Approved

Firrhill Community Council ‘Nec Aspera Terrent’ (Undaunted by Adversity) M i n u t e of Meeting of the Council h e l d o n 2 9 A p r i l 2019 i n Lochan View Community Business Centre , Firrhill Neuk.

Attendance: H Levy, L McGurk, L Linn, S Weir, S Duffy & J Napier. Cllr S Arthur, City of Council, PC Spence, Police Apologies: F Gosney, J Turnbull & Cllr J Rust

The meeting started at 6 pm, with H Levy in the Chair.

1. Minute of Previous Meetings: The draft minutes for our meeting held on 25 March 2019 were reviewed. There being no corrections, the minutes were moved for approval by HL, seconded by LL and approved.

2. Matter Arising No matters arising. 3. Police, Ward Councillors and MSP Reports

3.1 Police Report for March 2019

Whilst the information provided in the following report was extracted from information received from the Police, it should be noted it has not been ratified and therefore may not be accurate or appropriate to refer to, quote or use as official statistics. Report presented by PC Colin Spence. During this period there were 136 calls made to the Police and there were 51 recorded crimes within PF57 beat.

Incidents:

Housebreakings There were no houses broken into during the period.

Assault An assault took place in Oxgangs Farm Drive on 10th March, unknown male suspect punched a dog walker to the head. Enquiries ongoing.

Road Safety / Initiatives No incidents of note.

Theft On 29th, felt was stolen from the building site at the new Oxgangs YPU, enquiries ongoing.

Hate Crime There were no reported hate crimes during the period.

http://www.firrhillcommunitycouncil.btck.co.uk/ Page 1 of 8 ASB / NPS / incidents of note The Police have dealt with a number of issues at the abandoned house on Oxgangs Farm Grove and the house is now believed to be secure.

Police have issued another warning about bogus workmen and doorstep callers, which is something we highlight in all our community council minutes.

IT Security (Raised at the Meeting) The Chair asked advice of the community police officer on the best way to report IT hacking issues. There were some further discussions around IT security and the Chair will feed back at the next meeting regarding ongoing investigations.

Community Policing Good news. We had previously been advised we were to lose a funded community police post. However, this decision has apparently been rescinded with no change to the number of community police officers in Beat PF57. Ward 8 comprises of 3 Policing Beats with 2 City of Edinburgh Council Funded Officers – Police Constables Eric Jones and David Crow. Beat PF57 covers the Firrhill CC area. The Community Policing Team Inspector covering Wards is Police Inspector Scott Richardson. The CPT Sergeant covering Ward 8 is Police Sergeant Kieran Dougal. The CPT consists of 3 teams of community-facing Constables, and the emphasis will be on community working, in a bid to solve local issues.

In non-emergencies, you should contact the Police by email at mailto:[email protected] or by telephoning the national non-emergency number 101. You can also follow us on Twitter @EdinPolSW.

Police Surgery Oxgangs Library, Oxgangs Road North, Wednesdays 1700 - 1800 hours. Morrison’s Café, Hunters Tryst, every 3rd Friday, 1130 – 1230 hours.

Warning about doorstep callers: don't sign up with, or give money to, anyone who cold-calls, i.e., anyone you haven't arranged to call. Say NO and report them to Police Scotland Tel: 101 or the City Council's Trading Standards Tel: 0131-529 3030.

To pass on information about crime anonymously, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or fill out their secure, encrypted online Giving Information Form.

3.2 Councillor Scott Arthur

Park Concessions The Council plan to raise a further £150k from catering concessions in Edinburgh's parks. In my Ward, I understand Spylaw & Mains Parks are being considered - I have asked that the Community Councils are consulted. If there is community support, I have nothing against this. However, I hope its ice cream and coffee, rather than burgers and chips that are sold.

Feedback on Local Services The Council want to hear what it is like to live and bring up children in Firrhill, Colinton Mains & Oxgangs. Come along for a chat with Kate at:

Firrhill Community Council Meeting 29 April 2019 Page 2 of 8 Oxgangs Library on Saturday 4 May Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre on Tuesday 21 May OR Get involved by going online at: https://placestandard.scot/start/oxgangs-forum

31 Oxgangs Farm Grove The owners have now secured the area and are considering removing their 4 garages (the 4 north most ones). Once this is done, they will reconsider their options. Realistically, I expect it will be many months before we have any news. I have discussed this with the police and they feel the changes should substantially reduce the problems associated with the property. Obviously, the remaining 6 garages are the responsibility of their respective owners.

Good Housing News £36m is to be spent on improvements to Council housing this year. I have an outline idea of what is planned in my Ward, but it will be a couple of months before we know for sure.

Litter Pick It was good to spend the morning of the 7th of April in Covenanters Woods with the 108th Pentland Scouts. Beavers, Cubs, Scouts and their Parents helping to pick litter and plant a tree. CAC organised a similar event at the same time for Redford Woods — this was also well attended. I was able to have the Evening News print a picture of the Scouts' litter pick.

Jazz & Blues The Edinburgh Jazz & Blues Festival.is coming to Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre this summer - on the 18th of July "Cat Loud Duo" will be playing.

WASPI Women Like many people, I was aware of the WASPI campaign and supported the calls for these women to be treated fairly. However, it was not until I met two local campaigners that I understood the human impact of this unjust change. I am therefore proud to have played a small part in helping these women and Ian Murray MP set up a local public meeting to raise awareness. The open public meeting will take place at Parish Church on Thursday 2nd May and is free of charge. Doors open at 6pm for a 6:30pm start.

Redford Road The Council have now repaired the worst of the Redford Road potholes, but I am speaking to them about the remaining sections of the road which are in an unacceptable condition.

Hunters Tryst School Site The developer has now taken over ownership of the former Hunters Tryst PS site. Detailed design of the 85 affordable homes (79 flats and 6 houses) is now underway, and work should begin before the end of the year.

Lothian Buses Received comments from passenger using the new 100-seater buses on the No.16 route. Where there are pavement railings at the bus stop, passengers have to use the front entry door on the bus as they cannot exit from the middle door.

Firrhill Community Council Meeting 29 April 2019 Page 3 of 8 Raised the issue of the lack of shelters at some bus stops in the area.

4. Environmental Plan update

Colinton Mains Park Walkabout & Oxgangs Library Garden

The Chair has arranged a meeting with Craig Dunlop, CEC Parks & Greenspaces, to take place on Wednesday, 01 May 2019 at the Library

Walkabout Dates

There are four routes remaining within the Firrhill CC area where walkabouts are still to be undertaken. Dates for these walkabouts need to be fixed to take place this year (ideally by September if possible.) The routes (in no particular order) are: ▪ Oxgangs Avenue, Oxgangs Street, Oxgangs Park and Oxgangs Row ▪ Oxgangs Bank upwards to where the CC boundary ends at Caiystane

▪ Redford Road and the Dreghorn Estate (there was discussion on whether the Dreghorn Estate will still be part of Firrhill Community Council area following the 2019 Review) ▪ Oxgangs Hill, Oxgangs Green, Oxgangs Loan, then heading down Cock My Lane to the site of the new centre for looked after children. Decision: next walkabout will cover Oxgangs Avenue, Street, Park and Row. SW to organise a date that will suite the majority.

Firrhill Wood – update

Contact made with Anni McLeod, CC (Friends of Wester Craiglockhart Hill and Greenbank Community Woodland). SW and JN met with her on 26th April, had a walk through the woods and exchanged information. Contact also made with Galliford Try, contact name is Mark Baxendale, Head of Group Property. They have recently appointed Bell Ingram to manage the woodland and are waiting on a report from them. JN to contact him end of June/July to see if they will share the report.

Bell Ingram are Chartered Surveyors, Forestry Managers, Estate Agents, Architects, Building Surveyors, Planning Consultants. Their Chartered Foresters division provide management services and investment advice for all types of woodland owner with an aim to maximise the potential benefits of woodlands in order to achieve the best possible outcome for their clients. They manage all types of woodland, including commercial plantations, native woodland and woodlands in urban areas, both large and small.

Summary: This privately-owned woodland is in Craiglockhart CC area but bordering on to Firrhill. It is open to the public and provides a local amenity for the community. It is used by local schools for environmental studies. Craiglockhart CC environmental groups have experience in looking after the Craiglockhart Hills conservation area but like ourselves are a bit thin on the ground regarding active volunteers. Anni’s suggestion is to form a ‘Friends’ group for the woodland, as it can carry more weight when seeking assistance from other public bodies. Proposed actions:

1. obtain a copy of the original woodland management plan

2. investigate and promote the setting up a joint ‘Friends’ group.

Firrhill Community Council Meeting 29 April 2019 Page 4 of 8 3. await the outcome of the report from Bell Ingram. Weight: Minimal. We have achieved up-to-date information on ownership and woodland management responsibility. As the woodland is in their area, Craiglockhart CC may wish to take the lead partners in further actions.

5. Oxgangs Forum The Forum attended by FG & SW, and a copy of their feedback notes attached as Appendix 1. One of the items discussed was the Draft Terms of Reference for Oxgangs Forum, which is attached as Appendix 2.

6 Any Other Business

Allermuir Art Project

Chair reported on a meeting of the Art group Tuesday 9/04/19, where it was agreed for various reasons that a sculpture would not be appropriate. Due to the success of the Tapestry it was agreed we would expand the theme of the tapestry throughout the medical centre, made up of small pictures. Each picture will contain a collage of 4 small squares in each frame, the more squares we have the better. They can be of any theme that is important to the stitcher or group of stitchers, the only criteria is that the same linen used in the big picture is used in the squares, ensuring they are part of the ‘Tapestry Trail’. It was stressed to Andrew that members of the community must be involved in the stitching if only a few stitches are entailed. Andrew has agreed to send me some packs made up of the Linen & threads to get the projected started. Susan has agreed to take a pack to Firrhill Day Centre. Lilian Martin has agreed to stitch a square using the Firrhill CC logo & support the Library link groups to create a couple of squares. We also discussed having a ‘community art wall’ which it appears there is a funding pot where we can apply for costs towards specialist hanging frame possibly similar to the exhibition frame in the Oxgangs Library. Will feedback how this develops At the May meeting we can discuss this further and how we want to action/move this forward. Allermuir Medical Centre has won an award under the Building Better Healthcare Awards 2018. The competition is held each year to celebrate innovation and improvement in the built environment and medical device design and to highlight the efforts of people working in the healthcare industry. In the Building Design Class - Primary Care (New Build) the winner was Hoskins Architects for Allermuir Health Centre.

Pavement Parking

The City Council are considering steps to discourage drivers parking their vehicles on the pavement. Currently a parking attendant can and will issue a parking ticket if a vehicle is parked on yellow lines, at a bus stop or parking bays when they should not be. It may also be impounded if it is causing an obstruction to other vehicles and pedestrians. Action is not normally taken by the Authority or the Police if a vehicle is parked on a pavement, although it is illegal to do so, unless there are other factors involved.

Firrhill Community Council Meeting 29 April 2019 Page 5 of 8 Community Council Elections

The City of Edinburgh Council report on the Review of Scheme for Community Councils 2019 indicates Community Council elections will take place in October 2019. There was insufficient time to discuss at this meeting but members should give some thought to whether they will be standing for re-election.

7. Date of Next Meeting Date, venue and time of our next meeting is Monday 27 May 2019 in the Lochan View Community Business Centre at 6.00pm. This meeting has been put back to avoid Easter Monday public holiday on the 22nd The meeting ended at 8.00 pm approx.

Firrhill Community Council Meeting 29 April 2019 Page 6 of 8 Appendix 1

Oxgangs Forum: 09 April 2019

• Aaron Elder, Co-Chair of Oxgangs Forum – his first time chairing meeting welcomed everyone to the Forum.

• Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre’s Programme of Events. o Easter Fun Day 13 April 2019 o Junior Bake-Off 16 April 2019 o Enterprise event with Edinburgh International Festival on Saturday 25 April – a Scottish themed meal, then on to see ‘Local Hero’ at the Lyceum Theatre. o Event in July with the Jazz and Blues Festival o Summer BBQ o Barge Trip

• Terms of Reference for the Forum – it was pointed out there was no mention in the Terms of Reference how the work of the Forum would be monitored and measured to ensure the main purpose in the Terms of Reference of improving health and reducing inequalities was successful. It was agreed the ToR could be taken back to the author for adjustment. It wasn’t clear if the adjusted ToR would be brought back to the Forum.

• South West Community Grants and future Council Governance Structure – it was explained that community grants were mainly for charities and community groups. A presentation will be made to a future meeting of the Oxgangs Forum to explain the operation of the new Neighbourhood Networks and Council governance structure.

• Free debt counselling service provided by Oxgangs Community Church in conjunction with the charity Christians Against Poverty.

• Broomhouse Centre – update on the work of the Centre including the Youth Café Drop- In for 11-15 year olds which was very popular.

• Health Event 13 July 2019 to be held at Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre. o Health and wellbeing focus o Community involvement o Food will be provided o Anyone wishing to have a table at the event should contact Katherine Anderson at EVOC - [email protected] o Dom Heslop, ONC Manager will arrange publicity o Can also be publicised through Facebook

• Place Consultation Events – Firrhill Community Council had hosted a Place consultation event on 20 March 2019. A number of other events were being arranged in the area over the coming months by Kate Barlow, Health and Social Care Partnership.

Firrhill Community Council Meeting 29 April 2019 Page 7 of 8 Appendix 2 Oxgangs Forum; Draft Terms of Reference

Purpose: To work together to ensure meaningful involvement with the Oxgangs community to improve health and reduce inequalities by:

1. Establishing a local forum to tackle physical and mental health problems 2. Networking, establishing opportunities for joint working and building on effective local work through partnership working 3. Gathering and sharing information that: a. gives an understanding of what is needed/wanted in the Oxgangs community, b. helps to prevent duplication and strengthens efforts to tackle inequalities 4. Empowering the Oxgangs community by increasing their participation into the improvement of services and community planning 5. Providing services based on the lived experience of the Oxgangs community and the current evidence base 6. Ensuring local work is compliant with national and local policies. Terms of reference: The group will meet approximately 8-10 times per year. Meetings will be approximately 2 hours. Governance and chairing will be reviewed annually. In 2019 the group will be co-chaired. Secretariat support has been provided by EVOC to date but the group will need to determine how this support will be provided on an ongoing basis. Membership: Membership is wide ranging and includes stakeholders from the third sector, faith organisations operating within the Oxgangs area, local community council representatives and the public sector. The current membership includes: South West Lifelong Learning, The City of Learning & Development, The City of Edinburgh Council Edinburgh Council Housing Team, The City of Edinburgh Council Family & Household Support, The City of Edinburgh Council GPs/ Practice Managers/ Practice Nurses from Public Health Practitioner/ Health Firrhill and Craiglockhart Medical Centres Promotion Specialist for South West Service Manager for mental health and Redford Barracks substance use Pentland Community Centre Police Scotland Mentor UK

Oxgangs Neighbourhood Centre Oxgangs Community Church Dunedin Canmore Youth Projects Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust Health in Mind Care UK Best Bib N Tucker Oxgangs Care CHAI Broomhouse Centre Fire Scotland Oxgangs Sure Start Christians Against Poverty Big Hearts Community Trust Firrhill Community Council

March 2019

Firrhill Community Council Meeting 29 April 2019 Page 8 of 8