Maureen Child: Report & Updates July 2011

[administrator]

Dear All

I recently had a meeting with the growing 'Friends of Straiton Park' about improvements that might be made to this area at the foot of Marlborough Street off the Promenade in Portobello. One of the group - also belonging to 'Porty Dads' - is getting more ideas through a consultation process. Geoff Lynn has created a mechanism to gather ideas for developing Straiton Place Park.You can add your own input by hitting the link below http://bit.ly/mhgGT4 The more input the better!
The notes of the meeting are attached and some of the Porty Dads group are meeting with parks design people in the Council to work out a few designs on which we can consult more widely and start to raise the cash to fund our ideas.

On Joppa Quarry Park, I have a consultation (by email and hard copy) out to those living nearby Joppa Quarry Park (see attached plan). The proposal is to re-create the mark-out 7-a-side pitch with goals, that was there before, and also to provide a kick about goals are next to the current playground. I am very hoping this can be put in place during the current summer holidays.

As a result of sending out a newsletter about progress with the new Portobello High School site on Portobello Park I became aware that the local residents around the park were not being included in this update information. As a result, information is being distributed about the power cable removal and archaeological works about to start on Portobello Park (see attachment) . I have a commitment that this will be the first update of a series of regular communications to keep near neighbours informed.

As the whole world knows, Edinburgh Councillors had the big Tram Debate and you should know what I did on that, and why. Interesting comments had come back to me from Portobello/Craigmillar constituents on what we should do about trams - half were for some variation on scrapping on the whole project and half in favour of continuing to get the job done. I didn't expect that balance of feedback, given the local media spin.

The attached Labour Group Motion was defeated, but a total of 31 Councillors did vote to continue to deliver trams for Edinburgh, as the vast majority of us (48/58) promised to do at the May 2007 Election. We disagreed with the Liberal Democrats on which step forward - to Haymarket or St Andrew Square - was the more prudent financially, given the very bad place the project is in now.

Only the Scottish National Party (part of the Lib Dem/SNP ruling coalition) got anywhere close to scrapping Edinburgh's tram project. The SNP Councillors decided to duck the responsibility they were elected to fulfil for the City, as they called for a citywide referendum. By their own admission, a referendum would cost Council Taxpayers £700,000 and take 3 months. Postponing a decision (as the Conservatives and Greens also chose to do) risks taking us well past key deadlines, notably the 1 September 2011. On that 'drop dead' date, all the agreements, put in place through mediation with the tram construction consortium, would fall. As a consequence, we would have pay out (literally) hundreds of millions to the contractor, and have no usable transport asset whatever to show for it. I established that for every £100 Million that Edinburgh Council would have to pay, there would be a 45% increase in Edinburgh's Council Tax - meaning your Council Tax bill would more than triple in the year the contractors' bill fell due. That is not a real option, in my view.

So - I voted for continuation of the tram project and have no doubt that was right for Edinburgh, now, and the only sensible way forward which will trams serving Craigmillar and Portobello in the longer term.

The Craigmillar Festival is still on and includes Launch Day for the Green House in Craigmillar is tomorrow - Saturday 8 July from 12noon to 4pm. be one of the first to visit the new Green House advice shop. It will help you save money and the environment. Pop in for a cuppa and a piece of cake, and find out more. The historic White House will be open too, with kids entertainment and more. This is the first project of the Community Alliance Trust . See http://www.communityalliancetrust.org.uk or call 07874 678 052 for more information. The Green House is at 64 Niddrie Mains Road and The White House at No 70.

On Tuesday 12 July, 1pm to 4pm, there is a Tea Dance at Artspace (enter by Niddrie Mains Terrace). Tickets bookable in advance through Caring in Craigmillar (Phone 0131 659 2920).

Finally David Hewitt of Wellsprings in Newcraighall has asked me to tell you about this community activity: 'Spirit Rhythms' on Sunday 10 July, 6pm to 8pm at Wellsprings, 71 Whitehill Street, Newcraighall, EH21 8QZ. The evening includes spiritual insights, dream interpretation, healing for body soul and spirit, and hand massage. Accompanied by live music, drum circle and dancing. Cake and refreshments stall. Free Entry. More on http://www.wellsprings.uk.net

Best wishes, and have a good weekend!

Maureen

Councillor Maureen Child | Labour Elected Member | Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) | City of Edinburgh Council | City Chambers | High Street | Edinburgh | EH1 1YJ | Tel 0131 529 3268 |

http://www.porty.org.uk
http://www.craigmillarcc.btck.co.uk
http://www.portobellocc.org

p.s. My face-to-face Councillor Advice Sessions, or 'Surgeries', are suspended in the holiday period until 15 August but I am available on the phone (My direct line is 0131 529 3268). I have set up some home visits and individual meetings over the period and I am happy to arrange a meeting for you if we need to meet face-to-face.

[administrator]

Dear All

People have said to me that they sorely missed having their garden waste collected on July 4. This happened because the Monday was a public holiday, as indicated on the Council's garden refuse calendar. We might well have expected the brown bin to be emptied the following day? The Council's waste manager tells me they did consider doing this, but decided not to on the grounds of cost, logistics and other more pressing priorities like servicing the communal bins. There is still an overtime ban in the Council's refuse collection service, owing to the long-running industrial dispute. So, the next Monday garden waste collection is next Monday, 18 July.

Portobello residents recently got a flier though the door from Portobello Park Action Group (PPAG) and supporters headed 'Save Porty Park - It's Not Too Late!' They are asking you to make a financial contribution to their planned legal challenge to the Council in Court on the use of this land for building a new Portobello High School. They make some misleading statements in the flier. Several local people have got back to me for clarification on some points so I'll try to give you my take on it for everyone:

(1) Those youngsters who would have to cross Milton Road to get to the new School site, will also have to cross the same road to get to school on the current site. The main pedestrian accesses are not taken from the pavement on the main road. Planned changes on Milton Road, including a new controlled pedestrian crossing, and a reduction in the speed limit, are designed to make it safer for pedestrians than it currently is. A concerned youngster who wants both a new school and to keep the park, apparently arranged for his/her beautifully drawn and designed leaflet to be handed out at Towerbank School. It depicts a child knocked down by a car on the road in front of the new school. That got a lot of coverage in the Evening News on Monday 11 July and was - in effect - scaremongering by someone who supports PPAG's campaign.

(2) The sale of the current Portobello High School site for flats is not at all certain. It may well be restored to green space, in whole or in part. That question is still open to be fought for by the local community, when and if the time comes. Some people might have forgotten, we do need a new or refurbished and extended St John's Primary School, with play and sports space, next door to the current Porty High. That fact has not slipped my mind!

(3) The PPAG campaign material asserts, without foundation, that Portobello Golf Course will be lost if the school is built on the park and housing built there instead. Well, no! In 2008, we had confirmation that this whole area has Common Good status. A publicly-owned and run school has been established as a Common Good use through the establishment of at least two precedents. It has been tested in the Courts Of Session for Common Good sites elsewhere in Scotland. Any sale of Common Good land into private hands - if it is ever seriously suggested - will be vigorously and successfully opposed, by me among others. The new building has been skilfully designed, and the school community intend to ensure that the golf course and school can function well together. That is what I fully expect to happen.

(4) The option to rebuild Portobello High School on the same extremely tight site was put into an outline initial bid for Scottish Government funding in 2003. It was suggested as a possible site again in 2006. BUT this choice runs very, very far behind the school in the park option. The bid for funding in 2003 was not taken further largely because it was cramped and very far from ideal then. It is still very far from ideal now.

I hope those four points provide you with some balance to PPAG's assertions. Of course, I leave you to judge who to believe and what you do about it!

The most recent effort of Big Things on the Beach, to promote Portobello as Edinburgh's Seaside is an article written by Damian Killeen, continuing to raise awareness of the potential of Portobello to the citizens of Edinburgh and welcoming our visitors. See the link at: http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/opini ... iclepage=1

Shared Path Signage.pdf

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The vexed question of Cycling on Portobello Promenade is with us again. Away back in 1997, Portobello Community Council, with the support of Lothian Health, did a consultation on this and produced a document 'Promoting Cycling in Portobello' led by Lesley Reid. This exercise was undertaken in response to a very heated local public meeting on the topic. At that time, cycling on the Promenade was illegal. This study established - by and large - that careful adult cyclists and children, learning to cycle safely and going to school, might be tolerated. It has now been established that cycling is permitted on the Promenade in Portobello, I believe this is as a consequence of recent change in the law on access (although I am checking this). Under the current legislation, the Promenade becomes a shared pedestrian and cycle path. This change - IF accepted as inevitable - may well be contentious for local people. The cycling lobby group SPOKES are in support of this change. They have suggested that it would be helpful to put up signs saying something like 'Careful Cyclists Welcome' , which would be in line with the current law. I attach a mock up of what kind of sign might be put up instead of the current 'No Cycling' signs. If if you have any thoughts or comments, please let me know. The whole question is due to be discussed by Portobello Community Council at its 26 September Meeting.

2011-06-15 Niddrie Burn Restoration Project - Poster June 2011.pdf

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For your interest, I have attached a newsletter detailing progress on the Niddrie Burn Restoration Project and the Public Transport Link being built to serve the New Royal Infirmary.

I enjoyed the Summer Bash at Jack Kane Community Wing which was attended by over 1700 people on the last day of school term. A summer programme of events should be keeping the youngsters busy in Portobello/Craigmillar, for at least some of the time over the long summer holidays. The Swamp Soccer event the last weekend in June also went really well for the young people in the Jack Kane Centre. They set up and worked in their own Cafe, serving refreshments for the participants and spectators for both events. The young people were very welcoming to all their visitors. The restoration of the north part of Hunter's Hall Park, looking like a ploughed field after Swamp Soccer, is to be reinstated by the end of the July. The Council holds the organiser's bond of £15,000 and will make sure the work is properly done.

The Fairer Scotland funded Edinburgh Cyrenian Trust employment project, based in the Hays Business Centre in the area is going well. For example, their Learning and Work Project is running a general building operatives course. They tell me they are very pleased to be getting a huge amount of support from Lovell the contractors on site at Wauchope Terrace, going well above and beyond the call of duty. Development Officer Sandi McGeoch says: "Bryan Worth, project manager and Mark Elliott, site manager have been excellent! Nothing has been too much trouble to sort or organise. Lovell is hosting the entire first day of the course on site. This includes induction and a site walkabout, followed by toolbox talks and a presentation by Sarah Whyte, Lovell’s business development manager. Lovell are also offering site facilities for both the manual handling and banksman training and testing. And Bryan will be conducting mock interviews prior to the work experience placements on site!" This is a fine example of local partnership working, enabling some of Craigmillar's young people to benefit from the opportunities to learn and to get in to work, even in these tough economic times.

I hope you're enjoying the sunshine, while it lasts!

Best wishes

Maureen
Councillor Maureen Child | Labour Elected Member | Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) | City of Edinburgh Council | City Chambers | High Street | Edinburgh | EH1 1YJ | Tel 0131 529 3268 |