OCTOBER 2025 MEETING - Draft Report

Compiled 16 October 2025                   DRAFT 

Minutes of GPCC Ordinary Business Meeting, Wednesday, 15 OCTOBER 2025 (18.45) 

at Cameron House Community Centre, 34 Prestonfield Avenue, Edinburgh. 

ATTENDANCE 

Ward Councillor: Cllr. Simita Kumar (Cllr SK) 

Members: Ken Robertson (KR), Sally Griffiths (SG), Neil Kempsell (NK), Hrafn Malmquist (HM), Ian Wright (IW), Ian Chisholm (IC), Cori Schwabe (CS) 

Apologies: Ellen Jackson (ERJ), Andreas Grothey, (AG), Peter Cochrane (PC), Peter Jones (PJ) 

Public: Mr Euan Leitch (EL) 

1. WELCOME: Chair. Audio or Video Recording: None.  

2. APOLOGIES: Declared 

3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST: None 

4. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING (17 Sep 2025): Report adopted (as proposed by NK, IW) 

5. MATTERS ARISING NOT COVERED IN AGENDA: None. 

6. EXTERNAL REPORTS 

6.1 Causewayside Lads Institute: 27-29 Ratcliffe Terrace: Request from Mr Euan Leitch. 

A PBSA planning application for this site has been refused. A developer request for demolition has been submitted. Historic Environment Scotland (HES) has identified the building, formerly housing the Causewayside Lads Institute, as meriting a category C-Listing, on account of its historical cultural and social significance and now architectural interest. The building is reportedly intact and still viable as commercial premises. The HES identification is acknowledged by City of Edinburgh Council (CEC) Planning Department.  

EL requests that GPCC join others in asking CEC to apply a Building Preservation Notice, this to offer the building legal protection while HES proceeds with a listing procedure. 

GPCC Members agreed to write to CEC Head of Planning with such a request, copied to Ward Councillors.  

6.2 Ward Councillor Report (Cllr SK) 

6.2.1 Saturday 1 November at Prestonfield Bowling Green. Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust (ELGT) lead a ‘Help Plant Your Community Orchard’ event, 11am to 2pm. A stage in the ELGT project to deliver a designed and active local growing space, working in conjunction with the Thriving Greenspaces Team.  

6.2.2 On query re. open space adjacent to Prestonfield NP; tree cutback and clearing along border railing, Cllr SK will enquire on context and on how the action was permissioned. 

6.2.3 East Mayfield / Dalkeith Road Junction: Cllr SK will check on status of Police Report / Road Traffic Investigaton on the recent fatal accident. Cllr Flannery retains a focus, within Council, on the junction as a long-acknowledged risk spot. Any Council review won’t take place until Apr 2026.  

6.2.4 Council employees in the course of work to manage flag-flying displays are facing uncomfortable pressures in some areas. Edinburgh TUC have approached community councils on this issue. 

6.3 Matters raised with Cllr SK: 

Blacket Conservation Area (IC): Concern expressed on recent evidence of permission granted to a planning application, incorporating driveway widening / wall removal work, in clear opposition to conservation area design guidance. The application looks to have slipped past proper scrutiny and sets an unwelcome precedent. It raises the question of consistency standards applied within planning application decisions. The majority of these decisions are made not by Committee but by Planning Officers under delegated authority.

Queen’s Crescent (KR): A resident raises the ongoing issue of speeding; ‘20mph limit is too high.’ Cllr. SK acknowledges a similar complaint in the Priestfield residential area. She will speak with CEC Road Safety Team for their latest assessment of the issue.

Priestfield Road / Prestonfield Road Trees Project (NK): Project programme now divided in two parts; update requested.  

North-South Trams Project (KR): Cllr SK was asked if she could give a fresh indication (from her own conversations) of the costs being discussed in relation to founding and promoting the ‘business case’ for the trams network extension.  

7 GPCC REPORTS 

7.1 Action Points from previous Meeting: See Appendix. 

7.2 GPCC Engagement Programme (CS): See this link for CS’ Newsletter proposals. (Offer feedback, please, if you haven’t already done so. Only 5 responses so far) 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/11nFx1VcF3U6YR43uxSl1nNQyFXLZMZcPG64UXuguGms/edit?usp=sharing 

The objective is to deliver GPCC name recognition and neighbourhood awareness of its purpose. Both are presently deeply lacking. 

The proposed route is by way of a regular (monthly) newsletter delivered via a subscribed mailing list. The content would be ‘bite-sized’ topics across a spectrum of neighbourhood interest, drawn from a wide range of contributing sources. (‘Educate’ about what is happening; ‘Inform’ as to what may be done about it. (CS)) 

The outcome is intended is to build interest and direct participation in GPCC’s work as local ‘catalyst’ for change and improvement in (neighbourhood and city) ‘place, space, amenity and wellbeing’. 

CS will work on preparing a delivery platform (e.g. Substack) and on shaping a newsletter structure for further discussion. Contemporary newsletter examples to be reviewed for pointers. Drafts to appear in due course, with December as a target for a soft launch. 

Any data handling / data protection / online safety issues to be considered and addressed.  

GPCC Members expressly asked to respond directly to CS by 30 October on an appropriate newsletter ‘title’.  

7.3 Planning: Note the 27 November event launch of the Planning Democracy (Scotland) Manifesto for Change. See GPCC site for detail. 

7.4 Licensing: Nil. 

7.5 Roads and Transport: See 6.2.3. 

7.6 Environment: Nil. 

7.7 Newington Cemetery: Some storm damage repaired. Wall repair still underway. 

8 REPORTS FROM OFFICE BEARERS 

8.1 Chair 

Pending closure of Strathearn Road Royal Mail Delivery Centre recorded. 

Proposed regular ‘South-East Police Forum’ welcomed. 

CEC Community Wealth Building Plan: Early outline strongly endorsed by KR. 

See Community Wealth Build CEC May 25.pdf  

Local Place Plan: no opportunities identified; pass for now. 

CEC Participatory Budgeting: new proposals about to emerge. KR has confirmed GPCC ‘interest’.  

8.2 Treasurer 

GPCC bank balance stands at £2694. CEC 2024/25 administrative grant (£980) still awaited. Newington Cemetery Project (sub-group and separate) bank balance stands at £3739. 

8.3 Secretary 

Recorded HM proposal that he scope a transfer of the Web Site and Business Email platform away from the current provider ‘Wix’. Reasons: Reduce the service expense; take advantage of better features and open-source flexibility. (Web Host renewal is Jan 2027; Business Email renewal is Jan 2026.) 

Recorded IC and IW agreement to sponsor (nominate, second) KR role as EACC Secretary at the 27 Nov 2025 EACC AGM. 

9 REPORTS FROM OUTSIDE GROUPS 

9.1 University of Edinburgh Liaison: New ‘Community Plan’ launch on 8 October. The Plan is ‘designed to create real change in our communities’. Members asked to review content. Where Can GPCC work with this plan? Community Plan 2025–30 | Edinburgh Local | Edinburgh Local 

9.2 EACC Next meeting 30 Oct: District Heat Networks; Edinburgh University Community Plan;  

Participatory Budgeting. 

10 OTHER BUSINESS: GPCC Direction: Held over. 

11 Date of next meeting: WEDNESDAY 19 NOVEMBER; 18.45 at Cameron House.  

Agenda items should be submitted to the Secretary at least 10 days beforehand. 

2025: 19 Nov, 17 Dec  

2026: 21 Jan, 11 Feb, 18 Mar, 15 Apr, 20 May, 17 Jun.               

APPENDIX 

ACTION POINTS FROM 17 SEP MEETING 

6.1 CEC response to Cllr. PF on broken light at Prestonfield War Memorial: Outstanding. 

6.1.1 School Parents Council contacts (Cllr. PF): Awaited 

6.2.4 Check whether ‘Spruce’ programme covers ‘deep weed clean’: Programme now in course.  

6.2.6 Members to review detail of Trams Extension consultation: In course. 

6.2.8 Pointers to contact routes in student community (Cllr. PF): In course. 

9.3.3 Boarded up property at Pollok Halls (ST): Awaited 

7.1 Distribute detail of Engagement Officer (CS) Newsletter proposals (KR): Done 

7.1 Members to offer outline response to CS: In course.  

7.2 Response to incoming Request for Consultation 140 Causewayside: Declined by KR. 

7.2 Consider line to be taken on Building Preservation Notice, 27 Ratcliffe Terrace: Completed.  

8.1 Content contributions wanted for website (Members): Outstanding. 

8.2 Outstanding Admin Grant (AG): Being addressed. 

8.3 Review of Web contracts / expenses (HM): Now underway 

8.3 Reschedule 18 February 2026 meeting to 11 February (KR): Done 

ACTION POINTS FROM 15 OCTOBER MEETING 

6.1 GPCC to submit BPN request to CEC Planning, copied to Ward Councillors (KR) 

6.2.2 Query re tree clearing (Cllr SK) 

6.3 GPCC response to resident on Queen’s Crescent ‘speeding’ (KR) 

6.3 Indication of Trams ‘Business Case’ costs (Cllr SK) 

7.2 Progress on GPCC Newsletter proposal (CS) 

8.1 CEC Community Wealth Build proposals (Members) 

8.3 Scope project to transfer Website and Business Email platform (HM) 

KR 

GPCC Office Bearers:  

Ken Robertson, Chair and Secretary 

Ellen-Raissa Jackson, Deputy Chair 

Andreas Grothey, Treasurer  

Cori Schwabe, Community Engagement.