• Portobello Community Council
  • c/o 14 Rosefield Avenue
  • Portobello
  • EH15 1AU
 

Maureen Child Update 7 February 2020

Posted on: February 7th, 2020

Dear All

 

Yesterday I joined members of the Portobello community, friends and Council colleagues in Portobello and Joppa Parish Church to celebrate the life of Marjorie Thomas. There was a wonderful story of a life well lived among us all. I think the whole crowd of us were deeply grateful to her amazing family for sharing their memories of this phenomenal woman.  Some friends expressed surprise that she clearly had so many good friends from across the political spectrum, given her very strongly expressed political views. That so many of us politicians were there to mourn our loss, and celebrate her life, illustrates the fact that we have far more in common than the very few things that divide us – as Jo Cox MP famously said.

 

Leading neatly in to the next topic, all four Portobello/Craigmillar Councillors are working  together to take forward the proposals for traffic management and encouraging more active travel in and around Portobello. This will include proposals for safer routes to our schools and measures to discourage vehicular through traffic away from residential streets to main routes.  While the attached ‘Joppa Triangle’ proposals have been been brought forward, this is intended to integrate with further possible proposals for other residential streets over the next couple of months. Ideas for Regent Street, Marlborough Street, Straiton Place and Bath Street were put together with community input, several years ago, being looked at once again. We have a period of about months in which to discuss all this further before the Transport and Environment Committee makes a decision on an experimental traffic regulation order.  I have appended the update briefing note, which has added a crucial ‘not’ in a paragraph on community support; a typo probably caused by wishful thinking on the part the seven people who had sight of the final draft, including me.

 

This next topic is highly relevant to the whole discussion above; our city is suffering growing pains and facing huge citywide and global challenges which must impact on all our daily lives. The consultations on Edinburgh’s Choices for City Plan 2030 and Draft Mobility Plan were launched last Friday, 31 January.  Tomorrow, Saturday, 8 February, one of the city-wide series of drop-in sessions is at the Wash House Community Centre, 3 Adelphi Grove 11am-4pm.  The consultation will run for 8 weeks until the 27 March. You can find out about both consultations on our website at www.edinburgh.gov.uk/futureedinburgh

 

You can now: 

 If you are not signed up to the City Plan 2030 newsletter, you can email cityplan2030@edinburgh.gov.uk

 

Portobello Timebank’s next litter clearance is next weekend, Saturday 15 February, along the Christian Path and around the Windsor Place play park. Starting time is the usual 1.30pm, and they hope finish by 3.30pm for tea and cake! This will be a good ‘old fashioned’ litter pick alongside paths and roads with a few surprises hidden away. We’ll also try and clearing the sides of the Christian Path from vegetation/grass growth before spring arrives. Meeting point will be the Brighton place end of the path from where they will head towards Windsor Place.

 

ArtWalk Porty are taking applications for the 2020 Art Walk Porty ‘Groundwork’ festival to our ‘Art House Weekends’  and ‘Art in Shops’ programmes. Have a look at our website for the full details of each, we look forward to seeing your applications:

Art Houses – https://www.artwalkporty.co.uk/apply2020.html Deadline 1 March and  Art in Shops https://www.artwalkporty.co.uk/applyshops2020.html Deadline 15 March

 

Bridgend Growing Communities’ annual potato day is on Sunday 23 February, 11am – 2pm. Organic onion sets, garlic, shallots and ten varieties of potatoes. Find out more here: http://bridgendgrowingcommunities.org.uk/ or on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/pages/Bridgend-Growing-Communities/614192235323256

 

As promised, details of the process in testing interest in taking on Portobello Town Hall.  The Council is currently intent on investing in the school estate over the next five years as a priority.  there is no prospect of this building getting the investment it needs through Council resources. That said, there is no obligation on the Council to accept any offer that comes forward.  Councillors and Council officers would be sympathetic to a community proposal.  This process is designed to test the seriousness of any interest.  http://www.portobellocc.org/pccpn/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Portobello_TH_Particulars.pdf

 

Do let me know if you want ‘updated’ on anything else or have further questions or comments. Before you ask –  no briefing note yet forthcoming about the Portobello/Joppa traffic management proposals, possibly because it’s still being tweaked a bit.

 

Best wishes for a good weekend!

 

Maureen

 

Councillor Maureen Child

Labour Councillor Portobello/Craigmillar Ward

Office: 0131 529 3268

Mobile: 07718 666 481

Facebook Page: Maureen Child Standing Up for Portobello/Craigmillar

Twitter: @MaureenChild1