Minutes of Meeting held on 20 June 2013 in
Cramond Kirk Millennium Hall
Present: Andrew Mather (Chair), Patricia Eason (Secretary), Ross Wilkinson, Percy Feketey, David Belfall, David Osler and Robin White
A total of 12 residents were present, including members. Councillor Lindsay Paterson also attended
Minutes of the previous meeting
The minutes of the meeting held on 23 May 2013 were approved without amendment
Police report
PC Steve Neill distributed copies of his report. 44 offences were reported in Cramond and Barnton in May. There had been a number of incidents in which motor bikes had been stolen and ridden along the foreshore by “joyriders”. 1 youth had been charged and 4 others identified. Residents reported that there had been similar incidents in Davidson’s MainsPark.
In response to concerns the police had also focussed on reckless driving on the public roads and 10 Road Traffic Act (RTA) offences had been detected. These involved people driving through the area rather than local residents.
City Councillors reports
Councillor Paterson reported that she had attended the inaugural meeting of the Cammo Residents Association along with some 80 others. As regards the housing development envisaged for Maybury Road, the time limit for responding to the Local Development Plan (LDP) had just ended and it was understood that a large number of objections had been submitted. Councillor Paterson would be disappointed if the planners did not amend their proposals in response to the objections. If they did not, she intended to vote against the LDP when it came to the full council, probably in 2014. The Secretary circulated a copy of the lengthy letter of objections submitted by the Community Council.
As regards wider council activities, Councillor Paterson noted that the council was giving strong support to the bid from Heriot Watt university for the proposed National Sports Performance Centre, and that the council intended to set up a “hotline” for “whistleblowers” – though the Conservative Group were not satisfied that the current proposal was adequate.
Community Council Issues
Promenade A further meeting with the City Council and other interested parties was planned concerning improvements to the foreshore and harbour area. Residents noted that those visiting the area could easily miss the signage concerning crossings to CramondIsland and this needed to be improved.
GP practice The area covered by the Cramond GP practice was being reduced but, since the area removed was adjacent to Corstorphine and Murrayfield, residents in the Cramond and Barnton Community Council area should not be affected.
Letter box petition The petition for the replacement of the post box at the old post office was being prepared and would be submitted to the Petitions Committee of the City Council. It was understood that the petition submitted by Kirkliston Community Council about bus services had resulted in some improvements.
Website Robin White reported that a good deal of progress had been made in developing the Community Council’s website and it was hoped that the remaining technical issues could be resolved in the next fortnight. However someone would still be needed to run the website.
Alzheimer’s Cafe This was being held from 1030 to 1230 on the first Monday of every month in the Gathering Space. It was a drop-in facility for patients and their carers and the aim was to provide information and support in dealing with worries and concerns. A representative of Alzheimer’s Scotland was present.
Airport Visits It was reported that these had gone well and had provided reassurance that airport operators failing to comply with airport regulations about routing etc were being identified and, if appropriate, fined. It was reported that one resident had urged the Community Council to set up a sub-committee to pursue a change to the flightpath. Following discussion this proposal was not supported. The Community Council agreed however to review the matter if evidence was provided that the matter was of concern to a significant number of local residents. It was noted that the airport had not provided information about air pollution caused by aircraft and its possible effect on health. This had been promised at the September 2012 meeting of the Community Council. The Chairman said that he would pursue at the next meeting of the airport consultative committee.
Cramond Ferry Funds had now been made available to conduct a study of the impact (if any) of the proposed ferry on local wildlife. The results of such a study would need to be included when seeking planning permission.
Cramond Campus The developers were seeking permission to proceed with the remaining housing, in advance of completing the sports facilities. The Community Council had recommended to the City Council that, if such permission were granted, conditions should be attached specifying that the sporting area should be grassed and that the nursing home and commercial elements should not be proceeded with in advance of the sports facilities. Sadly there was no sign of progress with the sports facilities.
Other matters Reference was also made to the problems being caused to local residents by the family of deer living on Bruntsfield Golf Course, and to the ongoing drains problem in RidingsPark.
Any Other Business
It was reported that Davidson’s Mains residents were considering the establishment of a community council of their own. If this were proceeded with it might have implications for the area covered by Cramond and Barnton Community Council.
The Chairman said that the Community Council would be re-constituted in the autumn when the term of office of the current Community Councillors would come to an end. Nominations would be invited and he hoped very much that residents would put their names forward. There were 15 seats on the Community Council. In the event that the number of nominations exceeded the number of seats an election would be held and Councillor Alastair Shields would act as returning officer. The Chairman thanked those who had served on the Community Council over the last 4 years.
Next meeting
Thursday 17 October in the Millennium Hall when it is hoped that a representative of McCarthy and Stone will give an update on the Barnton Hotel development.