Notes of Muirhouse/Salvesen Community Council, 22nd July 2008, Muirhouse Millennium Centre
Present
Roy Douglas (Chair), Gordon Davie (Treasurer), Malcolm Warrack, Cllr Elizabeth Maginnis, Willie Adams, Betty Stevenson, Martha Thom, John Davidson, Billy Anderson and Cheryl Mabon
Apologies
Cllr Alan Jackson, Cllr Elaine Morris,
Cllr Steve Cardownie and Norman Duncan
In Attendance
Jimmy Butler (North Edinburgh Trust)
Ian Matthews (LBP Community Police Officer)
Martin Macaulay (CEC Housing Development)
Agenda item 1. Minutes of Previous Meeting (20.05.08.)
Minute agreed by Betty Stevenson and seconded by Malcolm Warrack.
Agenda item 2. Matters Arising from Minutes
(i)Area Employment Focus Steering Group
The Community Council agreed that Norman Duncan would be the representative on the Community Renewal Steering Group. Norman was unable to attend the meeting and Cheryl Maben took his place.
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The aims of the steering group are to:
- Maintain an overview of the direction of the service provision
- Agree the service’s action/development plan and identify priority areas of work
- Monitor progress made on the action/development plan
- Give feed back from the community on the effectiveness of the service
- Facilitate interagency work
- Provide a forum for discussion on issues raised by users
Cheryl reported from the first steering group meeting indicating that the project was seeking to develop innovative ways to engage with its client base across the community. The project has engaged with young people in the shopping centre inviting them into the premises to attend open sessions, which encourage them to express their experiences of living within the community and how they perceived their future employment options.
The project has also carried out doorstep surveys to identify and map their potential client base. They have taken a community development approach to identify wider issues facing the community and have sought to engage with residents in tackling these issues. The one project reported on highlighted an issue around litter at bus stops the how a group of residents were supported to come together and look at re-designing the bus stops to elevate the problem. Cheryl confirmed the project have build community engagement processes based on being proactive and listening to the concerns of local residents and encouraging individuals to develop personal plans that can map out goals and aims to move them towards involvement in community activity and (or) employment options.
Willie Adams raised concerns that Community Renewal had not been tasked to engage in community development that involve residents in community activity outside the projects remit of employment search and placement objectives. He insisted that the Community Council rep be withdrawn from the steering group. This will be further discussed at the next C.C. meeting.
Agenda item 3. Principles for setting up development groups in regeneration areas
Martin Macaulay from City of Edinburgh Housing Development presented the C.C. with a paper with the purpose to establish a regeneration options groups for Muirhouse and Pennywell. Martin gave an update on the demolition phases and the progress of regeneration in the area. He also indicated that the City Council was preparing a paper on the building of new council homes.
The Community Council raised the following issue:
Are the new proposed council homes exclusively social rented or will the this proportion of new build be determined by the number of homes that can be build for sale on the housing sites?
Will a master plan of the community that includes the sites at Craigroyston School, British Telecom, Muirhouse shopping centre and the housing demolition areas be started, and will the proposed options development group give the community influence over any consultation procedures, financial planning and tenure of social housing types?
The C.C. also expressed concerns that the community were being asked to sign-up to a proposal with no timescale’s against when a master plan would be undertaken and no financial costs available to support the scale of any future regeneration of the community. Martin took on board these concerns and said plans were being developed to firm-up timescales for master planning and the allocation of financial resources. He was confident that these issues would be resolved in the coming months. The C.C. agreed to appoint four members to a sub-group that would work to ensure future regeneration plans would include a strategic and deliverable vision that included the opportunity for full engagement of all tenants and residents living in the community.
Members of the Pennywell and Muirhouse Owners Group (PMOG) raised the following questions from the public gallery:
Why are houses that have been emptied of their long-term tenants and home-owners as part demolition plans being re-let to tenants who have anti-social behavioural issues, when residents and tenants had been assured that this would not happen.
Phase three of the Pennywell demolition plans comes into affect in November this year, will this time scale slip due to the fact there are still home owners to be relocated from phases 1 and 2.
Martin informed the meeting he would investigate how homes are being re-let and find out who gave the authority for this policy, and why the community in the form of PMOG or the Community Council were not informed of this action. He went on to say in relation to purchase of homeowners property that the City Council were in the process of securing funds to purchase all homeowners property within the next year and those residents in phase 3 should not experience any delays.
Item 4. Funding of Voluntary Sector Services
Drylaw Community Council have called a meeting of voluntary sector groups and community councillors to discuss the potential impact of reduced community services as a result of the allocation of the Fairer Scotland Fund (FSF), which replaces a number of established funding resources drawn into North Edinburgh over the previous 14 years. Drylaw C.C. have proposed that the meeting provides the opportunity to share information on the FSF situation and how its impact is likely to reduce community services, and how the community can respond to this situation.
The meeting is scheduled for 6.30pm Wednesday 23rd July in the Prentice Centre.
Item 5. Tribute to Jenni Marrow
Community Councillors discussed a range of options to honour the memory and community commitment of Jenni Marrow, sadly deceased. It was agreed that research be undertaken to explore the possibility of setting up an educational trust to support local people develop community activist skills.
Jimmy Butler will report back any progress at the next C.C. meeting.
A.O.C.B.
The Community Council will submit an application for funding to purchase and install community information boards in 4 locations.
Roy and Jimmy will meet to progress application.
Date of Next Meeting
7pm Tuesday 23rd of September 08. @ Muirhouse Millennium Centre
Muirhouse 