Category: Leith Links Community Council

Next meeting of Leith Links Community Council, Monday 30th November, 6:30pm, via Microsoft Teams

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will take place on Monday 30th November, at 6:30pm, online, via Microsoft Teams.

The link for the meeting will be sent out by email.

The meeting is open to interested members of the public. If you wish to attend, please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk and ask to be sent an invitation /link for the meeting.

Here are

(1) the Agenda for the meeting.

(2) the LLCC MINUTES October 2020 (draft until adopted at next week’s meeting).

(3) the Licensing Update (incorporating link to LLCC’s response to the Scottish Government’s recent consultation on Short Term Lets) by Licensing Sub Committee Spokesperson Michael Traill.

These are also stored for access at any time in our online Library.

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Congratulations Councillor Ethan Young

Earlier today City of Edinburgh Council announced that Ethan Young (Scottish National Party) has been elected to represent the Craigentinny/Duddingston ward at the City Chambers.

Councillor Young now automatically becomes an ex officio member of Leith Links Community Council.

Speaking on behalf of Leith Links Community Council Chairman Jim Scanlon said;

On behalf of Leith Links CC I would like to congratulate Ethan and look forward to seeing him at our next CC online meeting. I hope we can work together constructively on issues effecting local residents.
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Annual Report 2019/2020 published

We are pleased to present our latest annual report which provides us with an opportunity to update our community & other interested parties on some of our work over the last year.

The annual report highlights some of our work in various areas such as planning, licensing, greenspaces and of course Seafield odour/noise matters.

Commenting on the annual report Community Councillor Michael Traill, the Community Councils Engagement Officer said;

This Annual Report highlights just how busy our Community Councillors are and I am sure many people will be surprised to see that breadth of work we are involved with. And I fully expect the upcoming year to be just as diverse & busy!

Community Councillor Jim Scanlon MBE who serves as Chairperson said;

When you read the Annual Report it highlights the amount of work as volunteers Community Councillors do.

I’m immensely proud of Leith Links CC’s hard working team who do their best to represent the local community.

To view the report click on the image or click here.

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Next meeting (AGM) of Leith Links Community Council; Monday 26th October, at 6:30pm, via Microsoft Teams.

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will take place on Monday 26th October, at 6:30pm, online, via Microsoft Teams.

There will be the AGM first, chaired by Councillor Gordon Munro, followed by a short ‘ordinary’ meeting chaired by Jim Scanlon.

The link for the meeting will be sent out by email.

Here are

(1) the Minutes of the 2019 AGM

(2) the Minutes of the September 2020 ‘ordinary’ meeting. Both are draft until adopted at next week’s meeting.

(3) the Annual Report (incorporating Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Engagement Officer Reports) (also draft until adopted at next week’s meeting).

(4) the Agenda for the AGM

(5) the Agenda for the ordinary meeting.

(6) the end of year accounts for LLCC Project a/c (£eith Chooses) which is not included in the Annual Report

These will also be stored for access at any time in our online Library.

The meeting is open to members of the public who are resident, or have close links to our local area. If you wish to attend, please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk and ask to be sent an invitation /link for the meeting.

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Leith Links Community Council respond to Scottish Government consultation on regulation of Short Term Lets

The Scottish Governments latest consultation on Short Term Lets gathers final views on proposed new legislation for the regulation of Short Term Lets in Scotland.Scottish Government publishes Debt Advice Routemap for Scotland | Money Advice Liaison Group

Their proposals include a mandatory licensing scheme to ensure that all Short Term Lets are safe and to address issues faced by neighbours. The regulations, if passed by the Scottish Parliament, would come into force by April 2021.  These would also give councils powers to manage pressures created by the use of whole properties as short-term lets.

The consultation closes on Friday 16 October 2020. Click here to view the consultation on the Scottish Government website.

In response to the consultation Leith Links Community Council has now submitted its response, which is available below for citizens to view. We would recommend reading our response alongside the consultation papers (available via the link detailed above) otherwise it may not make much sense!

We have went went a bit deeper that the three simple questions apparently ask. This was a very conscious decision in order to make sure the Scottish Government are clear of our position in expectation that the Short Term Let industry will be working to challenge the strength of any new regulation.

There are two principles which run throughout the consultation response;

  1. The regulation should be clear and simple to understand by public authorities, citizens and the Short Term Let industry. The legislation should not afford opportunities for it to be open to interpretation. This is problematic for everyone involved.
  2. The cost of the regulation should be entirely borne by the Short Term Let industry.  This legislation is required because the industry has failed to self regulate. Application charges should be set at a level which takes account of all costs incurred by local authorities (and other public bodies such as Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue Service). The public purse is under significant pressure and none of it should be diverted to regulation of Short Term Lets.

Leith Links Community Council is encouraging citizens to submit their own responses to the consultation via the Scottish Governments website. The consultation closes on Friday 16 October 2020. Click here to view the consultation on the Scottish Government website.

» Read more

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Congratulations Jim Scanlon MBE!

Long serving Leith Links Community Council Chairman Jim Scanlon has become a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in this years Queens Birthday Honours for services to the community of Leith.

 

This follows on from Jim and his wife Annie being jointly awarded The Elizabeth Wardlaw Leith Citizenship Award 2019 as part of Leith Festival 2019.

 

 

 

Jim Scanlon MBE said;

On my birthday in June I received an email to tell me that I had been awarded an MBE but had to remain silent about the award until last Friday night when the embargo ended.

 

I feel very humbled and proud to receive the MBE and will continue to work hard for the Leith community.

 

Secretary of Leith Links Community Council Sally Millar said;

The members of Leith Links Community Council are absolutely delighted to hear that our Chair Jim Scanlon has been awarded an MBE.

Jim is a thoroughly great bloke, has led the Community Council steadily for many years, and is an unassuming but tireless champion of the local community and the wonderful area we live in.

 

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Next meeting of Leith Links Community Council, Monday 28th September, at 6:30pm, via Zoom.

The next meeting of the Leith Links Community Council will take place on Monday 28th September, at 6:30pm, via Zoom.

The Agenda for the meeting, and the Minutes of the previous meeting are here, and in our online Library.

A Zoom link will be sent out nearer the time.

The meeting is open to members of the public who are resident, or have close links to our local area. If you wish to attend, please email contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk and ask to be sent a Zoom link for the meeting.

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Seafield Update

Information received from Scottish Water:

“We wanted to make you aware that Veolia plans to clean the storm tanks at Seafield between Monday 21st September and Wednesday 23 September, next week.  This is the first available opportunity to complete this maintenance task following the recent heavy rainfall in the catchment area, and whilst weather conditions are forecast to be favourable.

In addition, as part of planned maintenance activities at the site, Primary Settlement Tank 1 (PST1) is to be drained and cleaned. This activity has been scheduled to commence today with work expected to take approximately one week.

Conditions are currently forecast to be favourable and every effort will be made to minimise the odour risk when carrying out these activities.

Both SEPA and the City of Edinburgh Council have been informed.

We will issue a further update once Veolia has completed the work.

Note: A link to this communication will be posted on social media and also on our website  – https://www.scottishwater.co.uk/seafield

As always if you smell any sewage it’s important that you complete our report form.

I can assure you that all public bodies and elected councillors sit up and pay attention to every complaint made. Your MSP Ben MacPherson has also worked hard on your behalf to secure a commitment by the Scottish Government to invest no regrets funding to reduce odour emissions in 2020/21 and a new state of the art sewage works will be built on the same site in 2030 hopefully to end the Seafield Stench.

Jim Scanlon

Chair, Leith Links Community Council

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Local traffic congestion & Links Gardens closure

At the last meeting of the Leith Links Community Council, the following motion was proposed and carried.

Due to excessive local traffic congestion, with concomitant air pollution and danger to pedestrians and cyclists, Leith Links Community Council proposes that a review is needed of the closure of Links Gardens and of the working of the redesigned junction at the foot of Easter Road. This should be carried out in the context of all the other nearby road closures, roadworks, and diversions affecting traffic across Leith, and should include full consultation with local residents and businesses.

The motion has been passed on to our three local Councillors, and to all members of the Transport and Environment Committee.

At the Community Council meeting (which was held online, but was open to members of the public to attend), the following points were raised in discussion:

LLCC is receiving many emails from local residents about severe traffic congestion problems, particularly relating to the redesigned Easter Road junction and to the Links Gardens closure. Residents are divided: many support the closure of Links Gardens for use by pedestrians and cyclists, while others are deeply upset by the traffic congestion, delays and blocked routes that beset our area currently. Recent online petitions have garnered hundreds of signatures. Currently some streets (eg. East Hermitage Place / Vanburgh Place) are actually worse for pedestrians and cyclists, rather than better, due to nose-to-tail queuing traffic and air pollution. Delays to public transport drives more people back to their cars.

LLCC is not anti-cyclist and is not demanding immediate reopening of the road, but just requesting a review. There was no consultation at the time of the closure.

A recent report from Police Scotland (Community Officer) states that “There are no highlighted concerns from Police Scotland in relation to public safety for this road [Links Gardens] re-opening. From a Police Scotland point of view we have no objections to this road re-opening and resuming normal traffic. This will hopefully alleviate a lot of traffic that is amounting along Vanburgh Place and Hermitage Place due to the new traffic light system on Duke Street.”

It is clear that the traffic problems are not ALL caused by the closure of Links Gardens, but by a ‘perfect storm’ of multiple road closures, roadworks and diversions all over Leith, and also by the new junction at the bottom of Easter road which has never worked well. Re-opening Links Gardens is the one thing that could be relatively easily achieved, and might help somewhat, even just temporarily while the Tramworks are at their most disruptive.

CEC policy is apparently to hope for “traffic evaporation” but it is not clear how this can be achieved.

Cllr McVey noted that the Links Gardens closure, along with early Covid 19 measures on other roads, is due to be reviewed at the next meeting of the Transport and Environment Committee.

           

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Rattray statue uncaged at last

After 10 years of fund-raising by Leith Rules Golf Society, amounting to an amazing £120,000 followed by motions to Parliament, Royal Consent and planning applications, the statue of John Rattray was cast by Powderhall Bronze and erected on its current position on the Links last September surrounded by a fence.

Finally, after a further year of negotiations with City of Edinburgh Council, the fencing came down yesterday.

Leith Links and Rattray have an important part in the history of golf. The original 13 rules of  the game were written down by Rattray for a competition on Leith Links in 1744. Those 13 rules were the foundation of the rules of golf up to the present day.

The statue belongs to the people of Leith and we should all be proud of this additional part of our rich history.

I hope we can all respect the statue and protect it from vandalism and I encourage you all, like me, to keep an eye on it to protect it.

Since yesterday there’s been lots of interest in Rattray and we hope it will attract visitors from all over the world who, fingers crossed, will also spend their money in Leith.

Jim Scanlon

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