environment – Page 133 – The NEN

POLCATS pounce on the streets of Leith!

A team of volunteers from Port of Leith Housing Association (PoLHA) and the City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) have taken part in their first clean up together.

The POLCATS (Port of Leith Community Action Team) and the CEC’s City Centre Leith Neighbourhood team, spent two days litter picking, weeding, sweeping, removing graffiti from bins and removing dumped items from Pitt Street and Trafalgar Lane.

Claire Ironside, Director of Customer Services at PoLHA, said: “We have several properties in Trafalgar Lane and Pitt Street, so it was a natural choice for us to target these streets first. We were also helped by local businesses that went out of their way to move cars and vans to allow access to the streets.

“We have received some very positive feedback from our first community clean up and are looking forward to carrying out similar activities in the future to ensure our neighbourhoods are looking clean and tidy.”

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Play your part in active travel planning

Local councillor Lesley Hinds outlined initiatives to keep the city moving at last week’s Inverleith Community Conference. You can be involved …

A recruitment drive is now under way for members of two groups involved in developing active travel policy for Edinburgh.

The Council is setting up a new Active Travel Forum, to be chaired by Transport Convener Councillor Lesley Hinds (above), which will be supplemented by a Cycling Forum and a Walking Forum.

Applications are now being sought from four members of the public to join the Cycling and Walking Forum (ie eight in total), alongside one lobby group representative for each group.

The Council is also looking for a business representative to join the Active Travel Forum, to give a perspective on active travel and staff commuting.

Councillor Adam McVey, Vice Convener of Transport and Environment, will chair both the Cycling and Walking Forums. He said: “This is a great opportunity for anyone who’s interested in active travel in Edinburgh. We want these forums to reflect a broad range of viewpoints to help us develop new policies and design principles for future walking and cycling initiatives. If you’ve got ideas on how we can do things differently or if you just want to play a bigger role in the City’s active travel plans, we’d love to hear from you.”

The full membership of the Cycling and Walking Forums will be made up of existing Transport Forum members, elected members and officers from the Council’s Transport division.

The first meetings of the Active Travel Forum, Cycling Forum and Walking Forum will take place on Wednesday 26 November 2014.

To apply, complete the online application form by Friday 14 November.

Talking walking (and cycling) in Inverleith

Walking, cycling and sustainable transport were the themes of Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership’s annual community conference held at Broughton High School last night.

Active travel, in particular encouraging walking and cycling to school, features high on the list of community priorities in Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership’s hot-off-the-press local community plan for 2014 – 2107, so the conference theme was well chosen.

Around fifty delegates attended the event which was hosted by Inverleith Neighbourhood Partnership convener Councillor Nigel Bagshaw, who spoke enthusiastically of the considerable health and environmental benefits of choosing to walk or cycle rather than take the car.

Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Convener Cllr Lesley Hinds outlined the city council’s current transport systems, ongoing initiatives and future plans before delegates broke into workshop groups to discuss: ‘What are the challenges to making walking and cycling better in Inverleith?‘ and ‘What are potential solutions to improve and increase walking and cycling, including how can we make best use of local greenspace?’

A full conference report will follow, meanwhile here are some images taken during the event:

Council calls for tougher penalties for dog fouling

The City of Edinburgh Council is calling on tougher laws to help crack down on the issue of dog fouling in the city.

A report to next week’s Transport and Environment Committee urges the Scottish Government to raise the Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) currently handed out to dog fouling offenders, and calls for an increased maximum fine for dog owners taken to court.

The report also recommends a new approach to monitor perpetrators’ future behaviour, designed to bring about a long term change and reduce dog fouling in Edinburgh.

Measures would add to a series of campaigns held by the Council to tackle the issue, which is consistently identified by local residents as one of their top priorities.

Environment Convener, Councillor Lesley Hinds, said: “Dog fouling is an issue which continues to blight our streets, creating not only an eyesore but a potential health and safety risk.

“We are committed to tackling this, and it is important that we do everything in our power to deter irresponsible owners from committing the offence.

“That’s why we’re calling on harsher punishments for offenders, as well as long-term monitoring, to reflect the significance of the crime but also to discourage repeat offending.”

If approved, the Council will formally approach the Scottish Government to request an increase to the amount charged for on-the-spot FPNs, currently £40 (rising to £60 after 28 days) in line with FPNs for littering and fly-tipping, which were updated earlier this year.

In addition, the Council will request an increase in the maximum fine on summary conviction in court, currently £500, to reflect “the seriousness or prominence of the offence”.

Proposed measures also include investigating a long term approach to persistent dog fouling, similar to the Control of Dogs (Scotland) Act 2010, which was introduced to address the behaviour of dogs deemed to be out of control. This involves the issue of Dog Control Notices imposing specific requirements with which offending owners must comply, followed by a monitoring period to address the behaviour of owners who repeatedly fail to pick up after their dogs.

As well as lobbying for legislative changes, the Council plans to work with the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service and the Scottish Court Service with the aim of securing Publicity Orders for convicted dog fouling offenders in Edinburgh. It is hoped the use of the Order, requiring individuals to publicise their conviction in a specific way, would discourage repeat offending.

In the last year, 231 FPNs have been handed out to dog owners across the city, with 82 people reported to the Procurator Fiscal for dog fouling offences.

On Tuesday, councillors will consider the various approaches to resolving the issue, as well as assessing ongoing campaigns like the South Neighbourhood’s Don’t Blame the Dog initiative, which aims to raise awareness of the problem as well as targeting enforcement action in hotspots identified by the public.

For more information on the Council’s approach to dog fouling, and how to report it, visit the Council website.

You can also watch the report being discussed at next week’s Transport and Environment Committee meeting by tuning in to the city council’s live webcast.

Shopping? Remember your carrier bags!

Charge for single use carrier bags begins today

Scotland aims to slash its huge consumption of single-use carrier bag through the introduction of a minimum 5p charge on every bag dispensed.

With over 800 million given out every year, Scots currently use the most per head of any part of the UK and a significant number of these end up as litter.

The charge covers all retailers, no matter the size or type. So it’s not just supermarkets and other food retailers, but high street stores and smaller outlets like corner shops and takeaways. It will apply equally to bags made from plastic, paper and biodegradable materials. Shoppers can avoid the charge by remembering to re-use bags or bringing bags for life for their purchases.

Speaking at Tesco Elgin, which is pledging the funds raised to Keep Scotland Beautiful, Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead said: “I’m extremely proud that this landmark legislation is now in force. Our carrier bag addiction is symptomatic of our throwaway culture and has serious implications for the environment. Huge numbers of these bags end up as litter, blighting our communities and clogging up our seas and natural habitats, affecting many sorts of wildlife and marine species in particular.

“We want that to change and for people to stop and think about whether they really need to take another bag. Alternatives like bags for life are easy to get and are much more sustainable.

“It’s extremely heartening to see so many retailers have signed up to the Carrier Bag Commitment, which includes a pledge to donate money raised through the charge to good causes around Scotland. Preparations for the charge coming in have been months in the planning and my thanks go to all those involved.

“We’ve seen that similar charges have been extremely successful in other countries such as Wales and Northern Ireland. I’m confident that Scotland can experience similar benefits and look forward to seeing a significant reduction in our use of carrier bags over the coming months and years.”

Iain Gulland, Director, Zero Waste Scotland said: “In Scotland we use hundreds of millions of single-use bags a year – an absurdity when you consider the resources used to make and transport an item for one use, before ending up as landfill or litter.

“The Carrier Bag Charge is an extremely positive step to cut the number of bags in circulation and prevent them ending up as litter, as well as encouraging re-use habits among shoppers.

“Zero Waste Scotland has been working with retailers across Scotland to help them prepare for the charge. We’re delighted so many have already registered for our Carrier Bag Commitment, agreeing to donate proceeds from bag sales to good causes, and we look forward to many more coming on board.”

Free environmental workshops this autumn

Edinburgh & Lothian Greenspace Trust (ELGT) are running free workshops over Autumn & Winter:

Fungi Foray

Sunday 5 October, 10am – 12noon

Colinton Dell, Edinburgh

Bird Watching

Sunday 19 October, 10am – 1pm

Colinton Dell, Edinburgh

Storytelling

Tuesday 21 October, 6pm-8pm

Hermitage of Braid, Edinburgh

Herbal First Aid

Saturday 8 November, 10am-1pm

Hermitage of Braid & Blackford Hill, Edinburgh

Basic Bush Craft – Family Friendly

Saturday 6 December, 10am-12.30pm

Hailes Quarry Woodland Park, Edinburgh

Woodland Christmas Crafts – Family Friendly

Saturday 13 December, 10am – 1pm

Water of Leith, Edinburgh.

All workshops are FREE – but booking is essential

If you wish to reserve more than one workshop please prioritise your choice and we will place you on reserve for the others.

For further information or to book contact ruth@elgt.org.uk or telephone 0131 445 4025.

Ruth Wyatt

Community Projects Officer, Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust

Wood you believe it? Community group seeks support

New Caledonian Woodlands needs your vote for Inverleith Park project

New Caledonian Woodlands has been shortlisted for the Bank of Scotland Community Fund 2014 in the Edinburgh North category – and needs your support!

By encouraging the public to vote, we have a chance to be awarded a grant of up to £3,000 from Bank of Scotland to enable us to continue doing good work in the community.

New Caledonian Woodlands are an Edinburgh-based charity that exist to enhance Scotland’s natural environment, inspire positive environmental behaviour change and improve mental and physical well-being in our community. We deliver a range of projects combining environmental sustainability with education about wider environmental issues, whilst utilising environmental activities to achieve improvements in mental and physical well-being.

Over the course of a year we work with around 100 referred participants and 1000 volunteers in a range of programmes to benefit those struggling with their mental well-being and encourage community ownership of caring for local woodlands.

We educate people about the important role they need to play in a range of environmental issues, from habitat conservation to climate change and carbon footprint reduction.

Participants on our projects work together in a friendly and relaxing atmosphere,
in a setting that benefits individuals in terms of self-esteem growth, learning transferable skills and community involvement.

Currently, our site located in Inverleith Park lacks adequate work space for our mental health participants to carry out their projects and limits the amount of individuals we can work with at any given time. We have plans to greatly enhance the space into an environmentally sustainable facility to accommodate and expand on the various mental health, employability and environmental volunteer projects we currently offer.

Being awarded this grant would help us put some tangible changes into place, the first being an outdoor Iron Age roundhouse to be used as a sheltered area for our mental health participants to hand craft products which they will then go on to sell.

Andy Ross, coordinator and founder of New Caledonian Woodlands, said: “The Bank of Scotland Community Fund could give us an amazing opportunity to build workshop space in our Edinburgh site that meets the needs of our Fruitful Woods and Good Wood mental health and employability projects. An Iron Age roundhouse will be built by our project participants and then used by them as a dry workshop space to carry out a range of activities – from making baskets to wooden spoons to small pieces of furniture. We anticipate that the roundhouse will be used by 80 participants per year from our mental health and employability projects, and will be a part of their recovery journey.”

The Bank of Scotland Community Fund was set up to help local people across Scotland have a positive impact at the hearts of their communities by giving grants to 232 local good causes in 58 Scottish communities.

Four good causes in each community have been shortlisted and Bank of Scotland is inviting everyone to vote for the causes they’d most like to support.

Members of the public can vote for their preferred community group on-line, by SMS or Twitter, or in a Bank of Scotland branch from 2 September to 10 October 2014. The local good cause that receives most votes in each community will receive an award of £3,000, with the other groups receiving £2,000, £1,000 or £500 depending on the votes received.

You can find out more about the Community Fund and New Caledonian Woodlands and cast your vote by visiting the Bank of Scotland Community Fund website at:

www.BankofScotland.com/communityfund

Voting for the 2014 Community Fund is open until Friday 10 October.

Plastic carrier bags to help keep Scotland beautiful

Supermarket chain Tesco has announced that the environmental charities Keep Scotland Beautiful and Keep Wales Tidy will benefit from an estimated £1.8m raised from carrier bag charges.

Compulsory charging for plastic carrier bags is to be introduced in Scotland next month. It is already in force in Wales, where it has raised more than £2.3m to support wildlife charity RSPB’s conservation work since 2011.

More than 27,000 Tesco customers took part in the vote to choose the beneficiaries of the levy, which is expected to be worth about £1m in Scotland and about £800,000 in Wales. Both charities, which were chosen from a list of 120 organisations, are planning to use the money to fund a variety of projects to keep local communities clean, green and tidy. The partnerships will run from 20 October 2014 for at least a year.

Greg Sage, community director for Tesco, said: “Our customers are the ones who will pay the charge, so we really wanted them to choose the charities that will benefit from it. The response was had was absolutely incredible – 27,000 people voted which is a fantastic turnout.

“Since 2011, the carrier bag levy in Wales has raised over £2.3 million for the local RSPB, which has been used for vital conservation work. Keep Scotland Beautiful and Keep Wales Tidy now have a fantastic opportunity to use the money raised from the bag charge to make a real difference to the communities they serve.”

Derek Robertson, chief executive of Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), said: “This is fantastic news for KSB and a tremendous opportunity for Scotland, a country whose people, organisations and institutions have really wrapped their arms around KSB and shown that they care about their environment by voting for Scotland’s own environmental charity.

“We would like to thank everyone who voted for us. We cannot wait to get started. Lots of local community groups and organisations that work in partnership with us, from all across Scotland, will benefit from this funding.”

Nominations also opened this week for the 2014 Tesco Charity Trust Community Awards Scheme, worth £200,000. The scheme will make one-off donations of between £500 and £2,500 to registered charities and not-for-profit organisations for working on local projects that support health, opportunities for young people and environmental sustainability.

Have your say on Edinburgh’s local development plan

EDINBURGH LOCAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN

SECOND PROPOSED PLAN

PERIOD FOR REPRESENTATIONS

The City of Edinburgh Council has prepared a Second Proposed Edinburgh Local Development Plan. It sets out policies and proposals to guide land use and development.

The Second Proposed Plan is accompanied by a Environmental Report – Second Revision, a Second Proposed Action Programme, a revised Draft Habitats Regulations Appraisal Record and a number of other supporting documents. These include a Schedule of Representations, which explains what regard has been had to representations made in 2013 to the first Proposed Plan.

All of these documents are available for inspection from 22 August – 3 October 2014 at:

Planning and Building Standards Reception, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh between the hours of 9.00am and 5.00pm Monday to Friday.
All Council libraries during normal opening hours.

The documents can also be viewed at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/localdevelopmentplan

Representations can be made on the Second Proposed Plan. These must be submitted in writing using the form provided by 5pm on Friday 3 October 2014. Representations can be submitted electronically to localdevelopmentplan@edinburgh.gov.uk or by post to Local Development Plan Team, City of Edinburgh Council, Business Centre G.3, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG.

Copies of the representations form and guidance note on submitting representations are available on the above website, at Waverley Court and in Council libraries.

If you made a representation to the first Proposed Plan in 2013, please note that you will need to resubmit your representation if you wish it to be formally considered by the Council and dealt with through the examination process.

Written comments can also be submitted on the Environmental Report, Action Programme, Draft Habitats Regulations Appraisal Record and other supporting documents. These should be sent to the above email or postal address by Friday 3 October 2014.

Drop-in engagement events have been arranged to provide further information on any aspect of the Second Proposed Plan:

North West Edinburgh, Rosebery Hall, Queensferry, 26 August, 3.30-6.45pm.
West Edinburgh, Drumbrae Library Hub, 28 August, 4-7pm.
South East Edinburgh, Kings Manor Hotel, Milton Road, 1 September, 4-7pm.
South West Edinburgh, Gibson Craig Hall, Currie, 3 September, 4-7pm.
South East Edinburgh, Faith Mission Hall, Gilmerton, 4 September, 4-7pm.
General session, Urban Room, Waverley Court, East Market Street, 22 September, 4-7 pm.

For more details see www.edinburgh.gov.uk/localdevelopmentplan

or contact Marius Hince on 0131 529 4692

or email marius.hince@edinburgh.gov.uk

Ben Wilson

Principal Planner, Local Planning Policy

Searching for the Great British High Street

High Streets Minister Penny Mordaunt today urged town and cities across Britain to get their applications in for the Great British High Street competition before it closes on 30 August.

The minister has written to all town teams and the local community to encourage them to take part in the competition, run by the Future High Street Forum, to find Britain’s best high streets. Many town teams have already entered the 7 separate categories: city centres, town centres, market towns, coastal communities, villages, parades and London.

The minister said this national competition was a fantastic way to celebrate the nation’s greatest high streets and it was essential that all parts of the United Kingdom are represented.

The winners will win £50,000 of prize money and dedicated support and mentoring from industry experts. This could range from one to one coaching to advice on creating business plans to attending workshops on digital marketing.

The government is committed to high streets as part of it long-term economic plan. It is supporting local shops and businesses with a billion pound package of investment that includes targeted business rate discounts, sensible planning changes and action that reins in over-zealous parking practices.

High Streets Minister Penny Mordaunt said: “This competition is about celebrating the work local people do to make their high streets great places to live, work and shop. Our high streets are bustling again and we want to find the hidden gems the country has to offer and share their tips for success.

So if your area hasn’t entered already then get cracking – don’t miss the chance to be named the Great British High Street.”