Edinburgh World Heritage

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Improving Charlotte Square Project – NTBCC issues detailed comments

Attached is a document which sets out the concerns of the New Town and Broughton Community Council (NTBCC) about the Improving Charlotte Square project.

While supporting the intent to improve accessibility and provide a link with the existing CCWEL infrastructure, we believe that the current design raises a number of significant issues which require further consideration prior to the project proceeding. Our primary concerns are:

  1. Unclear Project Needs and Goals: We question the overall purpose of the project beyond enhancing cycling infrastructure. We believe that additional clarity is required on the specific outcomes with a detailed cost breakdown to ensure value for Edinburgh’s residents.
  2. Insufficient Community Engagement: We are concerned at the limited community engagement in the decision-making process and call for wider consultation before the project is further progressed.
  3. Limited Design Options: We advocate for exploring a cycling route on the south side of Charlotte Square to mitigate potential conflicts and reduce costs.
  4. Pedestrian Safety: We question the design and location of the pedestrian crossings especially the non-signalised crossing on the south side of Charlotte Square, which raises significant safety concerns.
  5. Heritage Considerations: We believe that there are good reasons for restoring the setted road surface where possible to enhance the heritage value of the square, rather than opting for tarmac.
  6. Project and Funding Prioritization: We are concerned that this project is being prioritised over others in the City Mobility Plan and question the validity of its ranking and anticipated impact on public realm.
  7. Scope and Impact on Related Projects: We consider that the impact on tourist coach parking and overall traffic management in light of future projects both need to be thoroughly reconsidered.
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Reporting Graffiti

There have been a number of questions recently about incidents of graffiti in our area. The Council’s policy is to remove graffiti from Council property within 10 days unless it is offensive in which case it should be removed within 24 hours.

Residents are encouraged to report grafitti on Council property at edinburgh.gov.uk/graffiti. The Council teams can clear tagging from:

  • Bins and food waste bin cases
  • Bus stops
  • Lamp-posts
  • Bicycle storage hangars
  • Parks’ equipment and walls
  • Schools’ equipment and walls
  • Council-owned buildings and houses

The responsibility for removing graffiti on private property is with the owner of that property, although the Council may be able to assist especially if the graffiti is offensive. Private property includes street furniture owned by utility companies. You will need to contact the relevant utility company to report graffiti. The following are some contact details that may be helpful.

BT/Open Reach Cabinets and other equipment  – you can call 0800 023 2023 and select option 1 or alternatively access their help page at https://www.openreach.com/help-and-support/damage-health-and-safety

Post Boxes  – you can email Royal Mail at postbox.appearance@royalmailpfs.com. providing the specific address of the post box and if possible the post box number which should be shown on the collection times plate as well as a photograph of the graffiti.

Railway stations, bridges and land beside railways – you can contact Network Rail at https://www.networkrail.co.uk/our-work/living-by-the-railway/graffiti-removal/ 

If you find that reported graffiti in our area is not removed promptly, please get in contact with us at https://www.ntbcc.org.uk/contact/ 

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North-South Trams Consultation – NTBCC Response

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has submitted its response to the current consultation on the North-South Trams Route. Our response has focussed on the sections of the planned route within our area and highlighted the following concerns:

  • Impact on congestion and pedestrians of the plans for the east end of Princes Street
  • Lack of alternative routes for traffic that can no longer use North and South Bridge
  • Impact on congestion and pedestrians of the plans for the south end of Queensferry Street
  • Impact on the UNESCO World Heritage Site including Dean Bridge
  • Unresolved technical uncertainties about key parts of the route including Dean Bridge and South Bridge.

You can read our full submission using the following link: NTBCC Response to Trams Consultation. 

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NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 11 August 2025

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held via Zoom on Monday 11 August 2025 at 8pm

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

URLs have been added by the minutes secretary. Continue reading →

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NTBCC full agenda Monday 11 August 2025 and conveners’ reports received so far

This will be an online meeting via Zoom (https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87041591516?pwd=iAJfzTQE97Us1NtEfCuSMSqMUeh6q8.1).

It will take place on Monday 11 August. (We’ll open the meeting around 6:45 so people can log in for the start of discussions.)

Convenors’ reports will be added below the agenda as they are received.

  1. Welcome and apologies
  2. Declarations of interest
  3. Approval of minutes of meeting June 2025 and matters arising
  4. Chair’s report
    1. Pride In The City initiative
    2. Edinburgh World Heritage Update
    3. Consultation On Community Council Elections 2025 (29 August)
    4. Police report
  5. Planning matters
    1. Spiegeltent Application – St Andrew Square gardens (to note)
    2. Royal London Henderson Row live application (25/03716/FUL)
    3. Charlotte Square
    4. RBS Site Application – update
    5. Other recent planning applications and appeals (to note/discuss)
  6. Licensing matters
    1. Regulatory updates
    2. Licensing Board’s decision on Overprovisioning
    3. Recent licensing applications
  7. Culture and Communities Matters
    The last meeting of the City Council’s Culture and Communities Committee was considered at the NTBCC June meeting. The next meeting of the City Council’s Culture and Communities Committee is not until 21 August
  8. Transport and Environment Matters
    1. Communal bin review phase 6 consultation cpdate (to note/discuss)
    2. TRO 24/27 cycling exemptions – NTBCC objection (to note)
    3. George Street and First New Town – Follow-up Meeting (to note)
    4. Trams to Newhaven – issues list and actions (to note)
    5. North/South tram route – forthcoming consultation
  9. Any other business

Convenors’ reports

NTBCC Planning Report August 2025

NTBCC Transport & Environment Committee Update – August 2025

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Communal Bin Review – Report to Transport and Environment Committee

The CEC Transport and Environment Committee will be considering a report at their meeting on 26 June 2025 which sets out the recommended waste collection service for the streets in the Phase 6 area of the Communal Bin Review. This area includes most of the New Town.  Appendix 2 of the report sets out the latest recommendations for each street.

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has submitted a written deputation and will be making a verbal deputation to the meeting.

While welcoming the decision to retain a kerbside collection service using gull proof sacks for most of the streets that have that service currently, the deputation highlights concerns with the consultation process and the lack of adequate engagement with residents where the service is changing. A number of street associations have submitted their own deputations highlighting the impact on their residents.

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NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 12 May 2025

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held by Zoom on Monday 12 May 2025 at 7pm

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

Continue reading →