Minutes 21st March 2024

CRAMOND & BARNTON COMMUNITY COUNCIL

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

Minutes of Meeting held on Thurs 21st March 2024 in

Cramond Kirk Millennium Hall

Present: John Loudon (Chair), Ian Williamson (Secretary), Gena Wylie, Peter Scott, Robert Bruce, Bert Scott, and Percy Feketey, Councillor Lewis Younie and 6 members of the community. 

Apologies: Councillors Work, Lang and Young, as well as Dianne Stein, John Howison and Sally Chalmers

Approval of February 2024 Minutes

Approved by Percy Feketey and seconded by Peter Scott.

Introductory Remarks

John Loudon began by expressing the collective sympathy of all those connected with the Community Council to the family of Thomas Wong so tragically killed in an incident on Whitehouse Road on 1^st March and to those many others involved in what was a heart-breaking event. It was not possible to contemplate the impact, great sadness, and the feelings of all concerned. A minute’s silence was observed in memory of the tragic event.

On a matter of governance, the Chair went on to advise that some years earlier he had omitted to formalise the appointment of Hamish Barrie as a Community Councillor. He went on to advise that Hamish had decided to step back from CC activities as he had many commitments at this time. Hamish had been a passionate contributor to the Community Council with particularly strong views on a number of matters.

The Chair went on to take the opportunity to thank other members of the CC for their considerable input. A special mention was made for Sally Chambers, who had done wonders on social media and marketing, Peter Scott on a wide range of planning and other matters, including the forthcoming CC boundary changes, Ian Williamson, our secretary, without whom there would be no CC. John Howison and Dianne Stein for their work with the airport, flights and noise related issues and not least Gena Wylie, the Treasurer, for ensuring that we continued to operate within budget.

John emphasised once again the need for more help, encouraging those who may feel they can contribute in any way to please come forward. He went on to clarify that if the current CC review goes through without some major changes, even if all our current CC’s stand again and are all elected, then we would still not have sufficient elected members to continue as a CC in the area. He added that while that may or may not matter to many individuals, he felt it would be sad lose the CC. It may be missed when it no longer exists.

He explained that anyone interested may find that it would be sufficient to just look after one topic that may be of particular interest to them locally. The CC review with the proposed boundary change was one example that was in need of urgent attention now as responses within a matter of weeks. Alternatively, there may be those who might be able to offer some tech input so the CC could have hybrid meetings both live and online at the same time.

In concluding his introductory remarks, John proposed that the CC should seek a name change to Cramond Barnton and Cammo CC. This proposal was supported.

Police Report

PC Euan Sinclair presented the February report. There had been little by way of criminality. Targeted speed checks were ongoing across the Ward as part of a continuing effort to increase awareness of the dangers of speeding. (Against this, there were continuing witnessed accounts of vehicles travelling at significant excessive speeds on Gamekeepers Road.)   

There had been two incidents involving a quad bike and an electronic cycle. Off-road bikes were a continuing challenge with young riders “playing the system”—cycling without helmets and often in a dangerous and provocative manner in the knowledge that wider safety issues often precluded police officers from pursuit. That was not to say that efforts were not being made to track down the offenders—but it was often time-consuming work with questionable outcomes in terms of the scope for action.

PCs Sinclairs and MacLeod stayed on as the dialogue moved increasingly into matters of road safety falling under item 6.

Roads and Road Safety

Before moving to talk about the measures being looked at for mitigating risk following the accident, Councillor Younie gave a brief resume of the recent budget setting considerations with the Council. LibDem amendments had realised additional revenue for road repairs and for schools and road safety.

Concerns were raised at the continuing real-term squeeze on the budgets for social work and homelessness. And there was scepticism about the perceived benefits of the new Care Service and a concern that more resource would be lost to frontline care services. NHS Lothian was looking to cut £120m from its budget for 2024/25 and patient facing services were at risk. David Belfall’s recent appointment as a member to the Integrated Joint Board for NHS Lothian was noted.

The tragic fatality on the Whitehouse Road had had a profound effect on many, provoking an emotional response, including that which had been displayed by the Leader of the Council in an address he had given earlier in the day. The timeline of events was being established by Police Scotland. The primary school and education officers were providing support and counselling to the many affected. 

Councillor Lang had tabled a motion to the Transport and Environment Committee on the requirement to move quickly to introduce mitigation measures as soon as possible after the findings of the Report are known. But some measures do not wait for such clarity and further safety measures designed to improve the safety of HGVs operated by the Council are being sought. A Local Action Group was being set up and there had been an overwhelming interest from local people keen to be part of the Group.

There had already been some walkarounds of the area, most recently earlier in the day. A myriad of issues were emerging and what follows is a record of those discussed during the walkaround and during the exchanges at the CC meeting.

Significant issues of risk existed before the Whitehouse Road – especially for those living in Cammo and Strathalmond for whom crossing the Queensferry Road was the first significant challenge. Several reports of near misses on and around the pedestrian crossing west of the Cammo Road junction (towards the Miller and Carter) had been fed into the CC via Facebook and other means.

Drivers jumping lights or braking very late. Behaviours at the lights were such that it was not sufficient simply to only cross when the green man was on. Concerns about the visibility of the lights were expressed. PC Sinclair said that there was a traffic camera on the lights, which should pick up and driver breaches.

More school crossing patrols were needed. Against this, it was noted that the Council has more designated school crossing points at present than it has the capacity to man. The route to Cramond Primary at present had three patrols, although one was from time to time not manned due to absences. It was suggested that the Action Group and the Parent Teacher Group at the school should have this as an action—to try to encourage more from the community to become patrol support people.

The corner on Whitehouse Road stretching round to Cramond Vale was seen as carrying particular risk as a favourite drop-off and pick-up point for car driving parents. The proximity to the entrance gate to the school compound made it an attractive place for this but for those stopping on the west side of the road, the problem was that children were then being rushed across a section of road that was busy with traffic and buses and where visibility was impaired. It was noted from the morning walkaround that this was a matter which would be fully explored, especially as part of a holistic review of safety of access to school with a particular focus on the circle of roads that encompass the school.

It was recognised that these issues and the many others that were being brought to the table would best be pooled by the Action Group as a “Director” of change and to guard against the unproductive risk of separate bilateral approaches being made by individuals and groups within the locality to officers within the Council. 

Before moving on from the discussion on this item, Peter Scott asked that it be noted that many of the road safety issues that were now the subject of focused attention were issues that the CBCC had been pursuing with Council officials for more than 10 years with very limited meaningful responses. 

This fact was recorded in the report, but the critical importance of emphasising that any lack of progress in addressing many of these known risks was not down to lack of effort on the part of CBCC members but entirely down to churn and inertia within the Council. Councillor Younie said that it had been made clear by members to the officers in the Road Safety Team that they were looking for action on the various road safety issues.

Planning Issues   

John Loudon confirmed that a revised planning application by Buzzworks for a new restaurant within the unit previously occupied by Sainsburys had been approved. Recognising that the preliminary drawings for the front of the new restaurant included more windows and the resultant loss of wall, which currently sited the CC noticeboards, John had spoken to the architect, and a new location on the gable end of the building was a possibility.

On the streetscape, the Community Council would repeat the concerns about the scope for two rows of outdoor seating because of the physical constraints of the pavement outside the unit—these concerns to be fed into the licencing considerations. On the planning application for the demolition of the existing house at 6 Cammo Road and the proposed development of 8 new semi-detached houses on the site, the CC had written to the council’s planners to draw attention to the fact that the proposal was contrary to various building policies and design guidance notes.   It was nonetheless likely that the application would be approved.

Edinburgh Airport   

The Community Council’s recent newsletter and the article seeking views on living under a flightpath had sparked several emails into the CC mailbox. All but one were highly critical of what was perceived as a growing incidence of night flights—the noise these caused and the disruption to sleep that a number of residents were reporting.

Most of these came from residents who volunteered that they had moved into the locality in recent years and had not appreciated the issue of night flights. Many had complained to the airport but felt that the responses they received suggested that their complaints were not taken seriously and would have no impact on future flight decisions.

One resident had taken the opportunity to advise that they welcomed the sense of connection that the proximity to the airport provided and that being in the flightpath re-affirmed that sense of connection. One lady present on the evening conveyed her sense of disbelief that the airport was allowed to have scheduled night flights when so many others in the UK were not. She had written on a number of occasions to complain but had given up.

Peter Scott reminded those present that two significant pieces of consultation were due later in the year from the airport. The first concerns the flight path, and the second concerns noise.

These would be managed in a very professional manner by the airport. It was critical for the community to strive to determine what the considered response of the community should be as the outcome of these consultations would input into the method of operation of the Airport over the coming years. On a more specific matter, the scope for significant improvements at the airport in some of the areas where arriving passengers were being transported to in order to enter the terminal was highlighted. 

The Campus 

Recent progress with the route map had slowed, with AMA having struggled to obtain time to meet with the planners in the City Council in its efforts to discuss some points of detail relating to the emerging PAN application. The landscape architects selected to manage the landscaping of the site were a well-regarded local firm, instilling confidence in that aspect of the development. Public engagement events were to be expected before the end of May.

Councillors Report

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

AOB

Percy Feketey re-iterated his concerns about the continuing lack of a bus shelter on the Whitehouse Road south bound opposite Cramond Place. It was noted that this was an issue which Councillor Younie had undertaken to look into.

John Loudon reported on the Boundary Review and the Review of the Scheme for CCs, both of which had been discussed at a recent meeting in the City Chambers. John re-iterated his concern at the emerging clarity around CC membership numbers: for CBCC to continue beyond the forthcoming elections, 12 elected and/or appointed members would be required as the minimum.

This would prove a challenge, which may impact of the future sustainability of the CC. Hybrid meetings were recognised as an attractive way forward for CCs but the technical and manpower requirements rendered the idea as impracticable.   Michael Dick commented that the green light at the lights at the Barnton Junction was not working, making the crossing even more dangerous than in normal circumstances

Date of Next Meeting

Thursday 18 April 2024