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:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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