experiences.

Delegates will have the opportunity to engage in the topic, network with professionals in related fields, view samples of energy efficiency improvement technologies, and will receive a copy of newly-published guidance on improving energy efficiency in listed homes.

A booking form is attached to this email. To secure a place at the conference, please complete and return a booking form by 7 April 2008.
A form can be obtained by e-mailing events@changeworks.org.uk

Email: events@changeworks.org.uk
Fax: 0131 555 2768
Post: Changeworks, Sustainable Futures, 36 Newhaven Road, Edinburgh EH6 5PY


Further information on the Energy Heritage project and the event, and links to travel and accommodation suggestions can be found at:


We look forward to meeting you on 2 May.

Regards
Sustainable Futures team

This is a Changeworks event, funded by EAGA Partnership Charitable Trust, Edinburgh World Heritage and Sust.


--
Kind regards,

Events Team
Changeworks
36 Newhaven Road
Edinburgh EH6 5PY

T: 0131 555 4010
F: 0131 555 2768
E: events@changeworks.org.uk
W: www.changeworks.org.uk

Energy Heritage: Energy Efficiency in Historic Homes
Conference, Friday 2 May 2008
10am to 4pm, The Hub, Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NE