The character of the New Town should not be needlessly damaged with widespread, inappropriate street clutter.Recycling can and should be increased by improvements to existing services.
Find out more at https://www.ntbcc.org.uk/stop-bins.
Click any representative’s names to start off a new email.
After a welcome break, the next community council meeting will be on Monday 12 October 2021 at 7:00pm; the meeting will again be a ‘virtual’ meeting using the Zoom platform. We have been exploring options for returning to either ‘in person’ or perhaps hybrid meetings but currently we believe that the meeting should remain as a virtual one as this seems both appropriate & sensible given the current circumstances.
Registration (to receive the Zoom link) will be via Eventbrite, details will be posted 7 days prior.
However, any member of the public who would like to raise an issue in the interim or at the SEptember meeting can use the contact form on this website or send us a message via @NTBCC on Twitter and we will respond as soon as we can.
Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held via Zoom, on Monday 9 August 2021 at 7pm
Following further discussion at the September NTBCC meeting on our response to the current consultation on the proposed city centre LEZ, we have now finalised our submission.
In summary, we are supportive of the introduction of a LEZ in Edinburgh but do not believe that the proposed scheme goes far enough both in terms of its geographical spread and in its ambitions to reduce pollution from vehicles. There are specific issues with some sections of the proposed boundary which we believe should be addressed before the LEZ is finalised. We are also concerned that the proposed enforcement regime will not be sufficient to ensure proper compliance.
We look forward to continued engagement in the development of the Low Emission Zone.
Please note that this consultation is open for comments from members of the public until 20 September 2021 – it can be accessed on the Council’s Consultation Hub here.
Below is the full text of our submission. A pdf version can also be downloaded here.
Response by New Town and Broughton Community Council to Edinburgh Council’s Consultation on Proposed Low Emission Zone
The New Town and Broughton Community Council (NTBCC) welcomes the Council’s plans to move forward with introducing a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) in Edinburgh but we are concerned that the current proposals are not sufficiently ambitious and will have a serious detrimental impact for some residents, particularly those that live outside the boundaries of the currently proposed City Centre LEZ. We strongly believe that the boundaries of the LEZ should be increased in order to benefit a larger proportion of the residents of Edinburgh.
The area of the proposed LEZ currently covers only 2.5% of the City and excludes many areas of the City with the greatest density of residents. It will also not include the designated Town Centres and areas such as Broughton Street, which form such an important element in the development of 20-minute neighbourhoods outlined in the recently approved City Mobility Plan. In setting the boundaries of the LEZ, more consideration has been given to providing convenient diversionary routes for non-compliant vehicles than maximising the health benefits for people living in Edinburgh. Pollution levels have been considered on an absolute basis without any consideration of the number of people that will be exposed to that pollution. We are particularly concerned that there is no recognition of the risks to pedestrians from vehicular emissions in areas outside of the proposed LEZ; some of which have very high levels of walking including children walking to school.
There are three sections of the currently proposed boundary within the NTBCC area where we believe that further consideration is required before the plans are finalised – these are :
EVENT IN PARK ENGAGEMENT – FLY OPEN AIR MUSIC FESTIVAL – WEST PRINCES STREET GARDENS – 17-19 SEPTEMBER 2021 (on-site between 10-23 September 2021)
23 August 2021
“New Town and Broughton Community Council take the view that events that require significant infrastructure build and de-rig out-with the Ross Band Stand area, both in terms of area used and time taken, are clearly major events and therefore not suitable for West Princes St Gardens (WPSG). We agree with the position taken by the Old Town Community Council in whose area this sits). Over recent years there is and continues to be a strongly emerging view that spaces like WPSG essentially belong to the people of the City of Edinburgh, as such they are used daily and extensively by residents and they should not be subjected to commercialisation.
Assuming that everything runs according to plan, the park will be occupied by FLY for 14 days.
St Cuthbert’s Churchyard is the only level access to WPSG that is suitable for those with mobility issues as well as those who are unable to navigate the steps and slopes whilst using wheelchairs and prams. Additionally, it is a popular through route for local residents and those working in the Old Town traversing to and from Princes Street. The proposed entrance closes WPSG to these people, creates clear equality implications and the site plan cuts WPSG in half blocking access from one side of WPSG to the other.
It is imperative that the top path remains open throughout the timing of the event, including set up and take down to enable public access for the event to meet its claim that WPSG will remain open to the public throughout.
Consistent with continuing Edinburgh Council and Scottish Government guidance, this will again be held by video conference, using the Zoom platform.
The full draft agenda for this meeting can be viewed here
We look forward to as many residents as possible from the New Town & Broughton Community Council area joining us for this.
If you’re interested, please register via Eventbrite here
In the meantime, here’s a preview / précis of discussion topics….
Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held via Zoom, on Monday 14 June 2020 at 7pm
Actions and decisions are red italic. ND (‘no dissent’) means that no-one spoke or voted against a decision.
Edinburgh Council has stated that ‘CCs can approve minutes, and take other decisions, remotely’, as so long as they ensure that ‘remote meetings are as accessible to members of the public and (as) well-advertised as possible’. Continue reading
Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s AGM, held via Zoom, on Monday 14 June 2020 at 7pm
Edinburgh Council has stated that ‘CCs can approve minutes, and take other decisions, remotely’, as so long as they ensure that ‘remote meetings are as accessible to members of the public and (as) well-advertised as possible’.
Items 1 to 6 and item 8 were chaired by Carol Nimmo. Item 7 was chaired by Bruce Ryan.
The attached PDF was sent to NTBCC on Monday 9 August: 2021_08 police report
The text follows: