Edinburgh Council

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NTBCC joins Living Streets and Edinburgh Access Panel in objecting to changes to Rose Street

The New Town and Broughton Community Council has joined Living Streets Edinburgh Group and the Edinburgh Access Panel in issuing a statement regarding the introduction of two-way cycling along Rose Street.

Earlier in the year, all three groups submitted objections to the Council’s plans to implement an exemption to allow contraflow cycling along Rose Street which is a one-way street and largely pedestrianised. The objections were focussed on pedestrian safety and the unsuitability of Rose Street as a cycling route in the city centre. We have reiterated these concerns in our joint statement and highlighted inconsistencies in the report that will be presented to the Traffic Regulation Orders Sub-Committee at their meeting next Tuesday. The full text of our statement which has been sent to all City of Edinburgh Councillors can be found below:

Joint Statement on One Way Streets Exemptions for Cyclists (Final)

As we note in our statement, Rose Street is the nearest we have to a pedestrianised area in Edinburgh with very limited vehicular access. It is identified as a Primary Place location and is one of the busiest pedestrian areas of the city centre. Increasing usage by cyclists of this already very congested shared space will increase the risks to pedestrians, especially those with impaired vision or mobility.

The cycling exemptions project states that its goal is that one-way streets will become two-way for cyclists where it is safe to do so (our emphasis). We do not have a problem with this overall goal but we strongly believe that it is not safe to do so on Rose Street.

If you have any comments on the proposed changes to Rose Street, please let us know.

 

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NTBCC ordinary meeting minutes 10 November 2025

Minutes of New Town & Broughton Community Council’s ordinary meeting, held in the Garden Room at Broughton St Mary’s Church, on Monday 10 November 2025 at 7pm

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

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NTBCC calls for St Mark’s Path to be reopened

As a result of the long awaited start of construction activity on the Powderhall Site, the section of St. Mark’s Path from Broughton Road over the Water of Leith has been closed and a temporary diversion put in place.  The NTBCC has been contacted by local residents concerned at the impact of the closure on pedestrians and cyclists and the unsuitability of the current diversion. Following a site visit and discussion at last Monday’s monthly meeting, NTBCC has issued an email to local Councillors calling for the path to be reopened urgently and for a suitable diversion route to be in place before any future closure is considered.

If you have any views about this closure and its impact on the community, please contact us.

The full text of our email is shown below: Continue reading →

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NTBCC full agenda Monday 8 December 2025 and conveners’ reports received so far

The next NTBCC public meeting will held be on Monday 8 December, 7pm to 9pm. It will be an an online meeting via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86742850648?pwd=n4TsHf11gu2GESKTGhTV35tSnWvE2N.1

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

  1. Welcome and apologies
  2. Declarations of interest
  3. Approval of draft November minutes and matters arising
  4. Chair’s report
    1. NTBCC membership update
  5. Planning matters
    1. Current applications/issues
      1. Former RBS site Dundas St (25/01899/FUL) – DMSC hearing on 17 December (to discuss)
      2. City Plan 2040 & current consultation ‘What Makes a Good Space ?‘ – closes 23 January 2026 (to discuss)
    2. Recent decisions
      1. 57 Henderson Row (Royal London : CoU from Offices to Residential) (to note)
    3. Pending Applications
      1. 11 Royal Terrace (25/05233/FUL) (to note)
      2. 14-15 Claremont Crescent (25/5228/FUL) (to note)
      3. 7 Baxter’s Place (25/05562/FUL) (to note)
    4. Revised Scheme of Delegation for planning applications – update
    5. Powderhall redevelopment – summary for information
  6. Licensing matters
    1. Regulatory review of Sun Tan Centres licensing conditions – Consultation (to note)
  7. Culture and Communities matters
    1. Early Update Council’s Culture and Communities Committee meeting on 4 December
    2. Community Council Elections 2025 – Survey Results
    3. Misuse of Quad Bikes and Dirt Bikes in Public Space
    4. Use of Public Spaces for Events – Annual Update
    5. Motion by Councillor McFarlane – Grant Funding for ‘Friends of’ and Trusts
  8. Transport and Environment matters
    1. Charlotte Square – comments provided to CEC project manager (to note)
    2. North-south trams consultation – NTBCC response (to note)
    3. TEC deputations – TRO subcommittee review and supported bus services (to note)
    4. St Marks Park path closure (to discuss)
    5. CBR Phase 6 – outcome of meeting with CEC staff (to discuss)
    6. Graffiti – website post and follow-up actions (to discuss)
  9. Engagement
    1. Report on planned engagement activity for 2026
  10. Any other business

2025_12_18 Transport and Environment convenor’s report

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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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Review of Transport Regulation Orders Sub-Committee – NTBCC Deputation

Also on the agenda for the Transport and Environment Committee (TEC) meeting today was a report concerning the Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO) Sub-Committee. This sub-committee was established about a year ago to handle the statutory elements of Traffic Regulation Orders. Over the last year, the sub-committee has considered a number of matters affecting our area. Unlike most committees, Community Councils are not able to comment upon the reports under consideration by the sub-committee. Local ward Councillors are also barred from making any representations to the sub-committee. As a result, we have been very frustrated that decisions have been made without all the facts being available. We therefore decided to make a verbal deputation to the TEC meeting to highlight these concerns and seek the opportunity to provide feedback. You can view what we said on the Council’s webcast site from tomorrow but attached is the text of our submission.

Verbal Deputation to TEC (Review of TRO Sub-Committee) 

Although the remit of a Council committee may sound very dull and not worth our attention, the current situation denies us and the public the opportunity to properly engage in decisions affecting the roads in our area. When Community Councils were established they were intended to improve engagement between Councils and the community. If we cannot speak on your behalf, we cannot fulfil the function for which we were established.