Tag: licensing

Letter: Mayhem in The Meadows

Summit and Action Plan urgently needed, says resident

Mayhem in the Meadows

Over the course of six months between May and October 1886, 135 years ago, the Edinburgh International Exhibition of Industry, Science and Art attracted an incredible 2.7 million visitors to Scotland’s capital.

An astonishing 30,000 people attended on the first day, with 10,000 season tickets sold at one guinea each.

The exhibition’s enormous main pavilion was a sight to behold. It filled the Meadows Parkland between Brougham Place and what is now Jawbone Walk. The domed roof kissed the sky at 120 feet tall and was decorated with the signs of the zodiac.

I was struck as to what our forefathers responsible for creating and attending this would have thought after witnessing the events in the Meadows on Saturday (3rd April).

What occurred has been well documented:

– https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/edinburgh-meadows-chaos-sees-teen-20319859 

– and I won’t spend much time on this, but the scenes of violence, anti-social behaviour and urinating/defecating in neighbouring streets and on the Meadows was something those of us living locally should not have to put up with.

We have had enough.

It should also be noted that this is not a one-off. Roseneath Place for example is commonly used effectively as a public toilet known as the “pee street” and the rubbish left after such occasions on the Meadows is appalling. We are sick and tired of having to go out and clean up and am sure council workers have better things to do.

Without urgent action a long summer lies ahead and what is happening is in clear breach of the Covid-restrictions.

I am conscious that this has been a difficult time for young people, especially on their mental health, but behaviour like this cannot and should not be tolerated, especially as we are going through a fragile Covid-recovery.

The Meadows is now “the place” to go for teenagers, with thousands congregating and clearly overwhelming police, who I have considerable sympathy with and are in an incredibly difficult situation. Large groups are in clear breach of the Covid-regulations and it should be noted that these are not just local teenagers, with large numbers arriving in taxis/using public transport.

A combination of deterring groups of teenagers from attending plus cracking down on anti-social behaviour for those who do is vital.  I have a few suggestions which may want to be considered/built on.

A Meadows’ summit needs to be implemented very quickly to look at what can be done to try and prevent this happening again through delivering an action plan. Not something in six-months time, but now.

Such a group could involve key representatives from the Council – council officials and councillors – MP; community councils, Friends of the Meadows and Bruntsfield Links, retailers and police (am conscious given the election there is no MSP(s)). This can clearly be pulled together very quickly given the wonders of modern technology.

Some thoughts for consideration below:

  1. Licensing – it was clear from the young people queuing outside shops locally that a large number were underage and should not have been able to buy alcohol. The impact of alcohol on behaviour was clear for all to see. A reminder to shop-owners of their responsibilities is a suggestion.
  2. Toilets – a lack of toilets is an issue. We have to acknowledge that even if we manage to deter groups of teenagers attending and breaching Covid-regulations, they are not enough facilities to accommodate. The provision of some portaloos would be an option, preventing people urinating/defecating in local streets.
  3. Bins – unfortunately many are too lazy to take their rubbish to a bin or take it away. The provision of some black bins on the Meadows itself may be an issue and implementation of a BYOB – Bring Your Own Bag Campaign – tied in with some environmental messaging. Although I am conscious of the potential impact of locating bins on the grass. Potential also to use park wardens (as per 4)) to distribute bags.
  4. Park wardens – provision of park wardens handing out bags, implementing fines for those littering. The presence of someone on Roseneath Place on a summer’s day as a deterrent to those using it as a public toilet would be welcomed.
  5. CCTV – has the potential to deter if people know they are being “caught on camera”. For those engaging in anti-social behaviour there is the evidence to convict.
  6. Police – having to deal with this is a massive waste of police resources, which can be deployed elsewhere.  Groups of individuals must be deterred from attending, but there does however require to be a police presence to crack down on those who do, with a zero- tolerance message. Early intervention through a strong presence early on has the potential to prevent having to address out of control crowds later on. This includes removing alcohol, breaking up crowds and implementing fines.
  7. Parental responsibility – parents clearly have a responsibility in ascertaining what their children are up to. Could a communication maybe be sent by the Council to parents to explain what has been happening, for them to question where their children are going when out and where they have been, and to also highlight the Covid-restrictions?

Ultimately, addressing issues after they happen is much more resource-intensive than trying to prevent them occurring in the first place.

These are a few suggestions any group may want to look at. The Meadows is a much-loved and appreciated resource, and we must all act to try and keep it that way.

Yours with thanks and for consideration

Alex Orr

Taxi! Keir calls for tighter legislation

‘Public safety is everything’ – SNP MSP Colin Keir

London Taxis in central LondonSNP MSP for Edinburgh Western Colin Keir has called for tighter legislation of taxis and private hire cars during a Holyrood debate on the Air Rifles and Licensing Bill.

Mr Keir is supporting moves to introduce a test for Private Hire Car drivers as well as tightening the legislation on booking offices. He also called on vehicles which are currently exempt from the licensing system to be included on the grounds of public safety.

Mr Keir said: “The legislation which deals with taxis and private hire cars was drawn up as a part of the 1982 Civic Government Scotland Act and needs to be amended. The use of mobile phones and apps were not known years ago and the law and the trade have to adapt to modern circumstances.”

Mr Keir added: “Everyone who uses a taxi or private hire car must know that it is safe to get into a vehicle and must have confidence that there’s a fit and proper person behind the wheel – public safety is everything.”

Cheers! Local MP votes for fair deal for publicans

Lazarowicz supports clause to protect community pubs

drink[1]Mark Lazarowicz MP has voted to protect local publicans from the predatory practices of large pub owning companies (known as pubcos) by backing a new cross-party clause to the Small Business Bill earlier this week.

Following a report into the industry by the cross-party Business, Innovation and Skills Select Committee in 2010, Labour has campaigned alongside a broad coalition of groups in the industry – including the Federation of Small Businesses, the Forum of Private Business, CAMRA, FairPint and the GMB and UNITE trade unions – to call for greater protection for local pubs and put a stop to unfair treatment and restrictive practices by pubcos.

The government’s provisions to regulate pubcos in the Small Business Bill, debated in Parliament this week, but these fell some way short of Labour’s plans and campaigners’ demands. Labour therefore supported a cross-party clause to strengthen the Bill. The government opposed this change but were defeated by 284 votes to 269.

The North & Leith MP said: “27 pubs close every week and 57% of landlords who are tied to a large pubco earn less than £10,000 a year. These are scandals which must be addressed, and so I was proud to support the new clause which gives licensees the option of going free of tie – so that they can buy their beers on the open market – whenever they negotiate a new contract.

“This is the best way to ensure that large pub companies offer fair terms to their licensees and to finally address the scandal of so many valued community pubs shutting. The cooperation of the Scottish government will now be required for the proposals to be fully implemented in Scotland, and I hope that they will do this.”

 

Forget the Doo’cot – now it’s the Naebody’s Inn!

doocot

The once-popular Doo’cot Roadhouse in Drylaw closed last month following a dispute between the licensee and the pub’s owners, Yorkshire-based Samuel Smith’s Breweries. Ian Byars handed in his licence just a week after his sister Lesley Gilmore resigned as manager at the Cramond Inn – Samuel Smith’s only other Edinburgh pub.

The brewers have refused to comment on the couple’s claims that they are owed thousands, and in the meantime The Doo’cot’s future remains uncertain.

Samuel Smith’s is a real old-fashioned traditional brewery, established in 1758. The company still don’t have email, but they have moved with the times a bit and have a website with some nice pictures of their shire horses on it. It’s still quite hard to contact them, though, even to get telephone calls returned – but it’s thought that their pubs will reopen when new licensees have been found.

horseInverleith councillor Iain Whyte said: “The Doo’cot is a popular pub and it’s got a large family area. Although there are some other pubs, most of them are quite a walk away so hopefully it will be back in use soon. It is not that long since it was heavily refurbished and I imagine it will be attractive for some one to run.”

The Doo’cot is indeed an attractive pub, with very competitive drinks prices, but it’s struggled to attract customers almost since it reopened after refurbishment. Social habits have changed, of course, but there’s always been the feeling too hat it’s a good pub but in the wrong location, or it’s an ideal place for a pub but not that kind of pub. The no TVs, no jukebox policy was always questionable, too – good old fashioned conversation isn’t enough for some folk now. Punters want to be entertained and if one pub won’t do it, another one will. Money is tight and customers vote with their feet- and their wallets.

By uncanny coincidence, the day the Doo’cot closed was almost thirteen years to the day since the Tadcaster brewery took over the Doo’cot – once Scottish & Newcastle’s busiest pub in the east of Scotland.

Samuel Smith’s always stock their bars exclusively with their own products, and despite a petition from Doo’cot regulars the new owners steadfastly refused to stock the popular McEwan’s ‘heavy’ as a guest beer. The result? A boycott, and scenes reminiscent of Braveheart as battling Saltire-clad pensioner Alex Kane chained himself to the front door in protest as draymen attempted to deliver Smith’s beers. He may even have said: “They can take our pub, but they’ll never take oor heavy!” but I may be mistaken

The protest ended peacefully and the pub opened, but despite major investment and complete refurbishment the customers never returned in great numbers. Many Doo’cot regulars moved on to other pubs, others stayed at home where they can smoke and drink much as they like – and yet more are now drinking their pints of heavy in that great saloon bar in the sky.

I hope the Doo’cot reopens soon – if it doesn’t, it will quickly become a target for vandals. But those days of jam-packed community pubs are well and truly over. Same again?

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