Hello all,
I am proud to present to you all Marchmont at Christmas 2020. If you could share to as many people as you can. The video is available to view on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter & YouTube (YT link below) all through Marchmont at Christmas!
Please enjoy and let me know what you think!
All the best,
Kayleigh
Community Council
Minutes of Marchmont &
Sciennes Community Council
Meeting of Wed 28th
October 2020, 7.30pm by Zoom.
Present: – Brian Gilmore (Chair, MSCC), Elinor O’Donovan (Minute
Secretary), Nigel Ayton (Grange Association), Michael Riordan (member of
public), Cllr Ian Perry, Alison Service (MSCC), Susie Agnew (MSCC), Shane Voss
(MSCC), Anne Laing (MSCC), Cllr Mandy Watt, Alastair Philp (member of public).
Apologies: – Anthony Holmes, Adam
Stewart.
Matters Arising:
Anna Nicol has been mistakenly listed on
the minutes as Minute Secretary, this will be amended.
Draft Minutes from the last meeting, September 2020, were approved
by Nigel, seconded by Susie.
The actions will be taken under the relevant headings.
Police Report: None
Meadows and Bruntsfield Links: None.
FOMBL Report:
Alison circulated the report from
the meeting of 28th September, outlining the new elections of trustees,
and the various projects, tree report etc. Jim Orr is re-elected as
convenor.
The jawbones will be returned to
Edinburgh in early October for
storage until re-installed when weather appropriate.
City Councillor Report on topical local issues:
Ian Perry:
Throughout lockdown, Council only had one committee (Policy and Sustainability)
which managed the city during lockdown. A lot of things had closed down that
are now reopening, which means all committees are returning to their different
aspects of council again.
Budget: We will be facing a deficit of £30-40 million which,
unless CEC receives funding, will mean putting up fees or cutting services.
Schools: Schools reopened in August and everything has gone
roughly to plan so far. Infection has been managed, and no school has had to
close. There is a sense of relief that things are somewhat returning to normal.
Previously there had been no extra-curricular activity in schools,
but now they are allowed to open up a bit more. Volunteers are still not
allowed back into schools to limit the amount of contact.
Anne congratulates the Council for a speedy service filling a
pothole outside her home. She reported it using the online system and it was
fixed within 2 days.
Nigel thanks the Council for their interaction with the Grange
Association in collecting bags of fallen leaves that had been swept up by the
local volunteers. Alison, similarly, congratulates the Grange Association’s
volunteers for their hard work collecting leaves.
Cllr Mandy Watt shares Ian’s concern about the budget challenges
that the council will face, and the lack of options that they seem to have. The
council are waiting to see if they will receive funding from the Scottish Government.
Items for AGM
A1: Last year’s AGM:
The minutes have been circulated, and were approved by Anne,
seconded by Alison.
A2: Matters arising from the AGM Minutes
None.
A3 Annual Report – Chair
In the last year, we managed to hold 6 of the 9 meetings that were
scheduled, in spite of the pandemic.
In the last year, we have watched the progress of the Sick Kids
Hospital site. There should be some movement with this in the next year.
The Astley Ainsley site has progressed quite well, although things
seems to have slowed down.
The City Plan 2030 has also slowed down, due to the pandemic.
Thanks to the police for their regular reports at our meetings.
Thanks to Mike Shields from the Parks Department for his regular
reports, and Alison for attending and reporting on the FOMBL meetings.
Thanks to the Edinburgh City Councillors collectively, who come
along and inform us about happenings on a Council level.
Thanks to Alison as Treasurer, and for the Christmas Tree Lighting
Ceremony last year which was very successful.
Thanks to our new member Adam, who has taken over surveys and
consultations, as well as noticeboards.
Thanks also to Anne Laing, for having done the noticeboards
successfully for many years.
Thanks to Nigel Ayton, for continuing our connection to the Grange
Association and keeping us abreast of planning issues.
Brian thinks in order for the MSCC to be truly effective, we need
a functioning secretary as well as a Chair.
Brian will discuss the secretary position with Adam in the future.
A4: Annual Report – Secretary
A5: Annual Report and Presentation of Audited Accounts – Treasurer
(Alison Service)
Jim Orr, convenor of FOMBL, audited the annual
accounts. The audited balance sheet and P&L for the year
were circulated by Alison, showing a surplus for the year of £33 and the Bank
balance at the end of the financial year was £548.46.
The donation of £175.38 to Children 1st does not go
through the books, as it had been done in previous years, as the collection
buckets are sealed and donated straight to the charity.
A6: Co-option of members
This will be postponed to the next meeting.
A7: Election of Officers
Chairman:
Nigel nominates Brian, Alison seconds.
Secretary:
None.
Treasurer:
Nigel nominates Alison, Anne seconds.
A8 Date of next AGM
May 2021, and can be done by Zoom if necessary.
A9 Ordinary meeting
dates for 2020-2021
Proposed: 4th Wed of each month except no meeting in
July, August or December.
A10 AOCB
None.
Items for discussion
6 Stakeholder Engagement Request
Adam has been working on this. This will be discussed at a later
date.
7 Safer Routes Proposal
The Quiet Routes proposal is to have a safe route from Greenbank
to the Meadows, down Braid Terrace and along Whitehouse Loan. Part of
Whitehouse Loan would be closed to through-traffic, with residents’ access
only.
This is going to the Transport and Environment Committee on 12th
November. If approved, it will come in under emergency COVID provisions, i.e.
Spaces for People Programme.
Under the provisions of TTRO (Temporary Traffic Regulation Order),
where there is a danger to the public (i.e. COVID), there is a short 7-day
period where local councillors and community councils can put forward comments.
Other than that there is no full public consultation on this.
A few people have been concerned about the impact on residents.
Michael is concerned that closing the roads in such a way may be prohibitive
to children or adults with disabilities and/or mobility issues accessing
schools and their homes in the area and is concerned that this has not been
taken into consideration.
Mandy is also concerned that increasing the amount of cyclists by
the School for the Blind might be hazardous, as it is more difficult to hear
cyclists.
There is a discussion about the (sometimes competing) requirements
of different types of road users (pedestrians, cyclists, car drivers).
8 City Plan 2030
Ian Perry: City Plan 2030 is in consultation which will be coming
to a close soon.
9 Astley Ainslie Hospital Redevelopment:
Nigel: Little to report at the moment. The Council has to draft a
Place Brief but are waiting on a Landscape & Heritage report which has to
be commissioned by the NHS.
Nigel has seen a couple of Place Briefs which have just come out,
and remarks about how well-drafted and specific they are which is encouraging.
The Astley Ainslie Community Trust are fundraising for a Community
Asset Transfer.
10 Planning
applications
Warrender Baths: Planning permission is being sought for a major
refurbishment.
Susie believes it has only been 15 years since Warrender Baths’
last refurbishment.
For info:
11 Treasurer's report
Alison’s monthly updated monthly financial report
was circulated – there were no monies either In or Out so the balance at the
end of September 2020 remains at £1352.28.
The Forward Financial Plan for the coming year will be presented to
members at the November meeting. The EDC Grant was received in August, and very little expenditure is expected
for the rest of this financial year.
Alison is pleased to have Jim Orr as our new accountant.
The forward plan for the coming year is estimated to the end of March.
We received the Income Grant, and there will be normal expenditure (i.e. hall
hire, and minute secretary) until then.
This will be discussed further at the following meeting.
12 Meetings attended
Alison circulated report about FOMBL meeting.
13 AOCB
None.
Date of next meeting: Wednesday 25th
November at 7.30 – using Zoom or an alternative.
Community Council
JITSI Meet Meeting on Wed 25th November 2020 at 7:30pm
For JITSI Meet
details, see the end of the Agenda
A G E N D A
1 Sederunt and apologies
2 Draft Minutes of last meeting, 28th October
2020, and matters arising (not otherwise on Agenda)
3 Police Report
4 Meadows & Bruntsfield Links
*
Including FOMBL
5 City Councillor report on topical local issues
Safe
Streets developments, Sciennes & Gillespies in particular
Items
for discussion
6 Royal
Hospital for Sick Children Redevelopment
– any update?
7 Astley
Ainslie Hospital Redevelopment
- any updates?
8 Stakeholder
Engagement Request
Any update?
9 Planning
(Applications & consultations)
·
Any others
Items for information
10 Treasurer's report
Including Forward Plan
11 Meetings
attended
12 AOCB
Date of next meeting: 27th January 2021
All who live or work locally are welcome to attend.
MSCC is online at: https://www.facebook.com/MarchmontSciennesCommunityCouncil
JITSI Meet Details
On Shane’s suggestion, I am trying
a new way of connecting us. This will
avoid the necessity to set up 2 meetings.
This on operates in a different
way (to some extent). What it does is to
set up a virtual ‘Room’, where anyone can come in and join the room. It also
persists, basically, for ever.
For those of you using a PC (or
similar), you can join straight from an Internet Browser. As far as I can
establish, those on smart phones will need to download the app. After you have
downloaded it, it is then easier to join etc.
This room exists from now, so you
can test it out when you like and please contact me if you can’t get it
working.
The Room link:
https://meet.jit.si/MSCCVirtualMeeting
The name of the ‘Room’ is
MSCCVirtualMeeting (it is CASE
sensitive)
Community Council
Minutes of Marchmont &
Sciennes Community Council
Meeting of Wed 23rd September
2020, 7.30pm by Zoom.
Present: – Brian Gilmore (Chair, MSCC), Nigel Ayton (Grange Association), Alastair
Philp (local resident), Susan Agnew (local resident), Anne Laing (MSCC), Anthony
Holmes (Thirlestane Lane Association), Cllr Cameron Rose (CEC), Pauline
Flannery (SSCC), Alison Service (MSCC), Adam Stewart (MSCC), Ed Hawkins (JGPS
Travel Committee).
It
was agreed that Alison Service take the minutes of the meeting but they would
be done in future by the Minute Secretary Elinor O’Donovan.
Apologies: – Ian Murray MP
Matters Arising: Nil
Draft Minutes from the last meeting, February 2020, were approved
by Nigel Ayton and seconded by Anne Laing.
Police Report: None
Meadows and Bruntsfield Links: FOMBL report. The minutes of the last FOMBL meeting had
been circulated and Alison gave the key points. At the recent AGM all Trustees were re-elected
and two additional ones were voted in and a new secretary was appointed. Volunteers and members had done a lot of
litter clean-up over the summer, plus watering and wildflower planting. Jawbone Arch repair is completed and it is to
be re-installed in the Spring 2021
Susan Agnew and Adam Stewart gave thanks all the members, volunteers and supporters who support
the work of FOMBL or who work away on their own or with other groups, and to
the Park Rangers and cleaners for the early morning clean up. Cameron Rose
agreed the CEC early morning clean up was excellent but he’d continue to look
into whether the bins could be emptied more often each day of warm weather as
they overflowed very quickly.
ACTION: It was recognised that over the summer months there had
been particular concerns raised by many local resident about anti social
behaviour on the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links, and that MSCC should seek to
work with FOMBL, CEC and other local services to explore how it could take a
more active role in representing local views and seeking solutions to these in
future. Alison agreed to raise this
issue with FOMBL at their next meeting in the first instance.
City Councillor Report on topical local issues:
Cllr Rose: He reported that the Sick Kids would be moving out of
the site on 25th January 2021 hopefully. There’s an enquiry into the
new hospital problems led by Lord Brodie – but probably won’t get results for 5
years!
Re Police news, there’s been quite a few break-ins in the
Marchmont/Grange area targeting sheds, bike storage areas. A large haul of
jewellery was found and the Gayfield Square Police station asks that anyone who
had things stolen in the past to contact them with descriptions.
The Council is relaxing it’s requirement to “Login” before lodging
a comment or reporting something, making it much more user friendly. The main Council meetings are back to
“virtual” normal of once a month – people working from home. There’s a back log
in licensing and Planning applications but it’s hoped they’ll be cleared soon.
Susie Agnew asked Cameron who she should contact about seeing
Japanese Knotweed growing at the bottom of Chalmers Crescent – Cameron
undertook to inform the correct people.
Brian Gilmore asked him about the complete closure of Sciennes
Road today in front of the school. Anne Laing said there were closure signs at
both ends but cars seemed to be passing through still. Cameron gave an update saying that the closure
had been proposed some time ago and was now going ahead as part of the Spaces
for People scheme – on a temporary basis only, though that remains to be seen! Access
only to cyclists and walkers.
Brian said there’d been suggestions that Argyle Place was to be
closed but so far nothing has happened.
It was noted that there were two aspects of activity in relation
to James Gillespies Primary School. The
first was in relation to the CEC commitment to introduce temporary traffic
management measures to improve physical distancing on pavements around the
school. Ed Hawkins reported that cones
were out today to widen the paths on both sides of Warrander Pk Rd, which was
welcome. However, it was noted that CEC
had not yet undertaken the further measures that are planned, including removal
of pavement fencing and widening of pavements.
The second aspect is the Blackford Safer Routes proposals to
create a safe cycling and walking route to the school. Ed provided a detailed
overview of the proposals, and highlighted that Whitehouse Loan is key in this
plan as it is heavily used by the JGPS Bike Bus scheme (hundreds of young
cyclists). Ed presented a leaflet of the route and closures/traffic calming
involved. This would allow children to
cycle or walk to school safely or potentially allow parents to drop their kids
off further away from the school so they can walk/cycle in safety.
Adam highlighted to strong support for the scheme amongst many
local parents and the JPGS school leadership, and that current levels of
traffic and crowding had been highlighted by the COVID-19 situation, which
further illustrated the potential of the project.
Alastair Philps noted that there were often such problems on
Kilgraston Road too. Cameron said plans
had been drawn up on this but due to lack of personnel it had rather died a
death.
ACTION: Ed urged people to use the following link to inform
themselves and to support this scheme.
http://blackfordsaferoutes.co.uk/jgps-travel-committee/liveable-neighbourhoods/
It was also agreed that MSCC would
continue to discuss progress and consider its potential future role in relation
to the proposals as appropriate.
Items for Discussion
Astley Ainslie Hospital Redevelopment: Nigel Ayton said there was little to report.
Council to do the Place Brief but nothing seen so far. There had been some
problems with work being performed on trees with no prior approval, despite the
trees being protected by Tree Preservation Orders. Correspondence with the Council and the NHS
Estates Office has now led to an application for work to TPO trees being
submitted in retrospect to the Council’s planning team. The contractors claim the trees were diseased
but others disagreed!
On the Planning side, a proposal to
demolish the boiler house and huts is being reviewed at present (no one will
miss them), and there is good communication with the NHS overall.
MSCC AGM: Brian said this would be held at our next
meeting in October.
Communal Bin Review: Adam said that this was a city-wide review
and the plans that were being rolled out would affect every street in the MSCC
which has communal bin facilities. The
current Big bins would be removed and a larger number of bin hubs would be
installed on each street every 100 yards or so.
There were not plans to consult residents on how these are situated but
it was recognised the community council could have an important role in seeking
to ensure that current issues with bin capacity were addressed and that the new
hubs were located in ways which would link to local footfall, walking routes
etc to avoid potential future issues.
There would also be the loss of a few car spaces on each street but
hopefully if the project was delivered effectively this would improve recycling
and for residents and address some current issues in particular hot spots.
ACTION: It was agreed that MSCC should
continue to monitor developments and engage with Changeworks and CEC once the
roll out is scheduled, which is likely to be later in 2021.
CITY PLAN 2030: See: www.edinburgh.gov.uk/cityplan2030 Adam said that CEC has
continued to develop the new plan during the lockdown and the latest
information was available to view online.
The Scottish Govt launched their consultation on Short Term Lets
which closes mid-October. Everyone is urged to participate as it is a very important
issue impacting on the city and our area.
ACTION: it was agreed that MSCC would develop a submission to the
consultation and that all MSCC members should consider the consultation and provide
views to Adam to inform this.
Planning matters: Nigel Ayton said all was
quiet on the planning front in the MSCC part of the Grange Association area.
Adam highlighted that planning permission was being sought for
major refurbishment works at Warrender Baths.
This would involve a 2.3m upgrade project involving installation of
barriers in the foyer, changes to changing room layout, and wider refurbishment
of the changing stalls and pool itself. It
is understood that this replaces a previous planning application that had been
refused. The works would take around 6
months to complete.
ACTION: it was agreed that MSCC would consider the proposals in
more detail at their next meeting.
Treasurers’ Report: Alison Service reported
that the EDC grant had been received but as very little had gone out of the
account in the last few months the balance was a healthy £1350!
Meetings attended: None
AOCB: It
was noted by all that the Notice Boards were looking very good and people were
seen stopping to read them. Thanks was given to Adam Stewart for all his hard
work. He urged people to pass info to him on local issues/businesses etc.
that would be suitable for posting on the Notice Boards and also on the web
page. He said he would now be looking at how to improve the MSCC
webpage. Brian thanked him for this.
Date of next meeting: Wednesday 28th
October at 7.30 – AGM using zoom.
