News from Trinity Community Council

FEBRUARY NEWSLETTER FROM TRINITY CC

1602 ebulletin 1.1

waterfront hotel

This month, as well as discussing how we communicate with residents, we again include news of some developments to east and west of us – in particular the hotel proposed to be built next to Ocean Terminal (above).  Continue reading News from Trinity Community Council

Trinity Community Council – January Update

Trinity CC met on 11 January. Here are the main points:

Ed sculture workshop

Goodwill to all men?

Happily criminal activity was subdued over the Festive period. But for the unlucky few, and there were some, a housebreaking is still traumatic. Thieves now seem to be targeting houses with sash and casement windows i.e. much of Trinity! So take care to secure tools like spades which might be used to lever open sash windows. And remember all those other security messages about locks, burglar alarms, keeping car keys out of sight etc. Jewellery seems to be the current target.

Clean, Green, Safe & Engaged Report

This quarterly report from Forth Neighbourhood Partnership sets out how well local services are being delivered and our environment maintained.
Unsurprisingly, Trinity’s parks shine brightly in these statistics and, despite a couple of recent headlines, we can claim to be rather a safe place to live with reasonable levels of community engagement.

Street cleanliness was generally close to target but we are pursuing CEC for clarification on its policy for clearing leaves. This appears to happen in a rather random fashion and, if not cleared e.g. Clark Road, Craighall Rd, Denham Green Pl, the new tennis courts, cycle path, South Trinity Rd, leaves have quickly succumbed to recent weather and deteriorated into a slippy, slimy mess.

But overall it was clear that the issue of greatest concern to residents was rubbish and recycling and the new recycling arrangements in particular. This is crystal clear from the level of complaints with the most recent figures being more than three times the target level – a substantial rise on the previous month. While this appears to be starting to settle down there are still problems with bins not being emptied on the scheduled day. Big green bins are seen as a bit of a problem for the elderly.

Victoria Park – Gourmet Destination?

CEC is tendering for food outlets at several sites including a mobile unit in Victoria Park. We have not been consulted but believe it is to some extent a response to the recurring suggestion of using either the Bowl House or the Pump house as a café. We are informally advised that as/when any bid is received, we will have an opportunity to feed in comments and concerns.

We will monitor developments closely to ensure that the promised consultation is delivered and we hope that by then that Friends of Victoria Park is up and running and will be able to comment in its own right. Concerns include increased litter and sale of burgers and fizzy drinks to school children but overall, the proposal seems to have general support as, among other things, it would provide a focus for people to meet up for coffee etc.

Do you have a view? Write and let us know – or grab a word with your local community councillor.

Fringe Benefits 1: Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop

The final phase of Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop’s new building opened in March 2015, marking completion of a world class arts facility right on our doorstep in Hawthornvale (pictured, top). As well as 26 artist studios it has specially equipped workshops to enable artists and organisations to test ideas and develop projects. Across the building, indoor and outdoor spaces support a range of different sculptural activities and provide viewing areas to enable visitors to see work in progress.

Want to know more? You can join a contemporary sculpture course or just drop by to see what free exhibitions and talks are on. Maybe just relax in the new café, accessible directly from the cycle path or Hawthornvale and open seven days a week? Tours of the building can be arranged for groups or individuals by phoning 0131 551 4490.

Fringe Benefits 2: Ocean Terminal

Ocean Terminal Ltd has plans for a major hotel development. At present we only know the outline. If, like us, you’d like to know more, there will be a public exhibition of the proposals on 10 February at Ocean Terminal Community Room, First Floor besides Debenhams, 3.30 to 7.30pm.

Street Lighting

Regular readers can’t fail to have noticed the repeated concerns about the effectiveness of the new street lighting in some, particularly wider, streets. Some problem sites, but not all, have been picked up. The CEC replacement programme is now moving to its next phase and we are asking for clarification of what this means and how the earlier problems will be tackled in this new phase.

Neighbourhood Environment Fund

It’s that time of year again where we put forward ideas bidding for funds to invest in our local environment. Current candidates include the Vennel to the north of Trinity Academy, Trinity Road Tunnel and Wardie Bay Foreshore. Have you got any ideas? Also time to start planning our annual Walkabout. Is there a particular part of Trinity which needs to be looked over? Do let us know if you think there’s something we should be looking at.

Goldenacre Planters

As 2016 begins, discussions continue concerning funding of planters outside the old RBS Goldenacre branch. We live in hope!

Much more at our next meeting on Monday 8 February at 7 pm in Wardie Parish Church, Primrose Bank Road. Open to all. Come along and give us your thoughts, or contact a Community Councillor – we need to know your views so that we can represent them!

Did you find this bulletin useful or informative? If so, why not show it to a neighbour? Anyone in Trinity can subscribe to the bulletin simply by emailing tcc-comms@outlook.com Or drop us a line and tell us what you think could be better.

Trinity CC December newsletter

Trinity Community Council met on 14 December. Here are the main points:

victoria park

Crime Down, But …

While there have been a few house break-ins this month, numbers are down on last year. Police believe this is because several known perpetrators are behind bars or subject to curfew arrangements.

But statistics are no comfort if your house is broken into – so take all reasonable precautions including those in Police Scotland’s leaflets (see below). If you have an alarm make sure its switched on and if you would like to be kept fully up to date with real time Police alerts sign up here.

A notable trend has been to break into houses in order to steal the owner’s car rather than the house contents. This is likely done to order so take extra care about where you leave your car keys.

Just outside our area, two people were arrested after an altercation on Ferry Road while investigations into an attack at Steadfastgate are ongoing. If you’re at all worried about being on the street in the dark evenings you might wish to purchase a personal alarm as a useful deterrent. A possible stocking filler at roughly £5!

Make Friends with Victoria Park!

The meeting this month to set up a Friends of Victoria Park group was well attended with presentations on what was involved and what the potential might be. After an enthusiastic and lively Q&A, a number of people volunteered for a Steering Group to complete the formalities of forming the new Friends Group.

A further public meeting, probably in February, will sign this off, whereupon all interested can then become Friends of Victoria Park (still time to join!) This is really encouraging – 2016 looks like being a great year for Victoria Park!

Trinity Academy Students Council

TCC had a further meeting with Trinity Academy Student Council which again proved lively with the students themselves eager to raise points.

These included:

 lack of litter bins in Victoria Park and on the pathway between Newhaven Road and the school,
 existing bins not being emptied sufficiently frequently
 safety on the Walkway, especially after dark,
 occasional motor/quad bike on the Walkway, (call 999 as these have almost always been stolen)
 enthusiasm for the new tennis courts in Victoria Park
 interest in engaging with a Friends of Victoria Park group.
 agreement to run a competition for the design of a logo for TCC.

We will be pursuing many of these points with CEC and look forward to a continuing constructive relationship with TASC in 2016.

Goldenacre Planters

Discussions continue concerning the placing of planters outside the old RBS branch at Goldenacre.

Second Hand Car Dealing – 144 Newhaven Road

Far less encouraging, two meetings of the Licensing Sub Committee heard but dismissed the arguments from objectors (including Trinity CC). We are deeply unhappy about how the process has been conducted which has felt very one sided including keeping (unpaid) objectors waiting for several hours and only token notice of a site visit. A licence has been granted with conditions, similar to those attached to the 6 months temporary licence in 2012/13.

We are concerned about the implications for a conservation area and that an unfortunate precedent has been set. We believe that planning permission may also be necessary in this case and will be discussing the matter with local residents before deciding whether to pursue this point.

Edinburgh Association of Community Councils

This body represents all of Edinburgh’s 45 community councils and should fill important roles in encouraging best practice and projecting a common voice to the city council on shared concerns. A new Constitution is being developed and a new Chair (Eric Dobbie) and Secretary (David Bewsey) elected. We look forward to working with Eric and David to help them fulfil this crucial role.

Denham Green

After discussions with council officials, trees have now been trimmed and – hopefully by the time you are reading this – the damaged streetlight at the north end of Denham Green Place will be back in operation. Further work on these lights and the pavements is planned for 2016.

Lower Granton Road

Run by Sustrans under the auspices of CEC, a walkabout and two workshops were held this month to discuss how Lower Granton Road and its immediate surrounds might be improved and made safer. Various suggestions were floated which will hopefully enable some improvements to be designed.

While supportive of this initiative, we highlighted to the CEC officials present that there is a wider and deteriorating east-west traffic problem in North Edinburgh and reminded them of previous council studies which could usefully be revived. Unfortunately we still have no word of any activity to review the 2008 North Edinburgh Traffic Plan.

Much more at our next meeting on Monday 11 January at 7 pm in Wardie Parish Church, Primrose Bank Road. Open to all. Come along and give us your thoughts. Or contact a Community Councillor – we need to know your views so that we can represent them!

Did you find this bulletin useful or informative? If so, why not show it to a neighbour? Anyone in Trinity can subscribe to the bulletin simply by emailing

tcc-comms@outlook.com

Or drop us a line and tell us what you think could be better.

1512 ebulletin

Christmas precaution

Trinity CC: October report

tcc

Trinity CC met on 12 October. Here are the main points:

Police Report

Few can be unaware of the recent spate of housebreakings with 12 attempted and 6 actual break-ins in the last month. One was successfully detected and police hope that this will help resolve others. Police presence has been increased but the fact remains that with darker nights and Christmas approaching, the next 3 months are likely to see an increase in burglaries from homes and garages. Bikes and cars are favourite targets. Think security! There’s plenty we can do to help ourselves. Check out

http://www.ourwatch.org.uk/safety_advice/our_guide_to_crime_prevention_safety_advice/

You can also request an individual Home Assessment by phoning 101.

Particularly disturbing was the robbery of A&A Newsagents convenience store at the corner of S Trinity Rd and E Trinity Rd. This is still under investigation and if you have any knowledge of anything unusual whatsoever on that day, the police would be delighted to hear from you. Happily, Joe seems to be fully recovered from his ordeal. We send our best wishes.

Aside from robberies there was a suspicious incident in Victoria Park when a child was approached and there has also been a rash of incidents across North Edinburgh involving youths on motorbikes, notably on the cycle paths and Granton Road.

Second Waterfront Regeneration Conference

This took place on 30 September chaired by Cllr Day, bringing together landowners, developers, CEC staff, residents and their representatives, including Trinity CC. With 5 separate developments in the area bounded by Marine Drive, W Granton Rd and Granton Square, Trinity’s immediate interest is in Granton Harbour but what happens to the west will also affect us. It is clear that extensive development will take place. Our interest is to encourage that to be sensitive to the surrounding area and its history as well as delivering high quality living space and improving amenity. Some highlights:

The developer has ambitious plans for Granton Harbour but has challenges getting them off the drawing board. Trinity CC will continue to watch closely to see that delivery lives up to promises and that the impact on local traffic is considered.
 EDI/Waterfront Edinburgh Ltd planning 550 homes and 9000sq ft of commercial space on some land remaining in WEL ownership.
 A development strategy for North Shore, West Harbour Road and Lower Strand is being prepared.
 Retail and leisure complex planned for an area known as Madelvic 9
 Plans in hand to use Madelvic House as a community arts hub.
 National Galleries/Museums progressing plans for a national collections facility some of which will be open to the public.
 The future of the gasometer still under discussion. Decontamination estimated at £10 – £15M. Retention will restrict nearby development as a safe “fall zone” would be required.
 Plans for the area around Caroline House, including the Mediaeval Garden and the putative “Granton-by-the-sea” are under review.

Want to help regeneration?

Made_in_Granton

Idea 1: Exhibition called “Made in Granton” at Madelvic House on 24 October (11am. – 2.30pm) (above) focusing on local manufacturing history and looking for ideas about how to use the building as an arts hub. Why not go along and contribute?

Idea 2: Granton Improvement Society are bidding for Lottery funding to develop their plans. An easy way to help is simply to go online and “like” their Facebook page.

SOUTH EAST SCOTLAND STRATEGIC PLAN (SESplan)

Consultation on the Major Issues for this closed on 30 September. Trinity CC submitted a detailed response to all 27 Questions but our main themes were:

  • Inadequate east-west traffic planning for North Edinburgh
  • Importance of reinforcing alternative east-west routes (notably City Bypass)
  • Insufficient consideration of the Firth of Forth as an amenity and potential for transit routes to/from Fife
  • Validity of the underlying economic assumptions
  • Needs more emphasis on quality of place for living in including integrated design of green networks at the outset.

Goldenacre Planters

It had been hoped that RBS might sponsor planters in recognition of the years when the Goldenacre branch was open but this now appears to be receding. But we have located some second hand planters from CEC Parks Dept and now hope to set up maintenance arrangements using local volunteers. Would you be interested? Do get in touch if so.

Planning Matters

The application to sell cars from 144 Newhaven Rd has been resurrected and we have resurrected our objections. A CEC hearing was scheduled but the applicant was not present, asking instead through his solicitor that the hearing be postponed. This was granted but only after we had given our time and evidence. We are very concerned about the implications that this raises for how planning applications are conducted. Next hearing is scheduled for 13 November.

Application for a house + annexe at 7a Boswall Road withdrawn.

Chargeable Parking Hours

CEC has initiated a consultation on extending parking charges into late evening and over weekends. Will this affect you? Give your views direct at: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/news/article/1928/have_your_say_on_citys_parking_action_plan_proposals

Want to know more about St Columba’s?

Hospice will have an Open Day on 30 October (10am – 4pm) – see below.

columas open day

Much more at our next meeting on

Monday 9 November at 7 pm in Wardie Parish Church, Primrose Bank Road.

Open to all. Come along and give us your thoughts. We need to know them so that we can represent them!

Did you find this bulletin useful or informative? If so, why not show it to a neighbour? Anyone in Trinity can subscribe to the bulletin simply by emailing tcc-comms@outlook.com or drop us a line and tell us what you think could be better.

Warm welcome at Drylaw meeting to discuss cold callers

Drylaw Telford CC to discuss No Cold Callers zones

Bogus caller

Drylaw Telford Community Council meeting will be held on Wednesday 28 October at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre. 

Among items to be discussed is the possible setting up of a No Cold Caller Zone in Drylaw Telford. Do you think that would be a good idea? Come along and share your views – all welcome!

Agenda and Minutes of the previous meeting can be found below:

Agenda DTCC Mtg. October 2015

DTCC Minutes September 2015 (Draft)

NCCZ – info leaflet 2014 (2)

 

 

You need Friends …

Community Council to set up Friends of Easter Drylaw Park group

Easter Drylaw Park

Does Easter Drylaw Park need Friends? Drylaw Telford Community Council certainly thinks so, and is looking for local residents to get involved in setting up a new group to support the area’s green space.

Community councillor Mhairi Curran confirmed: “We are looking to hopefully set up a Friends of Easter Drylaw Park and we are currently seeking people who might be interested in finding out more or becoming part of the group.

“We have invited a guest speaker from The Friends of Parks Group to give a short presentation at our next community council meeting, where we will discuss the benefits of setting up a Friends group here to support our local park. It will be the ideal opportunity to find out more about how Friends groups operate and what’s involved. It would be great to see more local residents coming along – we would like to hear their views on the park.”

The meeting will be held on Wednesday 26 August at 7pm in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre. All welcome.