The New Town and Broughton Community Council (NTBCC) is one of five city centre community councils.

Discussions were held from November 2019 onwards with three of the other councils — Old Town Community Council (OTCC), Tollcross Community Council (TXCC) and West End Community Council (WECC) — together with the Cockburn Association, concerning Princes Street Gardens, the central Edinburgh park, currently the subject of a joint refurbishment project by the City of Edinburgh and the Ross Development Trust, called the Quaich Project.

On 11 December, these Community Councils and the Cockburn Association published a detailed four-page Joint Statement – The Quaich Project and West Princes Street Gardens.

The Quaich Project replied with a Response to the Joint Statement, dated 22 January.

The Four Community Councils formed a deputation to the City of Edinburgh Culture and Communities Committee on 28 January 2020, explaining the Joint Statement and objecting to the Quaich Outline Business Case (published on 22 January) which we asked the committee to reject. The deputation was led by Carol Nimmo, Chair of NTBCC. The Cockburn Association (Terry Levinthal) made a separate deputation, also asking for the rejection of the Quaich Outline Business Case.

The City of Edinburgh Culture and Communities Committee on 28 January 2020 was webcast: see https://edinburgh.public-i.tv/core/portal/webcast_interactive/470008. The Community Councils’ deputation is at 22 to 53 minutes, followed by the Cockburn Association (53 mins to 1hr 7mins), followed the CEC/Quaich Project (1hr 12mins to 2 hours 12 mins).