BLCC Minutes and August police report
BONNYRIGG & LASSWADE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Meeting to be held on Thursday 13 September 2018
In Sports Pavilion, King George V Park at 7 pm
A G E N D A
Welcome and Introduction
Apologies
Visitor Matters
Minutes of Meeting of 9 August 2018
Matters Arising from the Minutes
Police Report
Report from Midlothian Councillors
Planning
Date of Next Meeting: 11 October 2018. This meeting will begin with a presentation from the company proposing a planning application for a Crematorium off the Lasswade Road, just north of village (beside Haveral Wood).
Meeting to be held on Thursday 13 September 2018
In Sports Pavilion, King George V Park at 7 pm
A G E N D A
Welcome and Introduction
Apologies
Visitor Matters
Minutes of Meeting of 9 August 2018
Matters Arising from the Minutes
Police Report
Report from Midlothian Councillors
Planning
- ScotMid Property 70 Lothian Street. Change of Use to Hot Food Takeaway.
- Take-Away at 2-4 Dundas St change of use to Office.
- Local Review Body Meeting. House & Access at Land SE of Old School House, School Green, Lasswade, granted at Review
- Active Travel Strategy
- Lasswade Park parking after opening of Restaurant
- Alcohol Licence for 72 Dundas Street application
- Supplementary Guidance Food & Drink (MLDP)
- Health & Social Care Questionnaire
- Resource Extraction (MLDP)
- Proposal that Bonnyrigg Rose Community Football Club take over ownership of Poltonhall Recreational Grounds and Pavilion for £Nil
Date of Next Meeting: 11 October 2018. This meeting will begin with a presentation from the company proposing a planning application for a Crematorium off the Lasswade Road, just north of village (beside Haveral Wood).
BONNYRIGG & LASSWADE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Minutes of a meeting held on Thursday 13 September 2018
In Sports Pavilion, King George V Park
In attendance
Community Councillors: [Chair] Marnie Crawford, Diane Easton, Ruth Scott, Sheila Metcalfe, Owen Proudfoot, Bill MacDonald, Jan Irvine, Rhona Matthews, Darius Namdaran.
Midlothian Councillors: Derek Milligan, Dianne Alexander, Janet Ley-Douglas.
Visitors: Simon Tracey, Colin Richards.
Apologies: Ann Morrison.
Welcome and Introduction
Chair Marnie welcomed everyone to the meeting and the Community Councillors introduced themselves to the visitors.
Visitor Matters
Visitor matters are usually heard at the beginning of the meeting, giving them an opportunity to discuss their issue and leave if they do not wish to sit through the whole meeting. Visitors Simon and Colin were happy to wait as the issues they wished to talk about were already on the meeting agenda.
Minutes of meeting held on 9 August 2018
Marnie wanted to clarify an item about disabled parking spaces. She wanted to know how these were managed long term, for example what happens to them when they are no longer required? Councillor Derek Milligan replied that when the Council becomes aware of a change in circumstances and the space is no longer required they will arrange to remove the line markings.
The consultation on Community Council boundary changes runs until 30 September. There have been no comments so far and this will be discussed at the next Community Council meeting with an expectation that BLCC confirms the change will go ahead.
Twinning funds. While BLCC believed this was resolved Midlothian Council had asked to see a copy of the constitution and advised we seek legal advice. The outcome is that we must follow the constitution and give the money to registered charities only. This will be discussed in more detail at a latter BLCC meeting.
Former market site in Bonnyrigg High Street. Chair Marnie asked if anyone present knew of any progress and what was going to happen to the site. CC Darius said that drilling work has been done and houses will be built there. There seems to be ongoing issues concerning car parking facilities within the development.
CCs Marnie, Owen and Diane had a meeting with Steven McCluskey of Midlothian’s Health in Mind. Steven wanted to let us know about plans to develop this organisation in Midlothian and extend facilities throughout the community.
Post Office closure. This has been the subject of much online discussion in the Residents Forum. Some residents have suggested relocating the Post Office in the Co-op supermarket. CC Darius commented that the store manager is very keen on this and had contacted the Co-op, to be advised that the venture is unlikely to be sufficiently profitable and the Co-op did not have plans to include Post Offices in their branches. An advisor from the Co-operative Business Consultants organisation posted a response saying that the Co-op has a group which considers the re-location of Post Offices and community groups can make representation to them. BLCC will write a letter noting that they would not usually become involved in commercial matters, but they believe the Bonnyrigg branch of the Co-op is an ideal location for the community’s Post Office and would they consider this.
Chair Marnie also commented on the level of theft, particularly of alcohol, from the Co-op and suggested this would be a good opportunity for the Co-op to look at re-structuring the store layout and hopefully improve its security. This should go some way to reducing under-age drinking by local young people. Councillor Milligan commented that this is also a concern for the Council’s Licensing Review Body which will be reviewing the Co-op’s alcohol licence if this situation does not improve.
The minutes were approved by CCs Sheila and Rhona.
Matters arising from the previous minutes
CC Darius mentioned the Community Council’s Business Plan for BLCC including Mission Statement and Objectives and Action Plan. This had been discussed at a special meeting in July 2018 and Darius will present a summary at the next BLCC meeting.
Police Report
The Police Report was presented by Community Police Officers Jonny Cassidy and Owen Findlay. A full copy is given at the bottom of this page.
Marnie mentioned reports of people parking their cars on the grass behind the new restaurant in Lasswade. PC Cassidy said he had also received e-mails about this. However, unless someone is driving a significant distance from the road or is causing an obstruction there is little the police can do about this.
The police are focusing on a rise in youth disorder and organised fights and have been offered specialist resources if required.
Report from Midlothian Councillors
Councillor Milligan has just returned from a period of absence and is still catching up. One of the areas he has been focusing on is assisting the police in dealing with the antisocial behaviour described above.
Budgetary processes. The Council is trying to resolve a significant overspend in demand-led services. £1 million has been overspent in children’s services; he gave an example of how much it costs the Council to place a child in residential care and provide the necessary support: £250 000. The Adult Social Care budget for people with disabilities is overspent by £2 million. Councillor Milligan said it was extremely difficult to manage this; if they cut care packages it is not to make savings but to try and redistribute those resources among increasing numbers of service users with complex needs. Councillors from all the political groups are working together to get these budgets back under control.
Orange Order march. CC Owen asked why the Orange Order was allowed to march past the Roman Catholic Church. Councillor Milligan replied that the Orange Order has significant legal resources and will challenge in court any objections to march. CC Darius commented that while the police can’t object to the march, they can adjust the route; had Councillor Milligan seen that work in practice? Councillor Milligan replied that there had been one occasion in Penicuik where the Orange Order had been asked to re-route their march away from the local Roman Catholic Church, but he also stated that in that case there were objections from the Church itself. It was decided that BLCC will write a letter to the Council commenting that they will not object to the march itself, but they do not see any reason for the route past the Roman Catholic Church.
CC Sheila asked Councillor Milligan if Springfield Bank Nursing Home is still operating as a care home. She also asked if the Council is planning anything to improve elderly residential care provision. CC Sheila cited reports of patients being stuck in hospital beds for months on end because of a lack of residential places. Councillor Milligan asked her to give him some details outside the meeting and he would have this investigated. He went on to give some examples of why issues were likely to occur. Sometimes families insist that their elderly relative is placed in a particular home but if there are no spaces available this can cause problems. Also, there are problems throughout Scotland with the recruitment of care providers as it is not a popular career choice. When Midlothian Council advertises for care staff, the applicants tend to already be employed in the private sector. When they are recruited by the Council this creates a gap in the care home they were working in before. In December 2017 all Council leaders throughout the Lothians were called into a meeting with NHS Lothian to come up with ideas to get elderly patients out of hospital beds. Midlothian Council suspended their respite places to make spaces available.
Councillor Milligan also stated there is a plan to re-develop the Community Hospital to improve care provision. There is also a plan to replace the Highbank home and replace it on the site of St Mary’s Primary School. The plan is to build Council run amenity housing with a care home next door and is part of a plan to build care ‘clusters’ around Midlothian. This would be more efficient as care providers wouldn’t have so far to travel between clients. It would also provide better living options for elderly people. The first cluster is to be built on the site of the former Dalkeith High School, then St Mary’s and then the old Newbattle High School site. The developments should be completed within five years. CC Darius wholeheartedly welcomed the Council’s plan to build these new care housing clusters and this was unanimously supported by the Community Council.
CC Jan asked Councillor Milligan if the Council has prepared for Brexit. He replied that they are waiting like everyone else to see what will happen and plan accordingly.
Councillors Alexander and Ley-Douglas have been away recently so had nothing to add to Councillor Milligan’s report.
Planning
Road, Traffic and Footways/Pavement issues
Active Travel Strategy. This consultation is being run by Midlothian Council until 18 September 2018. The strategy appears to be aimed at cyclists, with plans to cover footpaths traditionally used by dog-walkers and pedestrians with tarmac and turn them into a network of cycleways. CC Rhona felt the strategy had been drafted by people who did not know the local area. In addition, it was felt that there are already cycleways proposed in the A7 urbanisation plan which were designed to make it easier and safer for cyclists to commute to work. After a discussion the consensus among those present was that the strategy was unbalanced and in places completely impractical because some of the ‘footpaths’ actually went through residents’ gardens. Also, it would be potentially dangerous to encourage cyclists to have the run of smaller footpaths designed for pedestrian use. CC Rhona will submit comments to the Strategy consultation.
CC Sheila mentioned the now closed path from Lasswade Road to Melville Castle. This is a public thoroughfare but entry to the path has been barricaded for years. Chair Marnie will add this to the agenda of a future meeting.
Lasswade Park parking after the opening of a restaurant.
Both Chair Marnie and PC Cassidy reported that they had received complaints about cars being parked inappropriately in the public parking space behind the new restaurant. PC Cassidy commented that little could be done so long as the cars were not causing an obstruction.
Visitor Colin is a local resident and he commented that the restaurant has not contributed to parking issues in the area. The real problem is caused by sports groups (football, judo) which use the park and pavilion. A huge number of cars come into the area for these groups. Judo groups meet three evenings per week. There is football training most evenings and weekend mornings. Often there is more than one football match on at the same time. Sometimes matches begin at 8.30 on Sunday mornings, causing residents to be disturbed by traffic noise as well as loud and sometimes abusive ‘coaches’ during the match. Residents are now concerned about a large storage container which has been parked outside the pavilion. Colin has contacted Council staff who have confirmed that no planning permission has been requested and they know nothing about it. Councillor Milligan confirmed there is no planning consent and the unit’s owners would also need conservation consent. The Planning Department will serve an enforcement order on the owners.
There were also comments that local groups, e.g. Lasswade Civic Society, no longer have access to the pavilion because of the volume of use by sports groups. Councillor Milligan commented that local community organisations have the right to use the pavilion. Anyone booking the pitch must pay fees. Colin commented that frequently the sports groups dominate by spreading their equipment, e.g. goalposts, throughout the park as well as using the pitches. Chair Marnie reported that BLCC will monitor this.
Consultations
CC Darius asked if the Poltonhall facility would remain unfenced. Councillor Milligan stated that he could see no reason why BRFC would want to fence it off. CC Darius said the facility was widely used by people for walking and he is concerned that by fencing it off they would no longer have access to the ground. Councillor Milligan stated that BRFC would need planning permission for this; also, because the facility is part of Fields in Trust they must have permission to fence it off. CC Darius also asked about the community room in the pavilion. What will be required of BRFC to ensure this will continue to be available to local community groups? Councillor Milligan stated that existing users still have the right to use the facility and this is written into the agreement. If they are not being given access they should contact the Council. CC Darius asked about the access rights of future users. Councillor Milligan stated he believed that BRFC would accommodate them. CC Darius was still concerned that when special interest groups take over community assets they dominate and smaller groups are blocked from using them. It’s all very well legislating to protect existing users but what about new parents’ groups and other types of groups still to come? Surely this should be written into the contract and not just depend on the goodwill of BRFC. Councillor Milligan stated this would be difficult to achieve. For example, if the facility became fully booked in future, it would be difficult to allow new users the right of access. Councillor Milligan shared CC Darius’ concerns generally, but in this case BRFC will be happy to work with local groups so this shouldn’t be a problem.
CC Darius stated that there is a real lack of community space in Bonnyrigg. Lasswade High School’s conference room was supposed to be available for community use but it is now used exclusively by the school’s learning and support team. There is now only a tiny airless room with capacity of only about 15 people. Councillor Milligan replied that the Council is waiting for a report on the usage of all schools in Midlothian and will be looking at this as part of their plan to maximise income from underused community assets. CC Darius asked if Burnbrae Primary School was included in this because at present community groups seem to be blocked out of this facility but Burnbrae is desperate for a community space. Councillor Milligan replied that they will be looking first at Lasswade High School and Bonnyrigg Primary School. Only when these are fully used will the Council look at opening another school for community use.
AOCB
Chair Marnie reported that there is a new form for applying to small grants schemes and she will look at it for next year. The new form is much simpler as Community Councils are given a set amount of funding. CC Darius that as Treasurer it might be appropriate for CC Sheila to complete it.
CC Ruth showed the meeting the application form for the new Community Shop’s funding scheme. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2018.
CC Sheila asked about wreaths for the Remembrance ceremony in November. Chair Marnie will purchase one each for Bonnyrigg and Lasswade and will submit invoices to the Treasurer.
CC Ruth is to represent the Community Council at the Midlothian Older People’s Gathering and Consultation event on 3 October.
Chair Marnie reminded all present that there will be a Community Council Training Day on Saturday 6 October and new Community Councillors will find it useful.
The Community Planning Partnership will welcome members of the public at their next meeting in November.
CC Ruth reported that the Bonnyrigg and Lasswade Local History Society starts again on Wednesday 17 October. The Society meets in the Pitcairn Centre. Their first topic will be ‘Slavery and its involvement in the local area’.
CC Diane mentioned that the car parking situation on the main thoroughfare near Lasswade Primary School may be an issue, with cars being parked close to the school crossing and on the bend towards Lothian Street.
CC Rhona also said she had found it difficult to drive through some mornings. Chair Marnie felt we should discuss this in more detail at a future meeting.
CC Jan mentioned the online funding appeal for resident Davey Brown, aka ‘Mr Christmas’ after his wife passed away. The appeal has been advertised on the Residents Forum with a link to the funding page.
CC Jan reported that Poltonhall Gala Day Committee have appealed for a new Chairperson and committee members. Without new members there is a possibility that the next Gala Day will not go ahead.
Date of next meeting
The next meeting will be on Thursday 11 October 2018 at 7pm. The venue will be the Sports Pavilion in King George Park.
This meeting will begin with a presentation from the company proposing a planning application for a Crematorium off the Lasswade Road, just north of the village (beside Haveral Wood).
Minutes of a meeting held on Thursday 13 September 2018
In Sports Pavilion, King George V Park
In attendance
Community Councillors: [Chair] Marnie Crawford, Diane Easton, Ruth Scott, Sheila Metcalfe, Owen Proudfoot, Bill MacDonald, Jan Irvine, Rhona Matthews, Darius Namdaran.
Midlothian Councillors: Derek Milligan, Dianne Alexander, Janet Ley-Douglas.
Visitors: Simon Tracey, Colin Richards.
Apologies: Ann Morrison.
Welcome and Introduction
Chair Marnie welcomed everyone to the meeting and the Community Councillors introduced themselves to the visitors.
Visitor Matters
Visitor matters are usually heard at the beginning of the meeting, giving them an opportunity to discuss their issue and leave if they do not wish to sit through the whole meeting. Visitors Simon and Colin were happy to wait as the issues they wished to talk about were already on the meeting agenda.
Minutes of meeting held on 9 August 2018
Marnie wanted to clarify an item about disabled parking spaces. She wanted to know how these were managed long term, for example what happens to them when they are no longer required? Councillor Derek Milligan replied that when the Council becomes aware of a change in circumstances and the space is no longer required they will arrange to remove the line markings.
The consultation on Community Council boundary changes runs until 30 September. There have been no comments so far and this will be discussed at the next Community Council meeting with an expectation that BLCC confirms the change will go ahead.
Twinning funds. While BLCC believed this was resolved Midlothian Council had asked to see a copy of the constitution and advised we seek legal advice. The outcome is that we must follow the constitution and give the money to registered charities only. This will be discussed in more detail at a latter BLCC meeting.
Former market site in Bonnyrigg High Street. Chair Marnie asked if anyone present knew of any progress and what was going to happen to the site. CC Darius said that drilling work has been done and houses will be built there. There seems to be ongoing issues concerning car parking facilities within the development.
CCs Marnie, Owen and Diane had a meeting with Steven McCluskey of Midlothian’s Health in Mind. Steven wanted to let us know about plans to develop this organisation in Midlothian and extend facilities throughout the community.
Post Office closure. This has been the subject of much online discussion in the Residents Forum. Some residents have suggested relocating the Post Office in the Co-op supermarket. CC Darius commented that the store manager is very keen on this and had contacted the Co-op, to be advised that the venture is unlikely to be sufficiently profitable and the Co-op did not have plans to include Post Offices in their branches. An advisor from the Co-operative Business Consultants organisation posted a response saying that the Co-op has a group which considers the re-location of Post Offices and community groups can make representation to them. BLCC will write a letter noting that they would not usually become involved in commercial matters, but they believe the Bonnyrigg branch of the Co-op is an ideal location for the community’s Post Office and would they consider this.
Chair Marnie also commented on the level of theft, particularly of alcohol, from the Co-op and suggested this would be a good opportunity for the Co-op to look at re-structuring the store layout and hopefully improve its security. This should go some way to reducing under-age drinking by local young people. Councillor Milligan commented that this is also a concern for the Council’s Licensing Review Body which will be reviewing the Co-op’s alcohol licence if this situation does not improve.
The minutes were approved by CCs Sheila and Rhona.
Matters arising from the previous minutes
CC Darius mentioned the Community Council’s Business Plan for BLCC including Mission Statement and Objectives and Action Plan. This had been discussed at a special meeting in July 2018 and Darius will present a summary at the next BLCC meeting.
Police Report
The Police Report was presented by Community Police Officers Jonny Cassidy and Owen Findlay. A full copy is given at the bottom of this page.
Marnie mentioned reports of people parking their cars on the grass behind the new restaurant in Lasswade. PC Cassidy said he had also received e-mails about this. However, unless someone is driving a significant distance from the road or is causing an obstruction there is little the police can do about this.
The police are focusing on a rise in youth disorder and organised fights and have been offered specialist resources if required.
Report from Midlothian Councillors
Councillor Milligan has just returned from a period of absence and is still catching up. One of the areas he has been focusing on is assisting the police in dealing with the antisocial behaviour described above.
Budgetary processes. The Council is trying to resolve a significant overspend in demand-led services. £1 million has been overspent in children’s services; he gave an example of how much it costs the Council to place a child in residential care and provide the necessary support: £250 000. The Adult Social Care budget for people with disabilities is overspent by £2 million. Councillor Milligan said it was extremely difficult to manage this; if they cut care packages it is not to make savings but to try and redistribute those resources among increasing numbers of service users with complex needs. Councillors from all the political groups are working together to get these budgets back under control.
Orange Order march. CC Owen asked why the Orange Order was allowed to march past the Roman Catholic Church. Councillor Milligan replied that the Orange Order has significant legal resources and will challenge in court any objections to march. CC Darius commented that while the police can’t object to the march, they can adjust the route; had Councillor Milligan seen that work in practice? Councillor Milligan replied that there had been one occasion in Penicuik where the Orange Order had been asked to re-route their march away from the local Roman Catholic Church, but he also stated that in that case there were objections from the Church itself. It was decided that BLCC will write a letter to the Council commenting that they will not object to the march itself, but they do not see any reason for the route past the Roman Catholic Church.
CC Sheila asked Councillor Milligan if Springfield Bank Nursing Home is still operating as a care home. She also asked if the Council is planning anything to improve elderly residential care provision. CC Sheila cited reports of patients being stuck in hospital beds for months on end because of a lack of residential places. Councillor Milligan asked her to give him some details outside the meeting and he would have this investigated. He went on to give some examples of why issues were likely to occur. Sometimes families insist that their elderly relative is placed in a particular home but if there are no spaces available this can cause problems. Also, there are problems throughout Scotland with the recruitment of care providers as it is not a popular career choice. When Midlothian Council advertises for care staff, the applicants tend to already be employed in the private sector. When they are recruited by the Council this creates a gap in the care home they were working in before. In December 2017 all Council leaders throughout the Lothians were called into a meeting with NHS Lothian to come up with ideas to get elderly patients out of hospital beds. Midlothian Council suspended their respite places to make spaces available.
Councillor Milligan also stated there is a plan to re-develop the Community Hospital to improve care provision. There is also a plan to replace the Highbank home and replace it on the site of St Mary’s Primary School. The plan is to build Council run amenity housing with a care home next door and is part of a plan to build care ‘clusters’ around Midlothian. This would be more efficient as care providers wouldn’t have so far to travel between clients. It would also provide better living options for elderly people. The first cluster is to be built on the site of the former Dalkeith High School, then St Mary’s and then the old Newbattle High School site. The developments should be completed within five years. CC Darius wholeheartedly welcomed the Council’s plan to build these new care housing clusters and this was unanimously supported by the Community Council.
CC Jan asked Councillor Milligan if the Council has prepared for Brexit. He replied that they are waiting like everyone else to see what will happen and plan accordingly.
Councillors Alexander and Ley-Douglas have been away recently so had nothing to add to Councillor Milligan’s report.
Planning
- ScotMid Property 70 Lothian Street; change of use to hot food takeaway. This seems to be unpopular among residents and the Bonnyrigg community. A post on the Residents Forum generated about 90 comments opposing the change. There was a discussion about possible reasons for the application as it was felt that it was unusual for ScotMid to submit a change of use planning application. One of the main concerns is traffic on Lothian Street which is a main thoroughfare. Visitor Simon lives opposite the shop and he reported serious concerns about traffic issues. Two bus stops virtually opposite each other; houses with drive ways; cars parked along the length of the main thoroughfare; cars continually stopping at Gigi’s restaurant; cars parked over driveways; buses pulling into and out of bus stops all form ‘an accident waiting to happen’. A hot food takeaway will have a constant stream of vehicles constantly stopping and pulling out, as well as two delivery vans parked outside when not in use. The Community Council was unanimous (by all present) in objecting to the application therefore a letter will be sent to the Planning Department.
- Takeaway at 2-4 Dundas Street; change of use to office premises. No comments made about this.
- Application to build a house on land south-east of the od School House, School Green, Lasswade. This is the site next to the entrance next to Pinocchio’s Nursery. The entrance to the site will be the gateway next to the nursery. Permission has been granted by the Local Review Body.
Road, Traffic and Footways/Pavement issues
Active Travel Strategy. This consultation is being run by Midlothian Council until 18 September 2018. The strategy appears to be aimed at cyclists, with plans to cover footpaths traditionally used by dog-walkers and pedestrians with tarmac and turn them into a network of cycleways. CC Rhona felt the strategy had been drafted by people who did not know the local area. In addition, it was felt that there are already cycleways proposed in the A7 urbanisation plan which were designed to make it easier and safer for cyclists to commute to work. After a discussion the consensus among those present was that the strategy was unbalanced and in places completely impractical because some of the ‘footpaths’ actually went through residents’ gardens. Also, it would be potentially dangerous to encourage cyclists to have the run of smaller footpaths designed for pedestrian use. CC Rhona will submit comments to the Strategy consultation.
CC Sheila mentioned the now closed path from Lasswade Road to Melville Castle. This is a public thoroughfare but entry to the path has been barricaded for years. Chair Marnie will add this to the agenda of a future meeting.
Lasswade Park parking after the opening of a restaurant.
Both Chair Marnie and PC Cassidy reported that they had received complaints about cars being parked inappropriately in the public parking space behind the new restaurant. PC Cassidy commented that little could be done so long as the cars were not causing an obstruction.
Visitor Colin is a local resident and he commented that the restaurant has not contributed to parking issues in the area. The real problem is caused by sports groups (football, judo) which use the park and pavilion. A huge number of cars come into the area for these groups. Judo groups meet three evenings per week. There is football training most evenings and weekend mornings. Often there is more than one football match on at the same time. Sometimes matches begin at 8.30 on Sunday mornings, causing residents to be disturbed by traffic noise as well as loud and sometimes abusive ‘coaches’ during the match. Residents are now concerned about a large storage container which has been parked outside the pavilion. Colin has contacted Council staff who have confirmed that no planning permission has been requested and they know nothing about it. Councillor Milligan confirmed there is no planning consent and the unit’s owners would also need conservation consent. The Planning Department will serve an enforcement order on the owners.
There were also comments that local groups, e.g. Lasswade Civic Society, no longer have access to the pavilion because of the volume of use by sports groups. Councillor Milligan commented that local community organisations have the right to use the pavilion. Anyone booking the pitch must pay fees. Colin commented that frequently the sports groups dominate by spreading their equipment, e.g. goalposts, throughout the park as well as using the pitches. Chair Marnie reported that BLCC will monitor this.
Consultations
- Application for alcohol licence by shop at 72 Dundas Street. BLCC has been asked for any comments. There was a discussion during which some present reported their concerns about the potential for young people congregating outside the shop and in the nearby park. Some Community Councillors were concerned about enforcement of licence restrictions, while others felt we should trust the licencing board. The Community Councillors present were divided 50:50 on the issue. Chair Marnie will put some comments together.
- Supplementary Guidance Food and Drink [part of the Midlothian Local Development Plan], and…
- Reserve Extraction [MLDP], i.e. the conditions under which minerals are extracted from quarries.
- Health and Social Care questionnaire. This consultation is being run in conjunction with the amalgamation of the health and social care services. The questionnaire is asking for individual feedback from residents concerning their recent experience of these services. CC Diane had posted a link to the questionnaire on the social media forums but didn’t feel that there had been much interest locally. CC Darius will re-post in the hope this will reach a wider audience.
- Proposal that Bonnyrigg Rose Football Club [BRFC] take over ownership of Poltonhall recreational grounds and pavilion for £nil. Councillor Milligan reported that there is a growing trend for community assets being transferred to community groups. BRFC is a good community organisation, is well organised, and it would appear to be a good idea for them to take over the recreation ground and pavilion. Chair Marnie had questions about ‘giving away’ community assets and what happens to them in the long term. For example, what would happen to this facility should BRFC no longer need it? Councillor Milligan responded that as the facility is included in the Queen Elizabeth Trust it must remain in recreational use and cannot be sold for alternative forms of development. Councillor Milligan did express reservations about community assets being transferred in general. Local groups often find they no longer have the means to support the asset and end up going back to the Council for additional funding. However, he fully supports the BRFC application as they have the resources to manage and invest in the Poltonhall facility, but long term he is unsure what would happen if the current generation moved elsewhere.
CC Darius asked if the Poltonhall facility would remain unfenced. Councillor Milligan stated that he could see no reason why BRFC would want to fence it off. CC Darius said the facility was widely used by people for walking and he is concerned that by fencing it off they would no longer have access to the ground. Councillor Milligan stated that BRFC would need planning permission for this; also, because the facility is part of Fields in Trust they must have permission to fence it off. CC Darius also asked about the community room in the pavilion. What will be required of BRFC to ensure this will continue to be available to local community groups? Councillor Milligan stated that existing users still have the right to use the facility and this is written into the agreement. If they are not being given access they should contact the Council. CC Darius asked about the access rights of future users. Councillor Milligan stated he believed that BRFC would accommodate them. CC Darius was still concerned that when special interest groups take over community assets they dominate and smaller groups are blocked from using them. It’s all very well legislating to protect existing users but what about new parents’ groups and other types of groups still to come? Surely this should be written into the contract and not just depend on the goodwill of BRFC. Councillor Milligan stated this would be difficult to achieve. For example, if the facility became fully booked in future, it would be difficult to allow new users the right of access. Councillor Milligan shared CC Darius’ concerns generally, but in this case BRFC will be happy to work with local groups so this shouldn’t be a problem.
CC Darius stated that there is a real lack of community space in Bonnyrigg. Lasswade High School’s conference room was supposed to be available for community use but it is now used exclusively by the school’s learning and support team. There is now only a tiny airless room with capacity of only about 15 people. Councillor Milligan replied that the Council is waiting for a report on the usage of all schools in Midlothian and will be looking at this as part of their plan to maximise income from underused community assets. CC Darius asked if Burnbrae Primary School was included in this because at present community groups seem to be blocked out of this facility but Burnbrae is desperate for a community space. Councillor Milligan replied that they will be looking first at Lasswade High School and Bonnyrigg Primary School. Only when these are fully used will the Council look at opening another school for community use.
AOCB
Chair Marnie reported that there is a new form for applying to small grants schemes and she will look at it for next year. The new form is much simpler as Community Councils are given a set amount of funding. CC Darius that as Treasurer it might be appropriate for CC Sheila to complete it.
CC Ruth showed the meeting the application form for the new Community Shop’s funding scheme. The deadline for applications is 30 September 2018.
CC Sheila asked about wreaths for the Remembrance ceremony in November. Chair Marnie will purchase one each for Bonnyrigg and Lasswade and will submit invoices to the Treasurer.
CC Ruth is to represent the Community Council at the Midlothian Older People’s Gathering and Consultation event on 3 October.
Chair Marnie reminded all present that there will be a Community Council Training Day on Saturday 6 October and new Community Councillors will find it useful.
The Community Planning Partnership will welcome members of the public at their next meeting in November.
CC Ruth reported that the Bonnyrigg and Lasswade Local History Society starts again on Wednesday 17 October. The Society meets in the Pitcairn Centre. Their first topic will be ‘Slavery and its involvement in the local area’.
CC Diane mentioned that the car parking situation on the main thoroughfare near Lasswade Primary School may be an issue, with cars being parked close to the school crossing and on the bend towards Lothian Street.
CC Rhona also said she had found it difficult to drive through some mornings. Chair Marnie felt we should discuss this in more detail at a future meeting.
CC Jan mentioned the online funding appeal for resident Davey Brown, aka ‘Mr Christmas’ after his wife passed away. The appeal has been advertised on the Residents Forum with a link to the funding page.
CC Jan reported that Poltonhall Gala Day Committee have appealed for a new Chairperson and committee members. Without new members there is a possibility that the next Gala Day will not go ahead.
Date of next meeting
The next meeting will be on Thursday 11 October 2018 at 7pm. The venue will be the Sports Pavilion in King George Park.
This meeting will begin with a presentation from the company proposing a planning application for a Crematorium off the Lasswade Road, just north of the village (beside Haveral Wood).
Police Report
Bonnyrigg, Lasswade and Poltonhall and District
[1-31 August 2018]
During the month of August 2018 in the beat area BD01 – Bonnyrigg, Lasswade, Poltonhall & District – there were 65 recorded crimes reported, of which 36 were solved (55% solvency).
During this time period, there were 322 calls to Police Scotland.
INCIDENTS OF NOTE
About 3.30pm on Wednesday the 1st of August 2 youths entered Co-op and stole a quantity of eggs. They thereafter threw the eggs at vehicles and properties at High Street. Both youths were identified and charged.
About 3pm on Monday the 6th of August a youth stole alcohol from Co-op and was thereafter identified and charged.
About 9pm on Friday the 10th of August a youth stole a quantity of alcohol from Co-op. The youth was thereafter identified and charged.
On Monday the 13th of August police executed a drugs warrant at an address on Rose Gardens. Drugs and drugs paraphernalia were recovered and a 22 year old man was charged and reported to Procurator Fiscal.
Between 9am and 3pm on Thursday the 16th of August a number of items were stolen from a garden at Eldindean Road.
Between Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th of August the window on a premises at High Street, Lasswade was smashed.
On Saturday the 18th of August on 2 separate occasions quantities of alcohol were stolen from Co-op by youths. 3 youths were subsequently identified and charged.
About 3.30pm on Friday 24th August a man was stopped by officers whilst driving a motor vehicle on Polton Road, Lasswade. The vehicle was found to be without Insurance and seized by Police. A 26 year old man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for various Road Traffic offences.
About 6.30pm on Thursday the 30th of August 2 youths stole a quantity of alcohol from Co-op. The identity of these youths is known and police enquiries are ongoing.
About 6.30pm on Friday the 31st of August 2 youths stole a quantity of alcohol from Spar. Police enquiries are ongoing.
About 9.30pm on Friday the 31st of August 2 men entered Tesco, Rosewell Road and were thereafter abusive and threatening to staff and customers. Police enquiries are ongoing.
If any person has any information about the incidents listed above, or indeed any other crime, please contact your Community Policing Officers PC Jonny Cassidy or PC Owen Findlay via 101 or email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
Bonnyrigg, Lasswade and Poltonhall and District
[1-31 August 2018]
During the month of August 2018 in the beat area BD01 – Bonnyrigg, Lasswade, Poltonhall & District – there were 65 recorded crimes reported, of which 36 were solved (55% solvency).
During this time period, there were 322 calls to Police Scotland.
INCIDENTS OF NOTE
About 3.30pm on Wednesday the 1st of August 2 youths entered Co-op and stole a quantity of eggs. They thereafter threw the eggs at vehicles and properties at High Street. Both youths were identified and charged.
About 3pm on Monday the 6th of August a youth stole alcohol from Co-op and was thereafter identified and charged.
About 9pm on Friday the 10th of August a youth stole a quantity of alcohol from Co-op. The youth was thereafter identified and charged.
On Monday the 13th of August police executed a drugs warrant at an address on Rose Gardens. Drugs and drugs paraphernalia were recovered and a 22 year old man was charged and reported to Procurator Fiscal.
Between 9am and 3pm on Thursday the 16th of August a number of items were stolen from a garden at Eldindean Road.
Between Friday the 17th and Saturday the 18th of August the window on a premises at High Street, Lasswade was smashed.
On Saturday the 18th of August on 2 separate occasions quantities of alcohol were stolen from Co-op by youths. 3 youths were subsequently identified and charged.
About 3.30pm on Friday 24th August a man was stopped by officers whilst driving a motor vehicle on Polton Road, Lasswade. The vehicle was found to be without Insurance and seized by Police. A 26 year old man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal for various Road Traffic offences.
About 6.30pm on Thursday the 30th of August 2 youths stole a quantity of alcohol from Co-op. The identity of these youths is known and police enquiries are ongoing.
About 6.30pm on Friday the 31st of August 2 youths stole a quantity of alcohol from Spar. Police enquiries are ongoing.
About 9.30pm on Friday the 31st of August 2 men entered Tesco, Rosewell Road and were thereafter abusive and threatening to staff and customers. Police enquiries are ongoing.
If any person has any information about the incidents listed above, or indeed any other crime, please contact your Community Policing Officers PC Jonny Cassidy or PC Owen Findlay via 101 or email:
[email protected]
[email protected]