MAY 2025 MEETING - Report

Minutes of GPCC Meeting held on 21 MAY 2025 (19.00)

at Cameron House Community Centre, 34 Prestonfield Avenue, Edinburgh

Approved at GPCC Meeting held on 18 June 2025

ATTENDANCE

Ward Councillor: Cllr. Tim Pogson

Office Bearers: Ken Robertson (KR), Andreas Grothey (AG)

Members: Ian Chisholm (IC), Peter Cochrane (PC), Sally Griffiths (SG), Ellen-Raissa Jackson (ERJ), Hrafn Malmquist (HM), Ian Wright (IW).

Apologies: Peter Jones (PJ), Neil Kempsel (NK), Cori Schwabe (CS)

1. WELCOME	Chair
2. APOLOGIES	Declared
3. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST	None

4. MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING (16 April 2025)

Inaugural Meeting Report – Approved

Ordinary Business Meeting Report – Approved

Action Points Outstanding:

Cllr Kumar on Prestonfield / Priestfield roadway re-design projects; Dalkeith Road bin hubs; Newington Cemetery wall repairs; status of ‘South East Policing Forum’.

5. MATTERS ARISING NOT COVERED IN AGENDA

Brief review by Members present of the community council election process: ‘A lot of procedure and paperwork.’ A CEC retrospective consultation on the process is expected.

6. EXTERNAL REPORTS

6.1 Councillor’s Report – Cllr. Pogson

6.1.1 June 26 Fountainbridge / Craiglockhart Ward by-election

Follows the recent death of Cllr. Val Walker (Lab); one new Councillor will be elected (on the Single Transferable Vote system). Outcome uncertain; could tip the dispersed balance of power in the Council where three-party support is needed to carry a vote.

6.1.2 Introduction of Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ) to city area ‘B1’ 

B1 runs east-west across the upper half of the GPCC boundary area. It will include Priority Parking Areas (PPA). See 16 April Report for more background. CPZ strategy has a long background. To speed up the implementation, ‘pre-consultations’ are to be dropped. The legally-required Traffic Regulation Orders (TRO, governing implementation) are open to public comment, however.

Residents need to be alert to the publication of TROs for their area (expected by end May), with related Council advertising, and to be ready to submit any objections (which will go to a new TRO Committee at the Council).

**Cllr. Pogson to report on likely timescales and on status of Waverley Park past-expressed concerns on local restriction design details – now overtaken by publication of new proposals.

(Secretary: On that last count, the Council website on this CPZ programme needs navigation. The CPZ – PPA programme may be contentious. Be on the lookout for the TRO publication and for guidance on the comment / objection procedures.)

6.1.3 Communal Bin Hubs (CBH)

There is a new review of CBH locations underway, with a priority list of 184 existing sites. If you want to add ‘your’ sites to that list (e.g. Dalkeith Road pavement bins?), email the location detail to mailto:waste@edinburgh.gov.uk before close Monday 2 June.

**Cllr. Pogson to look to add detail on the residents’ stalled conversation with the Council on the Dalkeith Road site.

6.1.4 Prestonfield Road / Priestfield Road Design Improvements

The design project includes roadway and footway re-design, urban drainage improvement and tree planting. The Q4 2024 Council consultation response is still being considered. Revised design proposals will be submitted for further consultation.

##28/5 Cllr. Pogson reports on progress: Project stalled, principally on objections to tree proposals for Priestfield Road.

6.1.5 Newington Cemetery Wall Repairs

Still underway. Cameron Toll repair at a halt, close to completion. Dalkeith Road repair underway, slowly.

##26/5 Cllr. Pogson reports on progress: Cameron Toll fence and pointing work and Dalkeith Road wall repair towards top of Council near-term job list.

6.1.6 Planning Issues

Long-standing planning application for hotel at Cameron Toll (Liberton Road) now recommended by Planning for approval by Councillors.

(See Evening News article here .)

Application for Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) block (115 bed), with a retained commercial unit, at 33-41 Ratcliffe Terrace. (Reference 25/02258/FUL) Blackett Association will object on ‘use’ and ‘design’. Discussion on peripheral issues (local density of student accommodation, ‘lack of affordable housing’.

(Note: Ward Councillor coverage of GPCC meetings is conducted on a shared rota basis across Cllrs. Kumar, Burgess, Flannery and Pogson.)

7.  REPORTS OF INTEREST GROUPS

7.1 Planning - IW

The dominant issue is the continued expansion of PBSA development projects in the locality and elsewhere in the city. There are measures of ‘high PBSA density’ in the GPCC boundary. PBSA developments attract a wide span of ‘objections’ ranging across ‘change to character of the local community’, ‘greater need for community affordable housing’, ‘the nature of the student living experience in new build’, ‘the vulnerability of the business model as overseas student numbers fall’.

Per Cllr. Pogson, the Council Planner Department can only measure private land development proposals against strict planning legislation criteria, including the 35% allocation of development plans to affordable housing on development sites (subject to scale criteria). Planning Department can’t drive the broad debate.

A Council Consultation on PBSA is open until 23 May 2025. IW will review content and consider if GPCC can shape a response to the consultation and to the planning application itself.

Reference: City Plan 2030 (Adopted June 2024)

Housing Policy: Page 123:  Hou 5 Student Accommodation:

“A mix of student accommodation and housing is required on all sites greater than 0.25Ha. Where compatible and appropriate within the site context, at least 50% of the site is provided for housing. The affordable housing policy of 35% will apply. This will not apply in self-contained campus locations. Council Guidance sets out further details.”

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/35352/city-plan-2030-written-statement-as-modified-june-2024

‘A Proposal of Application Notice is only required when a development is classed as a major development (or a national). In the case of student housing this is based on site area or floorspace, with the floorspace threshold being 5000sqm.’ (CEC Planning, May 2025)

Note: On Planning Application issues, see:

Planning applications – The City of Edinburgh Council for general guidance

View and comment on planning applications – The City of Edinburgh Council for guidance on submitting comments

Simple Search to access the Planning Portal

7.3 Roads and Transport

Controlled Parking Zones: Covered above. The issue lies in street-by-street restriction proposals.

7.4 Environment

Communal Bins – Dalkeith Road: ERJ reiterated the long-standing impasse on resident dissatisfaction with pavement siting of communal bins (pavement walkway compression, marked pedestrian discomfort and risks). Per above, Cllr. Pogson to look to examine further.

7.5 Promotion and Publicity (Engagement)

GPCC Community Noticeboard (plexiglass, free-standing on pavement) now in position on Dalkeith Road, east side, by planter at bus stop. Agreed that ‘promotion space’ should be offered to local community groups and small business, as circumstances arise.

See below on Engagement.

7.6 Newington Cemetery

ERJ reported on the recent James Finlayson headstone re-dedication event; the proposal for a headstone re-erection (McTaggart); delivery of three new planters; pending stonemason work; new benches on order; plans for a Tree Trail.

8. REPORTS FROM OFFICE BEARERS

8.1 Treasurer – AG

Procedures underway by former Treasurer (Paul Rowllings) to transfer Bank of Scotland authorisations to AG, PC and KR.

Bank Balances: Newington Cemetery Account £4057; GPCC Ordinary Account est. £2900 following recent disbursements on insurance cover (£99), Noticeboard purchase (£1649) and Bank Charge (£4). Noticeboard installation bill (£1264) awaited.

8.2 Secretary – KR

GPCC website current and new content added with some minor format revision.

GPCC Facebook site awaiting admin transfer to Engagement (CS)

New Member PC to support Treasurer function.

New Member NK to take lead on Roads and Transport.

New Member HM to take administrative ownership of the website.

Past Treasurer (Paul Rowllings) and Secretary (Raph Bleakley) to be co-opted (on a temporary basis) to permit their Treasurer and Secretary statements at the forthcoming 18 June GPCC AGM.

Motion to co-opt proposed by KR; seconded by ERJ.

Meeting quorate. Motion approved.

9. REPORTS FROM OUTSIDE GROUPS

EACC – KR

CEC Governance leads two Induction Events for (new) community councillors.

CEC Community Empowerment & Engagement Team publishes comprehensive Community Engagement Toolkit.

https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/downloads/file/37157/community-engagement-toolkit-may-2025

EACC online meeting 26 June will feature open discussion on ‘engagement experience and practice’ and will likely include an item on community policing.

10. GPCC SHAPE AND STRUCTURE

7.5 Engagement 

Preliminary discussion of pointers offered by CS in her note (21 May, circulated) submitted to the meeting in her absence. Focus needs to be on 1) GPCC ‘name awareness and visibility’, 2) events, promotions, initiatives on which to carry the ‘name’, 3) the demography of target audiences, 4) the media channels used, 5) working with neighbouring community councils

KR will ‘co-ordinate’ any thoughts, suggestions, proposals from Members.

The Engagement role will need active support.

11. OTHER BUSINESS - None

12 DATE OF NEXT MEETING                  Wednesday 18 June at Cameron House (19.00)

AGM and Ordinary Meeting

GPCC Office Bearers:

Ken Robertson, Chair and Acting Secretary; Andreas Grothey, Treasurer;

Cori Schwabe, Engagement.

Agenda items should be submitted to the Secretary no later than 10 days before the next meeting.

ACTION POINTS ARISING

6.1.2	Timing of move on B1 CPZ and publication of TROs: (KR 4/6) Changes to CPZ street-advertised from c. 4 June. Consultation runs 6 June to 4 July. Zone B1 now replaced by Zone S8 – see <consultation.appyway.com/Edinburgh-city> and TRO/24/12	Cllr. Pogson
6.1.3	Dalkeith Road Bins – status of residents’ long-standing correspondence with CEC	Cllr. Pogson
6.1.4	Update on status of Priestfield Rd / Prestonfield Rd roadway re-design project: Response received 28/5: Priestfield Road rejections of proposed street trees give pause; project on hold (rethink) into late Q3;	Cllr. Pogson
6.1.5	Dalkeith Road cemetery wall repair status: Response received 26/5: CEC team to attend imminently following current engagement on ‘Clean Streets’ work.	Cllr. Pogson
7.1	CEC consultation on PBSA – possible GPCC submission. IW / KR respond to consultation on 23/5.	IW
10 / 7.5	Engagement – Cori Schwabe notes; thoughts and ideas to Secretary	Members
	Past reference to ‘South West Policing Forum’ by Cllr. Kumar; more information sought. Response received 3/6: ‘Forum’ reference is actually to meetings of the Community Alcohol Partnership, which are police-attended.	KR
	Make renewed contact with University of Edinburgh Liaison Officer. Email sent 30/5.	KR

KR/ERJ 31 May 2025