CRAMOND & BARNTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL

Incorporating Cramond, Barnton, Cammo & Quality Street (West)

Minutes of Meeting held on Thurs 18th April 2024 in

Cramond Kirk Millennium Hall

Present: John Loudon (Chair), Ian Williamson (Secretary), Peter Scott, Bert Scott, Dianne Stein, Percy Feketey, Councillor Louise Young, Councillor Norman Work and 8 members of the community. 

Apologies: Councillors Younie and Lang, John Howison, Gena Wylie, Robert Bruce, and Sally Chalmers.

Approval of March 2024 Minutes

Approved by Percy Feketey and signed off by the Chair.

Introductory Remarks

John Loudon began with a brief resume of the first meeting of the Cramond Safety Action Group set up following the tragic death of Thomas Wong, killed in an accident while cycling to school earlier in the year. While set up by Councillor Kevin Lang, the group was non-political; Kevin’s decision to facilitate the group had arisen in response to demand from the community for a forum for the assimilation of ideas and actions that would improve road safety for children and for the community.

John tasked the secretary to circulate the record of the first meeting of the group, as transcribed below.

Background and scope of the group

  • It was noted that this is a volunteer group with no formal standing but is diverse in terms of geographical spread across Cramond and Barnton, age, interests, travel patterns, etc, and included representatives from the Cramond Primary Parent Council, Royal High Parent Council, and Cramond and Barnton Community Council.
  • There was a real opportunity coming from the tragic death of Thomas Wong to deliver real and long-lasting change to improve safety across the community.
  • That the group would initially work to a timetable of creating key objectives and an action plan that the new community council (due to be elected later this year) may be able to pick up over the longer term.
  • That, in terms of behaviours, it was important we acted in an open and respectful manner, be positive and solutions focused, with different members of the group helping to pick up and focus on particular strands of work.

Defining key objectives

The group had a thorough discussion on key objectives and what success could look like. The following high-level outcomes were agreed (these are not in any order of priority)

  1. Delivering a community free from road related accidents and injuries.
  2. Giving every child the ability to feel they can safely travel to/from school through active travel (walking, wheeling, and cycling)
  3. Bringing about an overall reduction in local vehicle speed levels.
  4. Ensuring people feel they can safely get to where they need to go and still leave their car at home.
  5. Reducing, if possible and feasible, rat running through traffic in Cramond and Barnton (it was recognised that this was a difficult thing to deliver).
  6. Ensuring that local people know and understand how they can act responsibly to improve safety in their community.

It was agreed that every member of the group would email Kevin to highlight which two of these six objectives they have a particular interest in working more on. I would ask people to please do this by Friday, 26 April.

Edinburgh Council immediate actions.

Kevin gave a summary of areas he knew which council officers had already agreed to and were working on. This includes.

  • A reduction in the speed limit on Queensferry Road from 40mph to 30mph (which may be implemented from next month).
  • A traffic order to reduce the speed limit on Whitehouse Road from 30mph to 20mph.
  • A possible redesign of the Barnton junction to make north/south active travel safer, along with segregated cycling infrastructure but, as things stand, only as far as the NCR1 network at Brae Park Road.
  • A restriction on the operation of council-owned bin lorries in the close vicinity of Cramond Primary at bell times (Kerry was to check whether this was happening)
  • A change to the operation of the entry/exit area at Golf Club.

It was agreed that Kevin would get and circulate an updated position from council road safety officers.

It was also agreed that we should create a list of simple quick wins. Members of the group were asked to email these ideas to Kevin directly.

Consultation and engagement

It was agreed important for the group to engage as widely as possible and that a number of different channels would be needed to achieve this, including councillor newsletters, parent council email lists, the community council networks and local community Facebook groups.

Kerry explained the parent council had already sent out a survey to parents and would circulate a copy of the survey to the group. Results and themes would be sent round in due course.

Programme of meetings

It was recognised that, with 16 members, it would always be an issue to get dates that work for everyone.  The group agreed to proceed with monthly meetings over the next six months, preferring a Tuesday or Wednesday.

John also acknowledged that many may have seen that earlier in the week the police had revisited the accident scene, setting out the positioning of key vehicles involved. Designed to help inform understanding, it had been an emotive reminder to many. Councillor Young said that Police Scotland had decided not to forewarn the community mindful of the possibility of attracting “viewers.”  They did, however, recognise that it was a mistake not to have cleared the area fully of markings before leaving the locality. They came back quickly and cleared the area. A report would follow, albeit there may be a version produced for general consumption given the sensitivities.

Noise from Royal Highland Centre

John Loudon reported on the extent of noise disruption caused across the community during the recent concert at the Centre. There had been a significant number of complaints caused by the sheer volume of the base amplified from the event.  The noise and throb of the event had been felt as far afield as Blackhall. This was despite assurances given at the same event the year before. Noise pollution and management combined with the sale of alcohol should have brought the application before the Licencing Board. All that had been needed was to have turned down the volume on the base. Despite the concerns having been raised with the organisers in real time, this was not done. Councillor Young and John Loudon to pursue further to prevent any future occurrence.

John Loudon also advised of a delay to the start of works on the new D’Mains roundabout. A complaint is required to be addressed. Picking up on item 6 on the agenda, he went on to invite members and all present to reflect on what changes they would wish to see made to the format and content of meetings—in order to stimulate greater interest in the work of the CC.

Planning Issues   

Buzzworks

John Loudon advised that he was in dialogue with the architects acting for Buzzworks in pursuit of the need for them to re-instate the CBCC noticeboard on the structure of the new building when the restaurant was built.

Lauriston Castle Lodge—Forget-me-not Centre 

CBCC had submitted its support for the planning application for the proposed erection of a summer house in the garden of the centre to enable people to meet in inclement weather.

Cammo Road: Demolition of Existing Large Home and Construction of 4 blocks of Semi-Detached Townhouses

CBCC members had agreed to object to the planning application for this development at the March meeting. There have been 94 objections and 2 notes of support from members of the public.  Once the planning officer’s Report of Handling and recommendations were available, CBCC would need to decide whether to ask one of the Almond Ward Councillors to request a hearing by the Development Management Sub-Committee, at which CBCC might be represented.

Lauriston Agroecology Farm

CBCC and DMSA had been becoming increasingly concerned at the increasing number and inappropriate siting of buildings and the intrusion of these in the landscape—especially the two white steel containers at the front of the site.

Initial plans showed a series of buildings neatly aligned close to the trees and hedgerows along the back of the field, with screening and painted green to merge with the landscape backdrop. As horticultural buildings, they are permitted development. CBCC and DMSA have brought the issues to the attention of a senior member of the Council’s Estates Team, which is responsible for managing the lease for the fields to the Agroecology Co-op, and a joint site visit has been proposed with that officer and representatives of the Co-op, CBCC and DMSA.

City Plan 2030

Following CEC’s approval of the Draft City Plan 2030, Scottish Government Reporters have held an inquiry into matters within the Proposed Plan which were subject to submissions by developers, community groups, businesses, individuals, and other interests. The Reporters have now published their report, which the Council needs to consider, but in most cases will take on board, to its approval by Ministers and adoption by the Council as the new Local Development Plan for Edinburgh.

Despite many submissions, the Reporters have recommended no modification of most elements of the Proposed Plan. Key issues of relevance to our area include:

  1. No modification to the Green Belt status of the Craigs Road North site (currently the subject of a development application) or the adjacent former farmland between Cammo Walk and Maybury However, the Reporters have noted that, in their opinion, landscape and related issues may not be sufficiently valuable to prevent future development of these sites. 
  2. Craigiehall – While accepting that the former MoD site is essentially a brownfield site and could be developed, the Reporters have supported retention of the farmland between Craigiehall and the A90 and Burnshot Road as a green belt and indicated that they do not think this site is suitable for future development.

The Campus John Loudon advised that the Proposal of Application Notice was expected to go before planning officers in the Council within the coming weeks and there would follow supported exhibitions describing what was emerging and providing an opportunity for further input.

Ian Williamson reported on the Cramond Surgery where the planned May meeting with the Practice Manager had been postponed. A new date was not being sought for July. On buses, a forthcoming meeting of the Almond Neighbourhood Partnership for early May included a presentation from Stuart Lowrie, the official responsible for subsidised service—including that serving Cammo Meadows.

Night Flights  

John Loudon introduced the item for discussion. The recent announcement regarding the substantial investment by Vinci Airports in ownership of the airport signalled continuing confidence in the business of the airport. It performed a role critical to the economy of Scotland. Against that, John reported that the single issue that had been the subject of the greatest angst to members of the community with whom he had spoken in distributing the newsletter had been the noise from aircraft, especially at night.

Dianne Stein, the CC representative on the airport’s consultative committee, said that the issue of noise was the most enduring issue in terms of being the focus of the main complaints received by the airport, although the low volume of complaints made from Cramond and Barnton to the airport suggested that the community was broadly accepting of associated noise.  What was also clear was that those scheduled night flights were well used, as could be seen as confirming demand for such flights. The airport was doing much to try to mitigate aircraft noise and to help those community members in its groups better understand the associated issues and complexities. A video was being produced that sought to explain the issue and what steps the airport was taking to mitigate noise.

Full formal engagement with all those communities affected by the airport was scheduled for later in the year, with the Airspace Change Programme (Summer 2024) and the Noise Action Plan (Winter 2024/25) forming the focus for these consultations. In preparation for these consultations, Peter Scott, with support from John Howison and others, had been working on a discussion paper designed to form the basis for local engagement with the community in order to help inform the CC as to the policy position it should be adopting in response to these formal airport consultations.  The paper would be considered imminently by key individuals in the community who had been involved in airport issues over the years. Thereafter, it would be brought before the full CC for approval along with a programme for community engagement.

Comments from those members of the community attending reflected the general tenor of the response that the CBCC had received following the article in the recent newsletter. That was recognising the reality that comes with choosing to live under—or in proximity to the flight path – but a growing frustration at the apparent ability of the airport to permit (unchecked) more and more scheduled night flights to operate. 

A particular concern related to the airport’s presentation of noise reporting information, where the use of average noise levels failed to adequately reflect the outliers, caused the greatest concern. Peter Scott did, however, explain that the Flight Tracker app did enable access to information about individual aircraft tracking the route and noise levels over the various stations, including the new one installed recently at the Cramond Primary.

Future for Cramond and Barnton Community Council 

John Loudon explained that among the changes proposed in the emerging Scheme for Community Councils was a change to the numbers of “elected members,” which each CC would have to return if they were to continue to function. For CBCC, this number was 10. With the prospect of elections for CCs in the autumn, this represented a real challenge for the future of the CBCC.  The CBCC Facebook following (1,700) suggested there was ongoing interest in the considerations of the CBCC. Yet converting that interest into even penny numbers prepared to become a member was proving impossible. And the numbers of community residents attending meetings were, as a rule, small (less than 10) unless there was an item of business with significant current concerns to the community. The newly constructed Cramond Action Group had prompted a welter of applications from members of the community keen to participate; however, it was noted that only one of the 16 members expressed an awareness of the CC and its role. 

Councillor Young suggested that there was perhaps a formality about the business of the CC and of the brand, which failed to interest people.  Perhaps even the venue for public meetings.  The Cramond Inn may offer a more relaxed venue that would better encourage attendees. More publicity about the CC and its role, especially in the run up to any elections, would be required. The Kirk Hall experienced a sizeable footfall and yet there were no posters to be seen. A link into the primary school and its networks may help. And what of the connections and inputs from the various local groups? Councillor Young confirmed the LibDem Newsletter could mention the CBCC (and other CCs in the Ward).

Councillors Report

Councillor Younie’s report had been given earlier in the proceedings.

AOB

None

Date of Next Meeting

Thursday 16 May 2024