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New Town & Broughton Community Council Engagement Plan June 2022

Original PDF: NTBCC Engagement Report 2022-06-11

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Noticeboards
  3. NTBCC website
  4. twitter
  5. Residents’ associations
  6. Walkabouts
  7. Formal responses to local government consultations and deputations to City of Edinburgh Council committees
  8. Engagement with other community councils, networks and heritage organizations
  9. Use of Public Spaces for Events and Filming (formerly Public Spaces Management Plan)
  10. Previous NTBCC Engagement Plans


1. Introduction

The New Town & Broughton Community Council (NTBCC) continued to meet by video conference during 2021-2022.

As in the previous year, the use of video conferencing technology has enabled a high level of community engagement. We have used Zoom, notable for its easy interface, quality of video and audio, and bandwidth handling capacity. Meetings have been advertised on Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.co.uk) and are fully open to the public, typically attracting around 30 to 35 participants each session.

The forthcoming annual general meeting (AGM) on 13 June 2022 will be our first in- person meeting since the beginning of the pandemic, while participants will also be able to join online.

2. Noticeboards

As in 2020 and 2021, the Communications/Engagement Team produced a laminated notice of NTBCC meetings which were displayed in locations throughout our area.

3. NTBCC website

The NTBCC website (http://www.ntbcc.org.uk) continues to be used to advertise meetings, agendas, publish minutes and consultation documents and to communicate government, council and other information to residents. Views per month have risen from 1000 in 2019 to 1,400 in 2020, to 1840 in 2021. So far in 2020 there has been an average of 1400 views.

4. twitter

The twitter platform continues to be used by NTBCC to reach the wider Edinburgh public. During the year, the number of followers rose from 1427 to 1575 — reflecting the continued influence of NTBCC in the community and ability to reach the media, council services and councillors.

5. Residents’ associations

The number of residents’ associations (RAs) represented on NTBCC decreased to five, with the loss of a representative for Fettes Row and Royal Crescent Association. However a Moray Feu Neighbourhood group has applied for local interest group (LIG) status and NTBCC membership.

Carol Nimmo, Chair of NTBCC, continues to convene a wide group of NTBCC member and non-member residents’ associations to discuss waste issues.

6. Walkabouts

Three walkabouts were held during the year. On 26 October 2021, we walked an area of Gayfield and Broughton, starting from Gayfield Square. On 15 December 2021, we walked the streets between Drummond Place and Dundas Street, and on 30 March 2022, Bellevue to Powderhall, starting from Broughton St Mary’s Church. In each case a circular route was chosen, lasting for about 90 minutes.

We checked everything from overflowing bins, litter, blocked drains, graffiti, derelict BT boxes, damaged trees, overgrown hedges, out of sync traffic lights, to neglected public spaces etc etc.

We picked up litter and took photos to record what we found. Problems were reported to Edinburgh Council’s official @edinhelp service on twitter and they supplied official work number references.

On the first walk, we discovered some rusty old cast iron lamp posts on Forth Street. These were later identified as early to mid 19th century, and with the help of Edinburgh World Heritage they have been repainted ‘heritage’ grey, matching the restored lights in Scotland Street.

7. Formal responses to local government consultations and deputations to City of Edinburgh Council committees

NTBCC made 17 submissions and deputations during 2021-2022, compared 11 in 2020-2021, and 8 in 2019-2020. These were:

  1. Deputation to Transport and Environment Committee meeting to be held on 17 June 2021 regarding item 7.4 Low Emission Zone – Preferred Scheme for Consultation
  2. Deputation to City of Edinburgh Council meeting on 24 June 2021 – Item 7.13 Potential Retention of Spaces for People Measures , 21 June 2021
  3. FLY Open Air Music Festival – NTBCC’s Response to Request for Comments, 19 September 2021
  4. Response by New Town and Broughton Community Council to Edinburgh Council’s Consultation on Proposed Low Emission Zone, 19 September 2021
  5. Consultation/engagement about waste services in world heritage: NTBCC letter to CEC Director of Place, 15 October 2021
  6. Verbal deputation to the Transport & Environment Committee with regard to Item 7.1 Active Travel Measures – Travelling Safely Update, 14 October 2021
  7. Amplification of Sound in Public Spaces: NTBCC deputation to CEC full council meeting, 28 October 2021
  8. Submission on City of Edinburgh Council’s consultation on Edinburgh’s Proposed Designation of a Short Term Let Control Area, 5 November 2021
  9. NTBCC’s submission to ‘Temporary Erection of External Ski Grotto for Festive Period’, 34A North Castle Street (21/05837/LBC), 6 December 2021
  10. Response to Edinburgh Council’s Advertised Order for On-Street EV Charging Places (TRO/21/24), 8 December 2021
  11. Final draft submission to the ‘Use of Public Spaces in Edinburgh for Events and Filming’ Consultation, 15 December 2021
  12. Deputation on behalf of NTBCC to Full Council on Thursday 16 December, regarding item 8.3: Motion by Councillor Rust – Community Councils – Notification of Key Information and Consultations, 16 December 2021
  13. Response to the Council’s Waste Management Strategy : Proposed ‘5 Year Collaborative Plan’ for the New Town, email by NTBCC to councillors prior to the Transport & Environment Committee meeting, 27 January 2022
  14. “Business Bulletin – Communal Bin Project” – NTBCC deputation to Transport & Environment Committee, deputation to Council’s Transport & Environment Committee, 27 January 2022
  15. Response from New Town and Broughton Community Council to proposed Low Emission Zone Scheme for Edinburgh, February 2022
  16. Deputation to Transport & Environment Committee regarding the design of Elm Row, (NTBCC/Community Councils Together on Trams), 31 March 222
  17. New Town and Broughton Community Council submission on George Street and First New Town Public Realm Improvements Project, 9 May 2022, and City of Edinburgh Council response, 31 May 2022

The list above does not include the more than 20 representations submitted to various planning applications, DPEA appeals and online planning consultations (e.g. ‘City Plan 2030’ and the ‘National Planning Framework’) during the period or submissions to the Licensing Sub-committee on various applications (occasional or permanent).

8. Engagement with other community councils, networks and heritage organisations

NTBCC continue to be actively involved with Community Councils Together on Trams (CCTT) alongside the three Leith community councils. Nine meetings were held: on 19 August, 30 September, 28 October, and 25 November 2021, 10 February, 10 March and 14 April, 19 May and 9 June 2022.

The Five City Centre Community Councils, of which NTBCC is a member, met once on 18 February 2022 for a presentation by Festivals Edinburgh.

The George Street Association (GSA) have started to invite NTBCC to participate in their meetings and we have reciprocated by inviting the GSA.

NTBCC also attends the Civic Forum, organized by the Cockburn Association, that promotes dialogue between city officers and community councils.

The City Centre Neighbourhood Network did not meet publicly during the year.

9. Use of Public Spaces for Events and Filming (formerly Public Spaces Management Plan)

The group of NTBCC members consisting of Laura Graham, Steve Hajducki, Deirdre Henderson, Jenni Inglis, Carol Nimmo, Rchard Price, and Peter Williamson and I wrote a ‘final draft submission’ dated, 15 December 2021.

We are currently awaiting a CEC report to be sent to the council Culture and Communities Committee, previously scheduled for “summer 2022”.

10. Previous NTBCC Engagement Plans

The first NTBCC Engagement Plan of May 2020, presented at the AGM on 12 October 2020, dealt at length (17 pages) with background information about NTBCC and the area it represents. This is still relevant, at least until there is a review of community council boundaries (https://www.ntbcc.org.uk/new-town-and-broughton-community-council-engagement-plan-may-2020-2).

The second NTBCC Engagement Plan of June 2021 is also available online (http://www.ntbcc.org.uk/ntbcc-engagement-plan-june-2021).

Simon Holledge, NTBCC Engagement Officer, 11 June 2022