Trinity CC met on 9 March. These are the main points:
Crime
There was a lot of interest in the apparent recent increase in housebreakings in our area but police say that while there have been some high profile cases, housebreaking in Trinity is in fact down year on year.
West of Granton Road has been worse hit. Either way, police are taking steps to tackle the issue including specialist analytical and helicopter support. They believe they know the relatively small number of people responsible and are confident of bringing this rash under control. The perpetrators are by and large disciplined and reports of violence have exaggerated the extent to which violence occurs: it remains unusual.
Detection rates are up and when a successful prosecution is achieved police are requesting that sentencing includes evening curfews.
Meantime we can help ourselves. CHECK YOUR SECURITY! It’s a matter of making your house less attractive to the burglar through security lights, CCTV and good locks, etc. so that housebreaker moves on. The police are always happy to provide advice.
A public meeting on domestic security is being planned to take place at Wardie Residents Club, towards the end of March. We will also be putting together proposals for a statistical crime report for our area to make the facts clearer. Information is also available on Police Scotland Twitter and Facebook.
East Trinity Road
A recent survey by CEC officials of traffic along East Trinity Road following the realignment of Lower Granton Road shows an overall 18% reduction but, significantly a reduction of up to 30% in the evening peak.
Officials conclude ‘that the level of traffic on ETR is now in a range appropriate for the nature of the road’. They also conclude that ‘traffic congestion on ETR has been significantly reduced and that the traffic conflict issues that previously existed have now largely disappeared’.
Nevertheless, ‘for very brief periods, opposing traffic flows can block each other’s free passage. This is due to the fact that there are limited places to stop and give way to oncoming traffic, particularly as the street, towards the east end, is wholly parked up until some residents leave for work or some other purpose.
This issue could be resolved by the strategic placement of short lengths of single yellow line to create a series of passing places which would be in force from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. leaving residents to park on them overnight. Such a measure would result in a maximum loss of fifteen daytime parking spaces.
They propose to implement passing places on an incremental basis and monitor traffic flows over the next 6 months.
Parking
TCC received a lot of feedback on this following our February issue including meeting with some local groups. While there remains a range of views there does seem to be a consensus in favour of the judicious use of yellow lines before considering Priority Parking Zones (PPZs).
Granton Waterfront
Revised plans for Granton Harbour were recently presented by the developers featuring 2000 new houses/flats, 120 bed hotel, retail, marina, boatyard and landing for cruise ship tenders. Our main concern is impact on traffic levels and local schools but we are assured that arrangements are in place for the developers to provide the financial support needed for local facilities. We will also continue to press for a North Edinburgh Transport Review.
The current owners (National Grid) of Granton Gasworks have been trying unsuccessfully to find a restoring buyer for the gasholder. Community views are split. Some feel it is an important part of North Edinburgh’s industrial heritage and every effort should be made to preserve it, perhaps incorporating it into a housing or hotel scheme as has been done elsewhere. Others feel that the structure is rotting away and that the land should simply be used for housing. Yet others believe that legislation should strengthen the obligation on the owners to maintain it. Do you have a view? Let us know.
Granton Castle Walled Garden
Another controversy concerns plans for the medieval walled garden between the gasholder and Caroline House. This is earmarked for 17 townhouses but two community groups have been formed to press for retention and restoration as they believe the garden could be an attractive visitor destination.
2015 Walkabout
Join us for this on the morning of 25 April! It’s an opportunity to identify where work needs done and we intend using it to inform our bid for a share of the £400k Forth Neighbourhood budget. Currently pavement improvements are scheduled in the Denholms and the tennis courts in Victoria Park have been upgraded.
So where to check out this year? Any thoughts?
Drop a line to tcc-comm@outlook.com
Lothian Buses to/from Trinity
The buses serving Trinity area are to increase with up to a doubling of frequency from numbers 7, 11 and 23. Saves parking!
Friends of Starbank Park
TCC has awarded a grant of £150 to provide a cold frame to enable the Friends to grow their own plants, of better quality and at lower cost. Watch out for a special Easter Friends event!
Wardie Primary Parent Council
We are delighted to welcome Kevin Taylor as WPPC’s new representative on TCC.
New Venue for next meeting
Next meeting will be held on Monday 13 April at 7 pm in Wardie Parish Church, Primrose Bank Road. Open to all. Join us if you have something to say or simply want to listen.
Did you find this 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!
Local Brown Owl Susan Jeffrey will receive the Thomas Tierney Award for Good Citizenship at next week’s Drylaw Telford Community Council meeting.
The Tierney Award was launched both to remember local activist Tam Tierney and to celebrate the work carried out by volunteers to improve life in the local community -and with thirty years service with the Brownies at Drylaw Parish Church Susan fits the bill admirably!
Community council chairman Alex Dale said: “We had four very worthy nominations for the Award this time round but Susan was the stand-out choice. To have volunteered with the local Brownies for thirty years shows incredible commitment and dedication. People like Susan help make communities better places to be and we are looking forward to presenting the award next week.”
The community council’s monthly business meeting will be held in Drylaw Neighbourhood Centre on Wednesday 25 March at 6.30pm and will be followed by the Award presentation and reception.
Brown Owl Susan (seated) is pictured with her current Brownie pack
Are citizens and community groups as effective as they could be? This is the question that is being asked by the Fred Edwards Trust and Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC).
We want to find out if activists have access to the information, tools and skills they need, not just to tackle the issues that matter to them, but to challenge and address the root causes as well.
We would like to know to what extent citizens and community groups who are working on issues of social, economic and environmental justice find the space to help them critically analyse the policies, decisions and systems that affect them.
Our aim in doing this is to find out if more needs to be done to support active and effective citizenship in Scotland. We would be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to respond to the questions in the link below.
This survey will close on Friday 20 March 2015
‘Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community’ – Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School
The Friends of Montgomery Street Park are celebrating a £40,000 grant from Biffa Award, a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK.
Montgomery Street Park will get a major upgrade after a group of local residents were successful in their funding bid. The grant from Biffa Award means that the hard-surface sports area, which is currently cracked, uneven and pot-holed, will be completely refurbished. The area will be levelled and resurfaced with rubber, then painted with lines for both football and basketball. New goal posts and basketball hoops will be installed and new seating added, in the form of long-lasting and low-maintenance recycled plastic benches.
The work will start in mid-March and should be finished by the end of April.
The application was the result of a public consultation exercise and several local groups, including schools, churches and youth organisations, wrote letters of support.
Jackie Reid, Head Teacher at Leith Walk Primary School, said: “Many of our pupils make excellent use of the park, which has become a hub of our community. As a school, we use the park extensively to ensure our pupils are active and healthy. We also hold our Nursery Sports Day there each year in June. Improving the facility in this way will undoubtedly enhance our school, and wider community.”
Rev. Gordy Mackay, Minister of Abbeyhill Baptist Church and local resident, said:“Montgomery Street Park is a vital and very valued space within our community. Over many years Abbeyhill Baptist Church has benefitted from our close proximity to the park. We have used the park for picnics, participated in fun days and enjoy taking groups of children and teenagers there to play games. These improvements to the park and the facilities within it will bring significant benefit to the park’s many users and will be greatly welcomed.”
Gillian French, Programme Manager at Biffa Award, said “Biffa Award is delighted to support this project, which has been led by local residents and involved local children. Outdoor spaces are incredibly important; the improved area will be a fun, stimulating and engaging place where children and their parents can meet and socialise.”
The funding from Biffa Award will go directly towards creating a safer and more usable space for park users, in what is the most densely populated area of not just Edinburgh, but Scotland (Census 2011). The upgraded sports facilities will be free to use. The improvements will promote active living and sports engagement, directly benefiting the health and wellbeing of local residents, who – having small or no private gardens – make good use of the park.
For more information about the Friends of Montgomery Street Park or to get involved in the group, visit
website montgomerystreetpark.org.uk
and Facebook page facebook.com/montgomerystreetpark
The Big Lunch encourages Scots to get numbers climbing and boost community spirit!
Organisers of the UK’s annual get-together for neighbours are calling for at least 10% of Scots to get stuck into a day of food, friendship and fun on Sunday 7 June.
The call to action was launched on Thursday – the ‘100 days to go’ mark before the big day. It is hoped that millions of neighbours across the UK will again be getting together in an effort to boost community spirit where they live. A massive 4.83 million people took part in the lottery funded initiative in 2014.
Emily Watts, Communications Manager for The Big Lunch in Scotland encouraged more people in Scotland to get involved this year. She said: “C’mon Edinburgh! We want to see the number of people taking part in Scottish communities climbing to 10% of the population. Year on year, feedback from previous participants is very positive, with people feeling more connected to their communities after a Big Lunch. People start new relationships that continue after the day too.
“We know Scots are friendly but we all recognise the feeling that we could make more effort with our neighbours. The Big Lunch is an excuse to chap the door and ask if they’d like to get together.”
The Big Lunch, partnered by Halifax and ASDA, is now in its seventh year. Big Lunches can be big or small, take place on a street, park or community venue and be as simple and inexpensive as you like. There are no rules to getting involved besides that people are the key ingredient!
In 2014, thousands of communities from all across the country took part in the big event. Lou, who organized her street’s first ever Big Lunch street party in Edinburgh last year, said: “Before our Big Lunch I knew the neighbours near our house to speak to, but not further up the street. Now we all know each other and feel able to stop and say hello, which I wouldn’t have done before.
“Our neighbours really got into the spirit of contributing something on the day, bringing lovely food to share and helping with party tunes and activities for the kids. This made it really easy and inexpensive to pull together. Looking back, it felt like a day from a bygone era and I’m glad we put the time aside to get to know our community better. I really recommend getting involved in 2015!”
Edinburgh neighbours who are interested in getting involved this June can register for a free pack, now available from www.thebiglunch.com or on 0845 850 8181. Packs include invitations, posters, recipes and activity ideas, as well as lots of information to get events off the ground. All pack materials are undated so communities can have Big Lunches when best suits them if they can’t join in on Sunday 7 June.
Footage from previous year’s Big Lunches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?
The Eden Project started The Big Lunch in 2009 with the belief that we’re better equipped to tackle the challenges we face when we face them together.
The Big Lunch is led by the Eden Project, funded by the Big Lottery Fund and supported by Halifax and Asda.
Find out more about The Big Lunch at www.thebiglunch.com
Granton & District Community Council Meeting has opposed the latest plans to redevelop Granton Marina. At their February meeting the community council agreed that the revised plans will not best serve Granton residents and they also called for improved community engagement.
Their response to the application reads:
“This community council notes the planning application by Granton Central Development.
Whilst we recognise that the Granton harbour area does require to be developed for the betterment of the local community we do not consider that the current application does this. In particular we are concerned about:
We believe that achieving an environment in which people are encouraged to participate in the community and enjoy the city’s streets has a number of secondary long-term benefits of immense importance – for example, increased economic activity, better health from more active lifestyles and enhanced sense of personal safety and community. The current application does not do this and we agree to formally object to the current plan.
We further call on the Planning Department of CEC to arrange a Charettesplus community planning event. Charretteplus builds upon the traditional charrette model of engagement, promoted and supported by the Scottish Government through their Charrette Mainstreaming Programme. Charretteplus delivers more, to a greater number of people and provide the whole community input on what they would like to see in their community.”
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Can you please take a couple of minutes to complete the survey linked below? Many thanks to those who have responded already …
The Forth and Inverleith Voluntary Sector Forum would like to carry out a short survey to ascertain what day and time best suits the majority for the Forth and Inverleith VSF meetings.
Can you please take a couple of minutes to complete? We want to ensure that we are having these meetings at a time most convenient for the majority.
Many thanks
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/7WLVMS2
‘Without intervention traffic and parking in Trinity will rise’
See below for the latest news from Trinity Community Council, whose latest meeting focused on parking, an issue of concern raised by several residents …
Do you have an opinion on traffic and/or parking issues in Trinity? Please share your thoughts with Trinity Community Council, who would be interested to hear your views.
To get in touch, email tcc-comms@outlook.com
Come join us on Monday at Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership at Blackhall Library, 6.30pm, on Monday (23 February).
Hear about ‘Edinburgh Living Landscapes’ and have a say in creating, restoring and connecting green areas of the city. There will also be a presentation on local roads and pavements budgets – come find out how much we have and how we decide where it gets spent!
Finally, see a display of plans for Fet-Lor Youth Club’s new building, Drylaw Skatepark, and hear decisions by Board on our Community Grants Fund applications.
We’d love to see you! Full papers are now available here: http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/meetings/meeting/3608/inverleith_neighbourhood_partnership
Elaine Lennon, Partnership Development Officer
City of Edinburgh Council – Services for Communities
8 West Pilton Gardens, Edinburgh, EH4 4DP
Tel: 0131 529 5270
