Portobello Community Council

[Porty]

Will it be streamed live on You Tube?

[Bob Jefferson]

I would be happy to film the proceedings for Portobelly Telly, and I'm sure it would make cult viewing, but to do it justice you would need a dedicated camera for the speakers and another to roam around the room to catch the real action.

[Porty]

[Maria]

[Porty]

[Maria]

[Porty]

[philip myerscough]

[seanie]

[Porty]

i've been exchanging Emails with John Stewart and the City Council in relation BL's application last year and specifically on the DSC meeting where Councillor Hawkins spoke on behalf of PCC. I have been able to establish:

Councillor Hawkins spoke in Diana Cairns stead, as DSC do not take deputations from any group or indivdual, including Community Councils. Which makes one wonder why PCC tasked someone to deputate?

As Stephen is a Councillor he can be invited to speak.

John Stewart composed a letter, which he sent to all committee members of the DSC. Had he not sent individual letters, his letter, on behalf of PCC, would have been produced in full to each committee member, as PCC's are statutory consultees. The letter was also circulated to all PCC members either before or after the meeting.

Even although DSC members were guaranteed to see his letter, it was decided to send a ward councillor along to read it out to the commitee. I asked John if the opportunity for reading out was offered to all three of our councillors? Mike Bridgman and Maureen Child were not asked. "I was not aware it took 3 people to read out one statement so no, Mike Bridgman was not asked" PCC were not informed about the selection of Councilor Hawkins prior to the DSC meeting.

I asked the Council what the script is regarding Councillors representations:

"All members are bound by the Code of Conduct for Councillors, a section of which deals specifically with issues such as this. That Code can be seen at the following link - http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications ... 14492/2559 and section 7 is relevant here. Members should not seek to influence officers in making their recommendations. In the situations you describe, the officers have made their recommendations which are by then are publicly available. Any complaint that a councillor has breached the Code would be a matter for the Standards Commission.

You asked if a ward councillor could read out a statement on behalf of a Community Council. It is not for an officer of the Council to tell a councillor what they may or may not say at a meeting - it is for them to judge what they wish to say. I would point out that during the earlier stages of the planning process a Community Council, like everyone else, has the right to submit written comments on applications, either for or against the proposed development. These representations are available for members of the Sub-Committee. Community Councils can ask to be regarded as statutory consultees for a proposed development, in which case their comments would be reproduced in full in the report to the Sub-Committee."

The PCC letter is 1200 words long including headings. According to witnesses Councillor Hawkins spoke for 40 minutes, which leaves about 35 minutes unaccounted for. When he concluded the committee and others were led to believe PCC was "vehemently opposed" to the application. In reality there was a deal of support for the application amongst some community councillors, a fact that was omitted from the Chair's letter.

John has kindly furnished me with a copy of the letter that was sent to the Committee around November 2009. I'm not sure whether to post it here, as John also informed me that I was not entitled to see it as I'm not a member of the community, because I don't live in the area. I suspect the forum is watched by quite a few people who don't live in the area and I don't want to upset anyone by publishing something that outsiders are not allowed to see.

[Franck]

[Porty]

Doesn't sound daft at all. I lived in Porty for the first 48 years and then moved into town about 3 and a bit years ago. I still have an interest in two businesses on porty high street, in fact they are my livliehood. My family still live in the area. I was called Porty on a Bruce Springsteen fansite and just kept the name when i joined here in 2004. I still consider my self a community member but maybe I'm not? Nothing to do with BL- I've been in the same room as PM once but didn't engage.

I'm interested in BL getting a fair hearing and I'm fed up with a tiny group of people who ride roughshod over what a Community Council should stand for.

[Franck]

[Franck]

Oh, and it doesnt make any difference what area of Edinburgh you live in, paying cooncil tax in Edina allows you to have an opinion on any matter in Edina.

[wangi]

[Porty]

[philip myerscough]

Just for completeness here is a link to the letter that Diana Cairns as Secretary of PCC sent to the Planning Dept objecting to our previous application on behalf of PCC.

http://citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk/ ... d=56352692

[seanie]

[Porty]

[Makaveli]

So where does the above quote from the EUDP come from that Seanie has pointed out?

If it has been put in an official letter of objection surely they have to be able to back up such statements? I can't believe the PCC feel so strongly about this development that they consider lying to be a sensible course of action?

[seanie]

[Porty]

[philip myerscough]

I just want to apologise for the heated nature of my responses to some of the questions at the Community Council meeting this evening. But I find it very frustrating when I try to consult with the community through PCC only to find my way to the community blocked by people who do not want to consult. Then all I hear is the same old opinions from the same old individuals who think they know best. To quote your chair from a discussion I had with him at the open day at the Town Hall - "Just because it's what the people of Portobello want doesn't mean it's good for Portobello"
I'm beginning to think there is no way forward here unless someone can tell me otherwise.
I came to the meeting tonight not to answer questions but to listen to PCC debate the issues so that I could gauge opinion. But it didn't turn out that way.

[philip myerscough]

The first letter from Diana Cairns in her capacity as secretary of PCC is a letter of objection written to the planners during the planning process. The second letter from the Chair of PCC written 6 months later appears to have been sent to each member of the planning committee just before the application was considered. Did PCC ask the Chair to write to the members of the committee in these terms?

The statement read at committee by councillor Hawkins was neither of the above. It covered the same topics but also contained other observations and comments. His own? PCC's? The community's?

As I understand it the PCC is supposed to be the conduit through which the community can express their views. Members are not elected to formulate their own views in isolation and then put them forward as the views of the community they represent. When they consult they are supposed to do so in an organised and wide ranging fashion, not just email or speak to like-minded friends to garner support for their own views. They are not a lobbying body.

I thought tonight's meeting was a fiasco. An insult to democracy. The issue of most concern other than the initial presentation was put towards the end of the agenda. debate was stifled. The Chair was far from impartial.

There was representation there tonight from the Council. What did they think of it all?

A representative of Verden Studios came along to speak about what their business is doing in the community. They open up their studios on friday afternoons when school is closed and charge £5 per hour for rooms where young people, mostly male, come to play together. About how the future of their business is inextricably tied into the future of our scheme. They had to leave before the debate commenced. At the very same meeting there was talk in relation to youth "crime" of the lack of facilities in Portobello for young people. Why is the butchers being given so much attention and their business being ignored?

All the focus is on the foodstore. Why? This is a mixed use development, principally residential. New people in Portobello. New community facilites. Arts studios. Verden. Medical and therapies and pharmacy. And anyway outwith the PCC it appears to me the majority of people in Portobello would welcome a good, new foodstore. Who are the PCC to disagree? t's not their job to tell the community what's good for them. That went out with Kruschev!

[Makaveli]

[Franck]

[Porty]

[philip myerscough]

[philip myerscough]

[Mark Cameron]

Like Franck I find it staggering at some of the comments and alleged goings on. I am definately going to go to the next meeting - I think rather than sitting on my 'erchie' adding comments from behind the security of a PC screen people from the community need to get along and challenge what's going on for the interest of the whole community.

[Doris]

Is there a meeting tonight? Anybody know what's on the agenda?

[Puerto bella]

I heard that there was a presentation about Newcraighall from the design team....apart from that not heard anything, sorry.

[Maria]

Just heard that the PCC website is now live.

[Porty]

[seanie]

On another note...

...just supposing, and this is purely hypothetical, that the Community Council were to conduct some kind of community survey, asking people about their issues, concerns etc., are there any particular issues or areas that would be worth specifically inviting comments on?

Although Community Council's are statutory bodies they don't have any real powers so are limited in what they can do, but relaying local views to the council is their main function. I know traffic has been highlighted as an issue recently, but are there other things that maybe could be focused on?

Any thoughts appreciated...