My (attached) monthly report is a little truncated because of pressure of time and too many people popping into my now too-accessible office and distracting me! I hope you find something of interest there.
I have also attached a briefing on free loft insulation. You may be interested in taking advantage of this, or know someone else who is.Councillor’s Report
May/June 2012
Maureen Child, Labour Councillor for Portobello/Craigmillar
Bus Lane Enforcement
The operation of the bus lane enforcement which was introduced in April, in Jock’s Lodge, Calder Road and Willowbrae Road has been reviewed thanks to the new Transport Leader, Councillor Lesley Hinds. The cameras on Willowbrae Road caught people crossing the bus lane to access driveways, side streets and making a safe right turn – perfectly sensibly. 4301 fines were issued for Willowbrae and all will now be automatically waived. Those who have paid will get a refund. The bus lane enforcement is designed to make sure buses are unimpeded by cars at peak periods, but the Willowbrae Road situation defied all common sense. People were being fined for doing a manoeuvre that had no effect whatever on the progress of the buses. The cameras remain operational at Jock’s Lodge and Calder Road, but will be only re-introduced to Willowbrae as and when a more sensible system is devised.
Duddingston Yards
Forth Sector have been successful in their Lottery bid to redevelop Duddingston Yards, which once belonged to the Council and now lies unused. They anticipate they will be open in Spring next year and will be providing local jobs, both in the construction phase and when they are operating. Their existing businesses will move there and there will be at raining suite to help expand the existing businesses and enable new ones to start up.
Railway Noise
The noise nuisance from the railway is unbearable at times, particularly for people in Stanley Street, but also can disturb people’s sleep in Park Avenue and the Christians. The operations at Craigentinny Depot have increased lately and this has had a big impact on local residents. I heard recently from Barry Inglis, the Council’s environmental health officer dealing with this, that an enforcement notice has been served on East Coast and I have backed that up with an email to the company to ask what action they are taking and when local residents can expect to notice an improvement.
Local Road Investment
As part of the £15 million roads and footways capital investment programme, some local road will be improved every year as well as main routes. East and West Brighton Crescent and Lee Crescent are to be resurfaced in June this year and residents will get letters about this shortly. On the back of this information, I have asked for an update on the investment planned for Brighton Place itself, which has been on the cards for a number of years and has been the topic of some discussion locally and at Portobello Community Council.
Seaview Respite Centre, Bingham
Work will start on 4 June on the new Seaview Respite Care Centre (currently in Seaview Crescent) on site of the former Lismore Primary School. The completion target is May 2013. Access to the site is off Duddingston Row for vehicles and pedestrians. The site will secure as possible at all times but sites like this appear like play grounds to young children so neighbours and parents of young children are asked help make the children aware of the dangers on construction sites and to avoid gong in there.
The main news of the week is that we have been given a prestigious Seaside Award for Portobello Beach by Keep Scotland Beautiful and the announcement was made public on Wednesday morning, with a lot of excellent publicity surrounding it. http://www.scotsman.com/edinburgh-eveni ... -1-2326785
I wasn't able to attend the photocall at the Fun City site because of a commitment I had made to a local family to support them in an appeal. But my colleague Cllr Gordon Munro thoughtfully brought me back a wee 'Seaside Award' flag which is sitting proudly on my desk right now. Congratulations to everyone who made this happen! It really is an excellent achievement.
Portobello Organic Market this weekend. Annie D will be there with her renowned face painting skills, plus Phil is back with his Woodland Crafts workshops, Fin Loening & friends will provide some great music and this month a special outdoor Zumba class with a difference! All the usual traders and a few more will be there for your shopping needs, from award winning oils, fresh fish, locally produced fresh meats, continental deli products, great fresh bread, artisan cheeses, hand-made soaps, cards & gifts, seasonal veggies, sushi & noodles, organic herbal teas, knitted crafts, Fair Trade products and a first class BBQ for all you hungry mouths. So come along on the 2nd and support your local sustainable market and enjoy some great entertainment at Brighton Park, Brighton Place, Portobello, Edinburgh, EH15 1LJ. from 9.30am to 1.30pm.
Four metal benches have been removed from one of our parks in Portobello by thieves. The parks managers are concerned that this is part of a new branch of metal thieving, which has hit quite a few places throughout the UK, and these benches are expensive to replace; £500 a-piece. They are maintained in situ, so if they are being moved it is NOT legitimately, nor by any Council staff, and the local police should be notified immediately if you see anyone taking a bench from anywhere. Phone 999 if it's happening in front of your eyes, 0131 311 3131 if you notice a bench has disappeared form its local spot.
While on the subject, of crime the local police always want to know your views on local policing, safety and what it is like to live in your area. They would very much appreciate it if you complete their online survey at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YourPolice
There have been Council teams working in local streets trying to work together to fix and clean streets before moving on to other areas. The initiative is called 'Neighbourhood Pride'. This usually means residents being given some notice and asked to move their vehicles in order to allow gully cleaning and other works to go ahead effectively. Click on the link to see what this is about and try to make sure that if and when it comes to your street, maybe you could park elsewhere for that day. http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/info/20053/ ... dinburgh/3
I am now off to Hays Business Centre to meet community activists and members of neighbourhood and residents groups there, alongside the other Councillors for Portobello/Craigmillar and other local representatives. I work very closely with Sheila Gilmore, MP and Kez Dugdale Lothian's List Member of the Scottish Parliament on a number of local issues. Kez has asked me to let you know that she does a regular update, like me. See, I started a trend here! The web address of Kez's last newsletter is http://eepurl.com/kslob . If you want to receive it fortnightly, you just need to click the 'subscribe' box in the top left hand corner.
So I'll stop there, but do let me know if there is anything you want me to cover in future updates or any more burning issues you want me to take up.
Best wishes
Maureen
Councillor Maureen Child | Labour Elected Member | Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) | City of Edinburgh Council | City Chambers | High Street | Edinburgh | EH1 1YJ | Tel 0131 529 3268 | Mobile 07718 666 481