A surprisingly good turn out at the Forth Neighbourhood Partnership
Public Meeting at Telford College last night.
Local groups and organisations including Community Renewal, Libraries,
Granton Churches and North Edinburgh Arts took advantage of the Market
area to set out information stalls and showcase the range of services
available in the ward.
The aim of the meeting was to update on the regeneration projects in
the Forth Ward and the FNP team had pulled all the stops out to ensure
that a good selection of representatives from City Development, Land
owners and Housing Associations were in attendance to do just that.
Cllr Allan Jackson opened the meeting and Peter Strong introduced the
speakers.
Sally Nelson the Area Manager for City Development set a positive tone
for the presentations outlining her role as both co-ordinator and
facilitator to review progress to date and look for areas to improve,
Sally will look at short term options to put dormant land to good use
as well as working with other land owners to stimulate and support
longer term development around the waterfront regeneration zone and
the adjacent community.
Ann Confrey gave an informative review of National Grid’s The
Forthquarter taking the audience through the progress made .over the
last decade, a well received presentation that reminded the audience
just how much the former gasworks has changed. Some of the most useful
information Ann imparted was the number of sustainable jobs retained
and created in Granton. The Scottish Gas HQ employs over 1500
people, Morrison’s store employs at least 30 and further questions
after the meeting revealed that there are a host of other roles
including 6 security and 4 landscape personnel and around 16 senior
consultants on National Grid’s project team who live and work in
Edinburgh.
Simon Lievesley of Services for Communities confirmed that 21st
Century Homes were on track to commission architects to produce a
masterplan for the new homes at Pennywell and would commence a series
of stakeholder consultation activities once these were available for
review.
Dave White updated on plans for the Muirhouse proposed community
health centre – while he acknowledged the article in the Edinburgh
Evening News- he did not confirm or deny the content, instead he spoke
about reviewing options on how and where services would be provided
with the focus being on the provision of health services required in
the community along with supporting welfare services aimed at enabling
people to live healthier lives rather than on providing a lovely new
building. Read into that what you will.
There was some grumbling from those present about the format of the
event. All questions were deferred until after the meeting and this
did not go down well with some who had hoped to address the speakers
publicly,. However everyone stayed to mingle so there was ample time
to ask questions and speak to officials and representatives while
perusing the stalls and catching up with friends and colleagues.
Councillors Elaine Morris and Cammy Day took time to speak to most of
the people there and thanked Peter Strong’s team for all their efforts
making the event such a success.
Ann Confrey
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This was a well attended meeting – just disgraceful that no opportunity was given to the community to ask public questions, in what is supposedly a ‘Public Meeting’. After being informed by the Lothian Health representative, that the recent reports of the long awaited Healthcare Partnership Centre have some truth in that it may be postponed, reduced in size – or indeed shelved (as reported in the Evening News !!!), no opportunity to ask any questions about this or the very slow, to nil pace of investment in the Granton Waterfront.
If Neighbourhood Partnerships are to be successful, we need to be open and transparent, and not be shy or frightened to face the public, and respond to them !
I can only hope the next ‘Public Meeting’ whenever it may be – will have the opportunity for questions to be asked, and answered!