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Summary of meeting on Monday 12/12/16

At the meeting on Monday 12/12/16 we talked about police, planning, and environment. There’s a short summary below, and our full meeting minutes will be published once they are approved.

Police

  • The community policing team is now aligned to council boundaries. In the city centre we have a team of 8 dedicated officers who are based in the West End police station on Torphichen Street, although that covers the Old Town as well as our area. They are currently focusing on four priorities: 20mph enforcement, youth antisocial behaviour at Princes Mall, antisocial behaviour at Hunter Square, and street drug dealing (mainly in the Old Town). If you want to influence the police priorities there is an online survey. On social media, you can follow the local policing team on Twitter @EdinPolSE and on Facebook at EdinburghPoliceDivision.
  • The recent death at Scotland Street has resulted in an arrest and a man has been remanded in custody. The police officer attending the meeting assured us that it was a one-off incident.

Planning

  • The RBS planning applications for the site on Fettes Row and Dundas Street are open for public comment until 18/12/16. We discussed the community council’s draft written response and took more comments from local residents. 276 objections have been logged so far. If you want to comment, the details are on the council’s planning portal: 16/05454/PPP and 16/05455/CON.
  • We also discussed the plans for “Canonmills Garden” which is the proposed development on the former B&Q site at Warriston Road. We’ve got concerns about creating a large number of new homes here without improvements to transport and infrastructure, and that a low number of car parking spaces in the new development will affect parking in neighbouring streets in Powderhall and Warriston. The developers have published a web site http://www.canonmillsgarden.com/ containing a feedback survey which was due to close on 13/12/16 but is currently still open for comments.
  • There is a competition to design a new concert venue for the Scottish Chamber Orchestra in the east side of St Andrew Sq. Colander Associates is running the competition on behalf of IMPACT Scotland.
  • We briefly discussed the situation at Heriothill, where the Reporter has overturned the council’s decision to refuse permission. Local residents are writing to their MSP and the First Minister to protest the decision made by the Scottish Reporter.

Waste and street cleanliness

  • We’ve been invited to a consultative forum on waste which is on Friday 16/12/16.
  • The group “Leithers Don’t Litter” were at the last Leith Neighbourhood Partnership, and we discussed how it would be possible to learn from their approach to arrange community clean up days.

Our next public meeting is on 13 February, so we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and hope to see you in February.