LHNCC August 2024 minutes

Minutes of the Leith Harbour and Newhaven Community Council ordinary meeting, held via Teams, on Tuesday 27 August 2024 at 6:30pm

Actions and decisions are red italic. Nem con means that no-one spoke or voted against an item.

1 Introductions and apologies

Elaine Dick	LHNCC	Bruce Ryan	Minutes secretary	Nick Watson	Tartan Developments
Don Giles	LHNCC	Cllr Chas Booth	Leith ward	Nic Saunders	G53 Architects
Jim Preacher	LHNCC	Cllr Adam Nols-McVey	Leith ward	Ruari Gardiner	G53 Architects
Neil Tulloch	LHNCC	Lesley McGrath	Holder Planning	1 resident/visitor

1.a Apologies for absence

Jason Ran

LHNCC

Arthur Young

LHNCC

Acting Sergeant Chris Casselden

Police Scotland

2 Declarations of interests (LHNCC members)

none

3 Minutes of the meeting on Tuesday 25th June 2024

Accepted as is (proposed D Tharby, seconded D Giles, nem con)

4 Matters arising from last meeting

4.a Actions from June meeting

Item	Actor	Action	Status
7.a	D Tharby	issue planning updates via email when information is available	Complete
7.a.ii	J Ran	prepare a response to the request for a ‘positive’ reference to the proposed works for the Pride Bridge	In progress – see item 4.a.i below

4.a.i Pride Bridge

J Ran, via email: Roisin has got back to me and said she, but is happy to plan a Zoom meeting with me to talk about their project and explore opportunities about how our CC could work together with them to promote social inclusion. I have got back to her to check some possible dates for a meeting, and once this is done, I will feedback to the CC.

5 Residents’ issues not previously advised

Cllr Booth has responded to a resident who was concerned about contamination at the former Dalton scrapyard.

6 Police report

See report on LHNCC website.

7 Treasurer’s report

D Tharby: balance is £220·57, according to a statement from late July. The statement does not show receipt of LHNCC’s annual grant.

8 Councillor/MSP/MP responses and updates

8.a Cllr Nols-McVey

There are isses from the noise of seagulls nesting and breeding, so I am speaking with officers re future prevention. Owners of affected sites (e.g. large garage areas) are not concerned but the residents are. Some parts have netted balconies but others do not.
There is anger among residents of Anchorfield about CEC reneging on promises. Councillors were told, and passed on, inaccurate information, e.g. that tram construction caused no damage, while there had been payments for previous damage but no acceptance of liability. I will continue to pressure on behalf of Anchorfield and Constitution St residents.
- J Preacher: a pavement at Portland Gardens was dug up at the start of tram operation but not restored.
  - Action: the Cllr to chase this up.
- E Dick: I have been unable to contact anyone about various issues to do with tram-related public realm and trees.
  - Action: the Cllr and E Dick to engage offline about such issues.

8.b Cllr Booth

I am now on CEC’s transport and environment committee. I and Cllr Faccenda will as for an update on trams progress.
CEC will trial a 7am to 7pm, 7 days per week bus lane from Balerno to Musselburgh for 18 months to see if it is faster and more reliable.
The St Andrews Square coach station owner is now talking with CEC, having decided to sell it.
CEC has now approved a consultation on a 5% transient visitor levy (hotels, B&Bs, STLs).There will also be tenant and trade union input into discussions about running of the TVL scheme.
There is a consultation on how well STL licensing is working.
There is a consultation on developer contributions, to go with City Plan 2030, which is now with the Scottish Government.

9 Standing Items and updates

9.a Planning

9.a.i Presentation re PAN, Land East of Edinburgh Dock

See slides on LHNCC website and https://harbour31.com.

Presentation
- The draft proposals are being shared with public, ahead of a formal planning application.
- The proposals centre on a business-led development around flexible office work for the creative industries, at Edinburgh Dock, including the dry dock.
- Slide 1: there is a large area currently inaccessible to the public, so entrance gates would be moved north to allow more access, sense of place/destination.
  - The existing large warehouses would have light industrial use, including flexible studio spaces. There would also be some ancillary use, i.e. food and beverages.
  - The area in the south of the site was part of the port. A basin has been filled but the harbour walls remain so development would unearth them and to make them part of the public realm.
- Slide 5: there is a separate application by Forth Ports for land to the west of this site: some residential use and introduction of an east-west link (cars, buses, cycling, walking).
- Slide 6: the plans would follow the local maritime architecture vernacular, hence using shipping containers and sheds, as has been done elsewhere.
- Slide 7: phase 1 image shows the site as it is now. Phase 2 shows the container-led office development and the site access from Bath Rd. Phase 3 shows the central hub building, i.e. amenity for site users. Phase 4 shows additional office space around the dry dock. Phase 6 shows planned enhancements to the public realm.
- Slide 8: shows the main access from Bath Rd.
- Slide 10: shows how containers would be used to create high-quality office space, interesting forms and privacy.
  - The site would be ‘naturally’ policed due to 24/7 use. Hence design of lighting will be key.
- Slide 11: shows the planned view from the dry dock.
- Slide 12: shows the planned access to food and beverage areas, and sense of place.
- Slide 14: shows how containers would be stacked to create interesting forms, with use of existing cobbles.
- Slide 15: shows the proposed business hub.
- Slide 16 shows the proposed courtyard break-out area, which would bring light into the centre of the building.
- The PAN was submitted in June, followed by an event at Ocean Terminal on 30 July attended by 60 people. They liked the proposed opening up of land and alternative uses, and the proposed industrial aesthetic.
- The next event will be in the first week of October. This will show how the revised plans respond to feedback.
Q&A/comments
- E Dick: the proposals are good-looking, combining historic and modern features.
- E Dick: does the northern boundary border the ‘Vestas’ site. Would this be a pinch-point, considering 1 turbine a day would be transported via here? How will this enable pedestrians and cyclists to travel east along the sea front? Will there not be a high-rise hotel to the west of the site, where the ships come in? I would prefer all of this area to be at the same height, rather than being blocked off by this hotel.
  - We recognise that this is a complex area, and that we need to show how plans join up. However, planning legislation requires consideration of individual major developments.
  - Turbines would be moved via Forth Ports’ operational estate, which does not have public access and is secure. There will be no bridge onto Marine Esplanade.
  - Concerning the western area, in 2022 Forth Ports submitted a PAN for a larger, residential-led mixed use development covering from the Barratt flats to the southern edge of Edinburgh Dock. However, CEC did not support residential use immediately to the south of Edinburgh Dock. Hence Forth Ports is bringing forward proposals that CEC would support, including an access route that fits the local development plan. Forth Ports would prefer pedestrian access all along the waterfront, so hopes that CEC would change its opinion on this.
- B Ryan: I was advised by a built environment professor that shipping containers would be too cold.
  - There are tried ways to insulate them. All such buildings would comply with standards. Reuse of containers would save on embedded carbon: they could be built off-site, reducing the number of journeys.
- N Tulloch: what are the proposals for the dry dock itself?
  - There would be light-touch restoration, leaving it full of water, but would have public access. (We would like to do something in the future.) The dry dock and pump house are listed, so are being left alone.
- E Dick; could the SS Explorer be moved into the dry dock?
  - It would not fit in the dry dock, but we have other ideas of how to bring the ship into this site.
- D Giles: how does this development affect the line of sight of the sea for existing residents? What about the noise levels if 24-hour working goes ahead?
  - Very few residents currently have such lines of site. We cannot comment on the 21-m high Vesta building.
  - There will be a meeting with CCs (7pm on 5 September at Heart of Newhaven), where people can ask about Vesta. Submitting questions in advance would be welcome.
- D Tharby: would this development increase traffic levels, given the 24/7 use of the site?
  - There will be vehicle access to the outskirts of the site, so people can use the majority of it. The use will mostly be class 4 (offices), linked to the creative sector that operates all the time. It will not be an industrial site, and will be less noisy than a port.

9.a.ii Seafield

See report on LHNCC website.

9.a.iii Hemingway’s outdoor extension

D Tharby: Hemingway now has planning permission for this, but it is causing concerns.
- E Dick: the original structure was erected without planning permission, so they were asked to remove it. Instead, they reapplied for, and gained, permission for a structure. However, what is now present does not match the application, so ~4 weeks ago CEC issued a ‘planning contravention notice’.
- Cllr Booth: I do not know the due date for Hemingway’s to respond, but will find out.

9.b Licensing

D Tharby: there are no current concerning applications.

9.c Transport

Action: D Tharby to circulate notices from EBUG, including information on consultations.
D Tharby: Cllr Arthur is now an MP, so is no longer on CEC’s transport and environment committee, but Cllrs Booth and Faccenda are.
D Tharby: I am not aware whether CCTT is still active.
E Dick: tram drivers are ringing their bells unnecessarily as they pass the Port of Leith stop, which is a nuisance.
- Action: Cllr Booth to chase this up.

9.d Environment

9.d.i Water of Leith Basins Stakeholder Group

D Tharby: there has been no report of the meeting on 21 June, so I will chase this up with Ben Macpherson MSP. Some cutting back of buddleia has been observed.

9.d.ii The tram corridor

9.e Heritage

9.e.i Update on SHBT

Action: D Tharby to ask SHBT to present about its plans to LHNCC.

9.f Community

9.f.i Launch of £eith Chooses 2024 – 2025

D Tharby: this year’s instance is now open for applications. See https://www.leithchooses.net/eithchooses-2024-2025-is-open-for-applications-now . The theme is Leith Uniting. Potential applicants are welcome to meet the steering group.

10 Community councils scheme review and boundary changes

D Tharby: the final consultation closes on 21 Sept. It may bring some small changes to align CC and CEC ward boundaries.

11 Key diary dates ahead of next meeting

Coallie Park event on 5 September, 10am to 4pm
Mill Lane Park community fun day at Cables Wynd on 7 September

12 Any other business

No points raised.

13 Date of next meeting

24^th September 2024 at Custom House, Commercial Street