Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held at Broughton St Mary’s church on Monday 8 September 2025 at 7pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.

1 Welcome and apologies

1.a Attendance

Fiona Banatvala	NTBCC	Joe McAdam	NTBCC	Cllr Jack Caldwell	Leith Walk ward
Michael Birch	NTBCC	Susan MacInnes	NTBCC	Cllr Hal Osler	Inverleith Ward
P Forissier	NTBCC	Richard Price	NTBCC	Charles Scott	Police Scotland
Annick Gaillard	NTBCC	Vanessa Roëves	NTBCC	Vikto Carton	Police Scotland
Stephen Hajducki	NTBCC	Gerald Wells	NTBCC	Alan McIntosh	Broughton Spurtle
Shaun Hodge	NTBCC	Peter Williamson	NTBCC	At least 6 residents/visitors
Simon Holledge	NTBCC	Bruce Ryan	Minutes secretary

1.b Apologies

Ken Lochrie	NTBCC	David Renton	NTBCC	Cllr Max Mitchell	Inverleith ward
Nick Reid	NTBCC	Cllr Margaret Graham	City Centre ward	Cllr Jo Mowat	City Centre ward

2 Declarations of interest

• none

3 Approval of minutes of meeting August 2025 and matters arising

• Approved subject to fixing minor typos (proposed M Birch, seconded R Price, ND)

3.a Actions from August meeting

Item	Actor	Action	Status
3.a row 1	M Birch	Forward CEC survey on governance/election to NTBCC members	Complete
3.a. row 2	M Birch	Ask local councillors to ask Cllr Jenkinson to meet East London St residents	Complete
3.a. row 8	Cllr Mowat	Investigate CEC’s plans around weeding	Complete
3.a row 9	G Wells	Compare NTBCC’s current and previous constitution	Complete – see item 4.b
4.a	S Hodge	Set up a spreadsheet for NTBCC members to gather data on problem areas.	Complete
4.a	B Ryan	Create a website form for NTBCC residents, to gather data on problem areas.	Complete · B. Ryan to report on responses · S Hodge to boost awareness of the survey
4.a	M Birch	Ask CEC (Melissa Campbell) again what its plans for the city centre are with regard to Pride In The CIty	Complete MB has chased for a response. He will forward correspondence to CEC cllrs. Cllrs Caldwell and Osler noted that suggestions from their wards had not been taken up by CEC
4.c	NTBCC chair	Ask NTBCC members for their experiences, views about the CC election	Complete (no responses from NTBCC members)
4.c	NTBCC chair	Work with EACC to gather city-wide feedback on the CC election	Complete. EACC had issued a survey. Feedback from this is due soon. Action: NTBCC reps to attend this meeting
4.d	NTBCC secretary	Ascertain whether police will attend NTBCC September meeting, and chase for a report	Complete
4.d	Cllr Mowat	Chase about the fading zebra crossing that nearly cause S Hodge to be run over.	Complete – no response
5.e	A Gaillard/ NTBCC chair	Organise a meeting about Blenheim Place	Complete: meeting is 16 September
6.a	Cllr Mowat	Review CEC’s handling of flypast matters	Complete – see below*
7	NTBCC	Pursue eclectic nature of CEC Culture and Communities meetings	Complete
8.f	NTBCC chair	Set up meeting about Charlotte Square.	Complete: meeting is 22 September

* Cllr Mowat, via email: The Council has had a couple of motions raising this in the last six months. The first to Regulatory Committee was responded to by a report which detailed that we don’t have any controls over these from a Regulatory point of view. There was another motion to Council about possible pollution from flypasts (which was inaccurately drafted for a start) and the Council voted to take No Action on the matter. The outcome of the first motion was that the Tattoo would improve its publicity of when the flypasts would happen – which seemed to be the case this year. No action on other types of flypast or flights over the city have been proposed or discussed – despite them occasioning more complaints in my experience.

4 Chair’s report

All points made by P Williamson unless otherwise noted.

4.a Picardy Place

• PP is the ‘most depressing sight in Edinburgh’, not least because NTBCC has tried in vain to work with CEC on this.
  • NTBCC members and residents noted issues including dead trees, lack of bins and maintenance/weeding.
  • NTBCC members suggested that Edinburgh residents should not have to pay for remediation, and that NTBCC could organise a community clean-up. A resident suggested that issues arise from lack of irrigation, and could be tackled via a gardening club, work by students, local businesses’ volunteer days and/or Pride In The City.
  • Cllr Caldwell is working on access to water in city parks. The lack of water at PP could be added to this work.
  • Cllr Osler noted that CEC is reviewing its policy on use of weedkillers.
• Action: S Hodge to reach out to local businesses about volunteer days.
• Action: Cllr Caldwell (in lieu of city centre cllrs) to chase this issue up with CEC.
• Action: NTBCC to follow up on PP issues.

4.b Review of NTBCC constitution

All points made by G Wells unless otherwise noted. His suggestions centre on:

• Replacing generic mentions of ‘local authority CC schemes’ with ‘CEC CC scheme’
• Replacing mentions of ‘numbers of members as determined in the scheme’ with actual numbers
• Simplifying/clarifying language, e.g. about voting rights, casual vacancies, disqualifying of membership
• Adding requirement from current CEC scheme for an engagement officer
• Adding annual review of meeting arrangements, to encourage public participation
• Adding subclause on online meetings
• Tightening text on bank signatories
• Requiring NTBCC to have public liability insurance. (It already has this.)
• Noting NTBCC’s area, including a link to the Edinburgh Atlas
• Adding a direct link to the current CEC CC scheme
• Perhaps adding standing orders. (These are part of the current CEC CC scheme.)
• Adding text (based on the CEC CC scheme) on dissolution.

GW noted that the current CEC CC scheme makes no reference to CC constitutions, even though the ScotGov model CC scheme does have such mentions. Hence there is no CEC-approved way to change Edinburgh CC constitutions.

• Action: GW to circulate to members NTBCC’s current constitution, his suggested changes and a draft ‘final’ version

4.c Visitor levy

No discussion

4.d Police report

See also April-June police report (supplied in late August)

• A new unit has made ~70 arrests since April about retail crimes in the New Town area, leading to more than 500 charges and recovery of over £50,000 of stolen property. Main issues include youth antisocial behaviour (ASB) at Waverley Mall etc. Operation Verbia has enabled 6 extra officers to tackle such ASB on Fridays and Saturdays, but they may need to deal with over 100 youths in these areas.
  • Police welcome requests for more initiatives. Hence actions: police to supply contact email addresses, S Macinnes to circulate these to members, B Ryan to advertise them on NTBCC’s website.
  • Due to increased footfall, there may be uplift in retail crimes during the festival: data aren’t immediately available.
• An NTBCC member reported (1) people being egged in public, (2) youths on Princes St using water-pistols to soak people, (3) a dangerous motorcyclist with no license plates, (4) delivery cyclists electro-cycling through Multrees Walk
  • Police responded that (3) is very frustrating: they don’t currently have the resources to tackle this person safely. NTBCC and the public should keep reporting this to raise its priority.
  • For (4), police tackle this as much as they can, but it can be difficult to get close enough to stop them. It was suggested they engage with relevant Multrees Walk staff, and with delivery companies who ‘employ’ such cyclists. Cllr Osler noted that CEC has limited powers, e.g. it cannot insist that these cycles have license plates. It is difficult to identify offending cyclists. It was suggested that NTBCC lobbies its MSPs for licensing/regulation of such cyclists.
• No issues have been reported about the new cycle-hire scheme
  • Action: police reps to ask their officers about use of the system’s GPS tracking to track offending cyclists.

4.e Canonmills gardens

• Canonmills residents have taken the selling of their gardens to the ScotGov ombudsman, who found that CEC failed to reasonably process sale of the land, and its officers failed to reasonably respond to the residents’ complaint. Developers are undertaking work on the gable-end without planning permission.

4.f Calton Hill issues

All points made by S Holledge unless otherwise noted.

• The central question is whether CEC public spaces (CPS) can say‘no’ to event organisers who fail to provide information. A case in point is the Beltane Fire Festival Committee’s Samhuinn ‘Celtic’ Festival on 31 October. Previously this took place in Holyrood Park, but BFFC decided to move it to Calton Hill, without notifying CEC until 3 September. This festival is scheduled to take place on the first day of the Calton Hill Firework Control Zone, and will involve a big bonfire and maybe 5,000 people.
  • CPS then published an information-light notice. In response to enquiries, CPS replied ‘Agree the audience looks to be 5000 if previous years are to go by. Looking at last year’s event management plan, it appears to be a ticketed event … The website says more detail to follow in mid-September … I am ascertaining if the hill is to be closed, for which the applicant will need to apply for a Section 11 Order … I am not sure where the bonfire is located …’
  • It took 4 months to ascertain how much money was raised by the parks levy from the Beltane Festival (30 April). It is still not known how this money will be spent despite CEC Culture & Communities directing CEC parks to consult with Calton Hill Conservation Trust about this.
  • Cllr Osler: CHCT should email relevant CEC officers and cllrs. Cllr McFarlane is on CEC Culture & Communities. CEC parks work is officer-led, but may not be suitably resourced. (There was discussion of how such items sit in the regulatory/planning/public events nexus, and whether CEC requires organisers to provide sufficient information.)
  • Regarding fire hazards on Calton Hill, S Holledge mentioned instances of litter bin-arson, and the lack of practical access to water. It was suggested that Cllr Caldwell raises these issues as part of his work on access to water in parks. NTBCC members also raised the Arthur’s Seat fire.

5 Planning matters

All points made by R Price unless otherwise noted.

5.a Royal London/Henderson Row

RL plans to relocate staff to Thistle St, to make HR premises residential, which is welcome. However, plans include unsympathetic features such as an extra storey. NTBCC and 34 others objected. (There were 25 supporting comments.)

5.b Royal Bank of Scotland site

There is an application to convert this from build-to-rent to student accommodation, leading to over 360 objections. Work on blocks 1 to 5 (which are not student accommodation, and have permission) is due to start in late September.

5.c CEC Planning committee

• Guidance for householders on listed buildings and on developer contributions comes to committee this week.
  • Cllr Osler: CEC has messed up making such guidance statutory, thus potentially jeopardising CEC’s plans.
  • There was discussion of contradictory information on dates for plans.

5.d Local place plans

• Although NTBCC concluded that development of an LPP would be resource-intensive and to little avail, ScotGov is now pushing for these, and some may be being developed in Edinburgh. Should NTBCC reconsider its decision?
  • Cllr Osler: NTBCC could consider where appropriate infrastructure is not being developed, and engage with CEC.

6 Licensing matters

All points made by A Gaillard unless otherwise noted.

• Concerning alcohol licensing, the 2024-25 police report for Edinburgh notes that
  • occasional licensing generated £50k, but their administration cost £220k
  • the number of personal licenses increased by 756 to 7052
  • the number of licensed premises increased by 16, a smaller increase than the previous year
  • the number of night-time economy incidents decreased by 59 to 723. Two thirds of these were in the city centre. Inspections increased by 49% to over 900.
• CEC’s licensing service processed 600 applications in July. Most of these were about hospitality.
• Sainsbury’s application for an alcohol license was refused under overprovision policy, but this policy no longer exists so Sainsbury’s has reapplied.
• Concerning civic licences, this month there were two applications by tattoo businesses and one for late-hours catering.

6.a Short-term lets

• R Price: STL licensing contributes over £1·5m. There appears to be a black market around STLs.
  • Cllr Caldwell: the licensing service and CEC budgets are separate. STL operators would like better enforcement. separate from CEC budget. STLs want more enforcement on unlicensed STLs.
  • Cllr Caldwell: in other countries, STL-coordinating companies display licences on adverts. If CEC becomes aware of STL license-abuse, operators will lose licenses.
  • NTBCC members: CEC could follow up non-compliant STL operators. They will not be insured, or have trade-waste agreements, so should be fined.
  • Cllr Osler: CEC has been taken to court 3 times over its STL policies, so enforcement is fraught. Licensing only applies to secondary letting. The legislation CEC must follow is deficient. CEC is trying to take relevant action.

7 Culture & Communities matters

7.a Review of City of Edinburgh Council’s culture & communities committee meeting of 21 August

See P Williamson’s report in appendix.

8 Transport & Environment matters

See also convenor’s report. All points made by M Birch unless otherwise noted.

8.a Communal Bin Review Phase 6 update

• As well as the issues in the report, residents have stated that consultation documents after significantly later than promised, and that some were away on summer holiday of the tight response period.
  • Cllr Osler: there have been over 800 responses to the consultation. Inverleith cllrs have told CEC officers of their dissatisfaction with handling of this consultation in that ward. Officers have now promised to show them communications before they are issued. Arrangements for glass collection need to be reviewed but such processes are complicated, and are being hampered by the use of TROs. NTBCC should pinpoint issues to cllrs.
  • NTBCC members suggested that CEC officers ceased communicating well when the waste trial succeeded.
  • Cllr Osler: officers had to follow the requirements caused by a change in CEC administration.
  • Residents: Gayfield Square residents have not been heard by CEC. There is a stench from bin-hub food-bins right outside homes: these bins should be away from homes. Such issues are affecting children.
  • Cllr Osler: it is possible for bins to be sited elsewhere. Cllrs will be advised of plans in time [for them to be changed].
  • A resident: please can action on these issues be brought forward by CEC?

Action: M Birch to inform city centre cllrs of NTBCC’s dissatisfaction and demand to be included in discussions.

8.b Sub-committee matters

8.b.i Meadows to George Street project TRO and RDO Update

See report. The referral is likely to cause delays.

8.b.ii ETRO Travelling Safety (Broughton Street to Canonmills) measures decision

See report. NTBCC’s concerns with the report to CEC included lack of road-safety information, misnaming of the ETRO, NTBCC’s objections not being considered because this would have required a public hearing, the integrated impact assessment being based on out-of-date data, lack of clarity about monitoring, lack of consideration of cycle/bus interactions, lack of legally-mandated consultations with bus companies, and lack of consideration of pedestrians. While NTBCC had supported some measures, the report to CEC incorrectly implied that NTBCC supported all of them. CEC has stated that it can only consider comments raised via public consultation, but NTBCC’s concerns have arisen since then. It has not been possible for NTBCC, CEC cllrs and others to raise such concerns such that they will be heard.

• Action: M Birch to submit complaint to public service ombudsman.

8.c Transport & Environment committee matters

See also report on NTBCC’s website.

8.c.i Pavement widths ESDG Update

See report. High footfall areas need at least 3m wide pavements. This had been implemented on Leith, but tables and chairs are negating this. CEC claims not to have relevant data, so it cannot act.

• R Price: CEC planning is due to consider ESDG guidance also.
• Action: M Birch to submit deputation (verbal or oral as time permits).

8.c.ii Trade waste update

See report. Waste from short-terms lets is contributing to abuse of communal bins. Secondary lets are commercial concerns, so presumably owners should pay for waste uplift as other businesses must.

• Cllr Caldwell: such arrangements are mandated in licenses for secondary lets. They are not needed for other STL forms.

8.c.iii City Mobility Plan investment update

See report. The ‘exception for cyclists’ project has not yet been formally approved.

• A resident: is there data on non-delivery cycling in the city centre?
  • This project’s original justification was works on George St, but cycle access to George St was maintained, removing this justification. ETROs should have led to data being gathered, but this was not done.
  • A Gaillard/R Price: data from cycling by the Omni Centre and elsewhere is available.

8.c.iv Updates on public toilets, car mileage reduction, Charlotte Square, trams remedial work, trams route consultation

See report for all of these.

9 Any other business

• M Birch> NTBCC’s November meeting should be in-person but the usual venue is unavailable. NTBCC should try to use the church’s garden room, or maybe try for use of McDonald Road library.

10 Appendix: P William’s report on City of Edinburgh Council Culture & Communities Committee meeting (21 August)

The following are the main points of interest (with commentary as appropriate) covered at the City Council’s Culture & Communities Committee meeting 21 August.

10.a Firework Control Zones

• Agree to proceed with four FCZs (Niddrie, Balerno, Calton Hill and Seafield) for the next two years, with timings aligned to Police Scotland Dispersal Zones for Bonfire Night
• Agree to proceed with five local FCZs in Corstorphine, Moredun, Gracemount, Longstone and Sighthill for the period 31 October – 9 November 2025 (inclusive);

Plus

• Councillor MacFarlane’s amendment: Agrees that the real legislative change that is needed for controls on the sale of fireworks.
• Liberal Democrat amendment: Agrees that the update in February 2026 should include further recommendations to streamline application processes, especially in the case of areas applied for in several consecutive years.
• Green Amendment: Reason for not taking forward the application regarding Greenbank

10.b Management Rules for Parks, Beaches, and Green space

The purpose of this report is to update the Committee on the progress of developing new management rules for parks, beaches, and green space. The report seeks approval for the draft management rules to be published for Public Notice, noting that any objections received are required to be heard by Committee prior to finalising and implementing new management rules. Already subject to public consultation.

10.c Physical Activity and Sport Strategy for Edinburgh 2024-2034 – Draft Action Plan

This report seeks approval for the Physical Activity and Sport Strategy 2024-2034 draft Action Plan (attached to report as Appendix 1) which has been developed by the Physical Activity and Sport Strategy Partnership. The Physical Activity and Sport Strategy – which was approved in December 2024, sets out the vision, mission statement, priorities and high-level actions for the strategic development of physical activity and sport for Edinburgh over the next ten years. The Strategy is much more concerned with physical activity than sport. It can be found here.

10.d Public Art Update

Three public art projects had been in the pipeline before the Public Art Policy became a live document. To enable organisations to advance planning officers have provided details below, and are seeking committee ‘in principle’ approval for new public art memorials:

• Muriel Spark – East Princes Street Gardens (Southside) The project will be fully funded by established Edinburgh-based philanthropists, and has the support of Dame Muriel’s companion of 30 years, sculptor, Penelope Jardine. It has gathered a significant groundswell of support a wide range of people.
• The Royal Regiment of Scotland – West Princes Street Gardens, North thoroughfare between the amphitheatre and the Ross Fountain 4. Not a war memorial but a statue that resonates with the Royal Regiment of Scotland, those who are currently serving and those who have served, whether deceased or living. It is to be a place where serving and veterans, and their families and friends, can gather at a time of their choosing and reflect. The Culture and Communities Committee – Thursday 21 August 2025 Lord Provost, as Armed Forces and Veteran Champion for the city, has offered his support in principle for this project.
• Contaminated Blood Memorial – location tbc dependent on final design

Going forward concern about statues/memorials in Princes Street Gardens.

Public Art Forum report to Committee Quarterly

10.e Eurocities Call to Action on Sustainable Culture

Edinburgh is a full member of Eurocities, a membership network of over 200 European cities. The network has a number of forums, including a Culture forum in which Edinburgh is an active member. Edinburgh hosted the annual general meeting of Eurocities in 2018.

The Eurocities Call to Action for low carbon and more inclusive culture is an initiative, led by the city of Lille and Eurocities, inviting mayors (or their elected equivalent) from across Europe to commit to the development of local cultural policies and events that prioritise sustainability and inclusivity.

Debate about how arts organisations can meet actions requested, but initially only two. Committee asked for update about how progress has been/will be met.

10.f Busking Management – motion by Councillor Thornley

This report provides an update on the data collected in 2024 and reported in May on busking management in the city and sets out the recommendations received following engagement with the busking community on actions which the Council could take to support the community.

10.g Tour de France – Host Local Authority Agreement

Item pulled. Now to be considered on 10 September at Special Meeting.

Peter Williamson, Acting Convenor NTBCC Culture and Communities Committee