Community Councils Together on Trams: Note of meeting held on 25 April 2019

Leith Links Community Council is a member of ‘Community Councils Together on Trams’ alongside Leith Central Community Council, Leith Harbour & Newhaven Community Council and New Town & Broughton Community Council. CCTT is the coalition of Community Councils who meet regularly to discuss, scrutinise and influence the intended continuation of the Edinburgh Tram system to Newhaven.

1. Welcome, introductions, minutes

2. Update TT team

a. Progress on CEC work on multi-year environmental cost/benefits post-tram

  • Noted: this is being progressed by Hannah Ross (HR) who will advise

b. Confirmation of official ECI period (given the delayed mobilisation)

Noted: ECI is underway, but not all senior contractor staff are in Edinburgh. ECI will end 9 October 2019. Lane closures with heras and barrier will commence from 10 October 2019. To confirm the track slab design the contractor will carry out ground and site investigation along the route[note i]. This will be carried out via trail holes and bores. These works will be carried out under minor traffic management lasting on average 5 days per location.

  • Noted: DW as ‘in-house’ stakeholder rep, and contractors are co-locating to 200 Bonnington Rd (200BR) for the period (perhaps beyond); other members of TT: HR (ca 1 day at 200BR) and RL (as required at 200BR) based at their respective main offices. New TT communication person is being recruited. Client team includes CEC tram team, Anturas, Turner Townsend, Atkins.
  • Agreed: DW to provide diagram of all entities and key personnel involved and glossary of acronyms
  • Noted: detailed trader logistics survey in progress; more info at next meeting

3. Update CCTT

  • Noted: HT had meetings with Paul Lawrence, Hannah Ross and George Lowder to prepare the ground for CCTT/TT meetings during ECI period
  • Noted: the role of the Traffic Management Review Panel (TMRP): includes representation of some but not all relevant groups (e.g. pedestrians and bus passengers – as opposed to bus operator – don’t have a dedicated voice)[note ii]
  • Agree ‘shopping list’ (see below) priority, scope, input required, date decision required
  • Agreed: see bold items in table below

4. Agree future meeting dates during ECI period

  • Agreed: monthly meetings at 200BR on last THU, apart May (date tbc) and July (holiday[note iii]): 29 (tbc) May, 27 June, 29 August, 26 September; meetings beyond September TBA
  • Agreed: due to pace of mobilisation, to meet contractors’ senior staff at June meeting
  • Agreed: to keep an eye on Constitution Street fixing points and pre-works
Priority Topic (subtopic) Scope Input required from Date decision required
TTROs in wider corridor (i.e. including diversion routes and their side streets) There will be a blanket road works embargo.
May meeting business logistics[note iv] TT will share analysis of survey.
bus diversions/stops: this will need LB input The role of TMRP was noted.
Detailed design:
May Meeting: DW to provide info on tracker timing Bus stops/shelters (this will need LB and maybe JCD input) Any bespoke shelters to be provided by JCD; integration with new tracker system (if any) to be confirmed.
June meeting with Gareth Barwell Communal bin locations along the route: may require some infrastructure (example: Albert Street) and changed waste collections procedures (regularity, times outwith tram operation hours) ‘95% complete’
‘open’ (CCTT definition) design items at Shrub Pl, Constitution Street (we discussed best approach) and Ocean Terminal bus logistics and access to private road ‘Shrub Place design issues are a locality issue and are not being dealt with by the project’; Ocean Terminal issue has been resolved
construction period: monitoring/quality control, reporting, communications To be discussed in more detail in future
Utilities: embargo on non-emergency work in wider area (?); clear deadline to complete other work during ECI There is a blanket embargo on such works.

[i] HT note: I seem to recall that exploratory digs would occupy only one lane and last 48 hrs max

[ii] DW note: Major roadworks across the city are coordinated and managed via the City Wide Traffic Management Group (CWTMG); to assist with this process a dedicated Trams to Newhaven Traffic Management Review Panel (TMRP) has been established. Membership of this group is similar to the CWTMG including Emergency Services, Transport Operators and Council Officers. Although not on the approving body, traffic management will be discussed with the Active Travel Forum which has membership from Living Streets, Spokes, Edinburgh Access Panel, Transform Scotland and Sustrans.

[iii] HT note: this leaves only four meetings to address a hefty ‘shopping list’

[iv] While operators contacted by SLTN were all positive about the project, they expressed concern about disruption to deliveries as well as a general drop in footfall for the duration of the works. Communication from the council was said to be key.
Garry Clark, development manager for Edinburgh at the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Local businesses need to be able to plan in order to mitigate the impacts that the tram extension will have upon their businesses. “Whilst the council has gone out to businesses early this time around, firms are telling us that they need clarity on the timescale of the work to enable them to put these plans in place. (https://sltn.co.uk/2019/04/18/council-must-be-vocal-on-trams)

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