Edinburgh Council

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Parking in Edinburgh – consultation

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council)

Edinburgh Council is consulting on its draft parking action plan (PAP). The PAP sets out a range of actions and was approved for consultation by the Transport and Environment Committee on 25 August. The main actions include

  • The extension of parking controls to cover weekends/Sundays and into the evening
  • The roll out of shared use parking places
  • The introduction of visitor permits in the city centre

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Parks and Greenspace management – what do you think?

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council’s Parks and Greenspace Service)

The Parks and Greenspace Service (P&GSS) is carrying out a review of the management of a small selection of the events held in Edinburgh’s public parks in 2014-15 and would like to hear your views and comments. P&GSS will use the information you give to identify specific issues and problems, seek solutions and implement any appropriate suggestions in time for next year’s programme.  The review will close on Thursday 1st October 2015.

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Demolition of Imperial Grain Warehouse

(Adapted from a post on the Cockburn Association’s Facebook page)

Forth Ports have applied for planning permission to demolish the Imperial Grain Warehouse, associated out buildings and external plant | Grain Silo Imperial Dock

The Imperial Dock Grain Elevator is a multi-phase category B listed grain storage building sited adjoining the deep water dock on Leith’s waterfront. The original building dates from 1933-4 and was designed by JD Easton and AH Roberts for the Leith Dock Commission. It was added to and extended in the late 1950’s and late 1960’s. Internally, the building comprises a series of concrete bins used as grain storage silos with an access floor to the top and another to the bottom. To the front, an elevator block still houses the original conveyors and lifts. The building was listed in 1995 when still in use, and was noted as a remarkable survival containing its early machinery.

To find out what Forth Ports want to replace it with, please log onto Edinburgh Council Planning Portal and enter 15/03779/LBC into the search box.

You have until 11 September to comment on this application to demolish a listed building.

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Grab a Grant for Autumn!

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council)

Grab a Grant for Autumn!

Action Earth is helping to get people and communities busy outdoors.  The campaign has grants to give to groups of volunteers who are carrying out environmental projects in Scotland.

Grants from £50 to £250 are available for practical activities that involve volunteers in improving outdoor spaces or creating habitats for wildlife. Grants can be used to purchase plants, tools and materials or to cover volunteer expenses.

The campaign is run by Volunteering Matters (formerly known as CSV) from April to December each year and is supported by Scottish Natural Heritage.

If you have any questions contact Robert Henderson on T: 0131 622 7766 or  robert.henderson@volunteeringmatters.org.uk

For more information and to apply online go to www.volunteeringmatters.org.uk/actionearth

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Consultation on revised Developer Contributions and Affordable Housing Guidance

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council planning department)

The Second Proposed Local Development Plan (LDP June 2014) sets out a new approach to developer contributions and the delivery of infrastructure linked closely with the second proposed Action Programme (Updated May 2105). The Action Programme sets out the infrastructure, including education, transport, and greenspace actions, required to help mitigate the impact of strategic and planned growth and to deliver the proposals identified within the Plan.

Policies Del1 (Developer Contributions) and Del2 (Retrospective Developer Contributions) of the Second Proposed Plan require developer contributions from any development if:

  1. It will have a net impact on infrastructure capacity; and
  2. It is necessary to mitigate that impact by providing additional capacity or otherwise improving existing infrastructure.

To support this new approach, planning guidance on how the Council collects Developer Contributions and the approach to Affordable Housing has been updated.

A questionnaire has been provided on the Consultation Hub – here, to guide you through the proposed changes. Responses to this consultation should be provided by Friday 25 September 2015.

If you have any queries regarding the consultation or the guidance please contact me on 0131 529 6232 or via emailkate.hopper@edinburgh.gov.uk

Yours sincerely

Kate Hopper

Senior Planning Officer

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Planning and Building Standards – customer engagement

(Adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council Planning)
In June this year the Planning Committee approved a draft customer engagement strategy which explains how we intend to engage and communicate with all of our customers.  We are also proposing changes to our customer charter.  This sets out the level of service you should expect from us.These changes are due to a number of factors such as increasing demand, how our customers access the service and how we can continue to improve performance.We have two short surveys on the draft engagement strategy and our revised customer service charter and would appreciate your views on both.

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Public toilet closures

(adapted from an email from Edinburgh Council – click for full text of that email: Public toilets)

Following consultation, we can advise that the toilets below will be closed over the following timescales:

  • Ardmillan – end of July 2015
  • Canaan Lane – end of July 2015
  • Canonmills – end of July 2015
  • Currie – end of July 2015
  • Granton Square – end of July 2015
  • Joppa – end of August 2015
  • Juniper Green – end of July 2015
  • London Road – end of August 2015
  • St John’s Road – end of August 2015
  • Tollcross – end of August 2015

The toilets at Hawes Pier and Middle Meadow Walk will not be closed at this time, while the options for these sites are reviewed.

To lessen the impact of the closures, the Council is establishing a Community Toilet Scheme with interested businesses across the city. This would result in participating businesses allowing members of the public to use their toilet facilities without expecting them to make a purchase, in exchange for an annual payment from the Council.

It is appreciated that there will be some impact following these closures. To help mitigate this, there have been over 60 additional toilet facilities identified in Council buildings around the city that are available for the public to use. These are located in various Libraries, Community Centres, Edinburgh Leisure facilities and Neighbourhood Offices, and information about these toilet facilities is available here on the Council’s website. Nearly 20 public toilets will remain open.

If you would like to make an enquiry about public toilet closures, please call 0131 529 3030 or email public.toilets@edinburgh.gov.uk.

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George Street quarterly public stakeholder meeting minutes – 15 June 2015

(Ian MacPhail also emailed ‘It’s been a genuine attempt to put grassroots stakeholders in charge. The fact there has been standing room only has been a testimony to how engaged people are.

Minutes of George Street Quarterly Public Stakeholder Meeting

Date – 15 June 2015, Venue – West Drawing Room at Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh

Chair & Minutes – Iain MacPhail, City of Edinburgh Council, City Centre Programme Manager       Contact Email – iain.macphail@edinburgh.gov.uk

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  • This is the 3rd quarterly meeting of the group. All are welcome, including members of the public with no other form of affiliation (other than a wish to see George Street achieve its potential). As with the two previous meetings there was a full house in attendance, which is testimony to the passion, commitment and level of engagement of the participants, and sheds light on the importance of the street and in helping it to achieve its potential.
  • Those present included a wide array of representatives including some from the local Community Council, heritage bodies, sustainable transport groups, disability groups, individual business interests, the local Business Improvement District, Council officials, bus companies, taxi firms, cyclists, the emergency services, and members of the public.

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  • The purpose of the year’s trial on George Street has been to test out the impacts on George Street (and on surrounding streets) when there is additional space given over to pedestrians, cyclists and for activity (not only during the summer and winter festivals, but year-round).
  • The Council has made strenuous efforts to make this the most transparent and grassroots-led project in the city. This can be seen in three key areas, related to the research package.

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Edinburgh Council report – City Centre Public Spaces Manifesto update

(adapted from an email from Katie Swann, Partnership Development Officer)

In November 2013 the Corporate Policy and Strategy Committee approved a Review of Events Governance. One of the recommendations was that a report would be submitted to Committee, setting out a revised application and approval process for event organisers and to provide clarity about the process for other stakeholders. This process is already defined for the city’s green spaces in the Parks and Greenspaces Events Manifesto.
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