1.         GRANTED PLANNING APPLICATIONS (1)

21/03937/CLP – Certificate of Lawfulness Proposed - 308 Baberton Mains Drive - Installation of new roof and frames onto existing base – not development

2.         PLANNING APPLICATIONS MADE (0)

3.         TREE REMOVAL (0)

4.         REFUSED  APPLICATIONS (0)

5.         STILL AWAITING DECISIONS (6)

21/04586/CLP - 55 Baberton Mains Lea - Proposed garage conversion and internal alterations to existing two storey semi-detached dwelling house

21/04425/FUL - 14A Foulis Crescent – Proposed extension – Comments by 22/09/21

21/04424/FUL - 14B Foulis Crescent – Extension to property

21/03525/FUL - North West of 42 Baberton Avenue - Proposed 5G telecoms installation: 18m high street pole and 3 No. cabinets with ancillary works/coloured grey

21/01983/FUL - 543A Lanark Road - construct 4 houses by Juniper Projects.  

21/02100/FUL - 531 Lanark Road - Proposed community hub with apartment over - solar panels and air source heat pump installation

6.         UNDER  APPEAL  (0)

OUTWITH JG&BMCC AREA THAT WILL IMPACT INFRASTRUCTURE IN AREA

21/03334/PAN – Land north of Newmills Road, Balerno & Currie area

Mixed use development including houses (Class 9), flats (Sui Generis) care home (Class 8), retail (Class 1), commercial (Classes 2, 3 and sui generis), business (Class 4), education and community facilities (Class 10), mobility hub, open space and landscaping, access and all associated infrastructure

From Monday 6 September you no longer need to book your visit to browse and borrow books.  Edinburgh Libraries website

Currie and Colinton libraries both currently have the same opening hours:

Monday: 1pm – 5pm

Tuesday: 10am - 2pm

Wednesday: 1pm – 5pm

Thursday: Closed

Friday: 10am - 2pm

Saturday: 10am – 2pm

Wester Hailes Library opening hours:

Monday: 1pm – 5pm

Tuesday: 10am – 5pm

Wednesday: 1pm – 5pm

Thursday: 10am – 5pm

Friday: 10am – 2pm

Saturday: 10am – 2pm

You may be aware of the proposed installation of an 18 metre high mast and 3 cabinets on the Baberton Avenue pavement outside of the tennis courts.  Some suggested wording below if you wish to object to it.

1.            Proximity to School and Playgroup

The proposed site is within 75m of playgroup and 150m of nursery playgroup.

2.            Basic errors of measurement in the application

States that Playgroup and School are approx 187m and 296m from proposed site, when they are within 75m and 150m respectively.

3.            Cluttering Safer Route to School

Cabinets and mast will take up a large amount of pavement, counter to Council policy of decluttering streets.  This is a key ‘safer’ route to the Nursery, Primary and High School and pavement space should be safeguarded.

4.            Inconsistency in logic

Alternative sites on the application were discounted due to the density of residential properties around the mast, but all have a similar density of housing as the site proposed

5.            Inappropriate development for a Conservation area

Juniper Green is a Conservation area reflecting the heritage of the area.  An 18 metre mast and associated cabinets is not in keeping.  Its design is not reflective of the surrounding architecture and it will tower over all properties in the village.

6.            Use of Huawei Equipment

The development would use a Huawei antenna.  The UK Government has passed legislation to ban the use of such Huawei kit.

Give your opinion on the Council website before Friday 3 September using link: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/planning-applications-1 searching on ref 21/03525/FUL

Ron Burnett has kindly prepared illustrations that give an idea of what it would look like, and in the final picture, where it could be located to present less of an obstacle.

We are all for the roll-out of 5G but think an alternative location would be less of a safety hazard for young children going to and from school.

You can read more about the proposal by searching on 21/03525/FUL at the Council planning portal and entering your details and objections (or support) by 14 September 2021

Edinburgh Council Planning Portal

Juniper Green and Baberton Mains Community Council (JGBMCC) meets monthly except July and December, on the fourth Wednesday of the month, currently online via Zoom.  If you wish to join the meeting please email correspondence@junipergreencc.org.uk and you will be emailed the joining details.  Please note this meeting may take place physically - confirmation and details to follow

AGENDA

1. Apologies

2. Minutes of last meeting and actions arising

3. Community Council Focus for 2021

a. COVID-19 related issues

b. Traffic including Spaces for People

c. Cityplan 2030

d. Greenspaces

4. Councillors' Corner

5. Reports and Recent Meetings

a. School notes

b. Secretary

c. Treasurer

d. Local Planning Matters

e. Any other meetings

6. AOCB

Next meeting Wednesday 27 October 2021

A scheme operated by utility providers records in confidence details of customers who might need extra help in the event of a loss of supply because they meet one or more of a range of conditions including age, dementia, serious illness, deaf or blind/partially sighted, speech difficulty, hard of hearing, disabled children or English is not a first language etc.

The providers want to know if you have essential electrical equipment such as bath hoists, oxygen concentrators, heart lung machines, sleep apnoea machines, home dialysis units, stair lifts, nebulisers or ventilators etc.

Once you register, they will try to let you know in advance of a planned interruption of supply and will give regular updates during a supply cut, and may offer possible further help if the interruption is major.

Registration is free via your supplier. You can find out more at the Priority Services Register in Scotland website https://psrscotland.com/ or by writing to:

Customer Contact Team

SP Energy Networks

Strathkelvin House

Campsie Road

Kirkintilloch G66 1RN.

You can arrange with the provider to use a password selected by you to confirm identity if they call you.

Being on the register doesn’t necessarily mean that the provider will restore your supply more quickly but at least they will be aware that you may be having difficulty.

In the event of a loss of service any customer can ring the following numbers for information:

Electricity: 105  

Gas: 0800 111999

Water: 0800 0778778

The RBS mobile branch van is again visiting on a Tuesday as follows:

Balerno, Scotmid, Main Street. 10:15-11:00

Currie, the Library. 11:15-11:30

Juniper Green, Iceland. 11:45-12:45

You may find it parked in the rear car park of Iceland but we are working on getting it a parking spot at the front.

You will need to wear a face covering.  There is a hand sanitiser at the door and staff are behind a screen inside the van.

Please use the service or we may lose it.

RBS Mobile Branch details

1.            Proposed 5G Mast Baberton Avenue: Opinions Sought

2.            Pentlands Book Festival 2021: 15 - 21 November

3.            Old RBS Branch

4.            Cala Currievale Consultation

5.            Recognition for Professor Guy Walker

6.            Balerno Music Festival

==****====

1.            Proposed 5G Mast Baberton Avenue: Opinions Sought

We've been made aware of a proposal to build an 18 metre high freestanding telecommunication mast and some ground-based cabinets on Baberton Avenue beside the tennis courts.

At nearly 60 feet we're concerned about the impact this may have, for example encroaching on the pavement, and are keen to get your views.

Clearly we all benefit from a improved communications network but might there be alternative sites that could mean it has less of an impact?

If you wish to comment on this please email correspondence@junipergreencc.org.uk and chair@junipergreencc.org.uk

==****====

2.            Pentlands Book Festival 2021: 15 - 21 November

The Pentlands Book Festival is determined not to die of Covid. We responded last year to an enforced quarantine by going online, but are being much bolder in 2021, planning for a short programme of live events to be held in Currie and Juniper Green.

We are in the early stages just now, but have already attracted funding from the Scottish Book Trust and signed up Metaphrog, the magical combination of storyteller John Chalmers and illustrator Sandra Marrs whose award-winning graphic stories for children have updated traditional fairy tales for the modern world.  Talking of awards, we are negotiating with a Man Booker finalist and Saltire Prize winner, the novelist Graeme Macrae Burnet, with a view to his appearance at a new venue, Currie’s Corner Café, before a local Book Club audience, but with tickets also available to the public.

We are more than delighted too that the Great British Bake Off winner and local celebrity, Peter Sawkins, whose first book will be published later this year, has accepted our invitation to appear in Currie during Book Week Scotland. Finally, another local author, Mark Beaumont, with tales of cycling is set to join the festival.  All in all, a mouth-watering line-up and too tasty to be missed.

Perennially popular is the annual literary/history walk led by historian Liz Beevers. This year the site of the walk is the Heriot-Watt campus where the university will be celebrating its 200th anniversary, though it is just the most recent occupant of an estate that can be traced back another 600 plus years. As always, early booking is a must.

We will be able to tell you more in later newsletters and the September issue of C & B News. In the meantime please make the diary entry for Book Week Scotland, 15 – 21 November, the week also of Pentlands Book Festival.

 ==****====

3.            Old RBS Branch

For years we successfully campaigned against a proposal to build a takeaway alongside the old RBS Branch on Lanark Road.  But yet in its wisdom the Government has decided to overturn the decisions of the City Council (this has been applied for and refused and then appealed three times!) and ignore the will of the local community.  It makes you wonder what the point is of local Communities engaging in the planning process when a developer can simply appeal and escalate until they finally get the outcome they want.

We welcome new enterprise into the local area, but with 7 different outlets for hot food within 200 yards of the site and 15 pizza takeaways within 3 miles, its not clear what this would add apart from more traffic problems in a village already suffering from rat runners and congestion.  There isn’t sufficient parking to meet the needs of the village just now, let alone those of the delivery drivers or those delivering supplies to the shop. 

The village of Juniper Green is also supposed to be a Conservation Area in recognition of the age of some of the buildings.  With this development its hard to believe such a label holds any value for Government planning officers.

Putting that to one side, this is a main route for a number of children going to Currie High.  Whilst the bus may provide a safe route to school, walking directly past yet another pizza takeaway would surely be too hard to ignore for many children and create bad habits in their formative years.

We’ve had the support of our local Councillors throughout this long drawn out process and its not really clear what else we could have done.  You do hope that good sense and logic will prevail but unfortunately that’s not been the case this time.

There is probably a joke to be made about this new takeaway having an undertaker next door to it, but unfortunately this decision is no laughing matter.

 ==****====

4.            Cala Currievale Consultation

Cala has set up a website to give the local community “an opportunity to view the proposals and provide comments which will inform our future planning application”.  It states that views expressed will form part of the pre-planning application public consultation report which will accompany the planning application.

We recommend you review the proposal and provide your feedback at https://cala-currievale.co.uk/ by 13 July.  

==****====

5.            Recognition for Professor Guy Walker

JGBMCC was pleased to learn of the Community Award to Professor Guy Walker by Heriot-Watt University.  Each year the university acknowledges some outstanding work by one of its workers in the community.  This year Guy’s work on traffic modelling around our streets and those in Currie and Balerno has been rewarded by HWU.

Guy is keen to continue his involvement with the local community and hopes, with next year’s crop of students, to provide further research on the potential of a cycle route between several of our educational hubs including Currie High School and our own community.

==****====

6.            Balerno Music Festival

Balerno Music Festival has a smaller programme planned for 25/9 – 10/10, Covid restrictions permitting.  Watch this space for further news.

We've been made aware of a proposal to build an 18 metre high freestanding telecommunication mast and some ground-based cabinets on Baberton Avenue beside the tennis courts. 

At nearly 60 feet we're concerned about the impact this may have, for example encroaching on the pavement, and are keen to get your views.

Clearly we all benefit from a improved communications network but might there be alternative sites that could mean it has less of an impact?

If you wish to comment on this please email correspondence@junipergreencc.org.uk and chair@junipergreencc.org.uk 

For years we successfully campaigned against a proposal to build a takeaway alongside the old RBS Branch on Lanark Road.  But yet in its wisdom the Government has decided to overturn the decisions of the City Council (this has been applied for and refused and then appealed three times!) and ignore the will of the local community.  It makes you wonder what the point is of local Communities engaging in the planning process when a developer can simply appeal and escalate until they finally get the outcome they want.

We welcome new enterprise into the local area, but with 7 different outlets for hot food within 200 yards of the site and 15 pizza takeaways within 3 miles, its not clear what this would add apart from more traffic problems in a village already suffering from rat runners and congestion.  There isn’t sufficient parking to meet the needs of the village just now, let alone those of the delivery drivers or those delivering supplies to the shop.  

The village of Juniper Green is also supposed to be a Conservation Area in recognition of the age of some of the buildings.  With this development its hard to believe such a label holds any value for Government planning officers.

Putting that to one side, this is a main route for a number of children going to Currie High.  Whilst the bus may provide a safe route to school, walking directly past yet another pizza takeaway would surely be too hard to ignore for many children and create bad habits in their formative years.

We’ve had the support of our local Councillors throughout this long drawn out process and its not really clear what else we could have done.  You do hope that good sense and logic will prevail but unfortunately that’s not been the case this time.

There is probably a joke to be made about this new takeaway having an undertaker next door to it, but unfortunately this decision is no laughing matter.

For all the info on opening hours, the services available and how to book your visit, please go to the reopening pages of the Edinburgh City Libraries website Libraries website

If you need to apply for or renew your NEC bus pass or Young Scot card, you can also do that online at buspasses

If you are simply dropping off book returns or would like to pick up Hey Girls sanitary products, there is no need to book an appointment. 

An outreach post office is operating from the Scout Hall, Lanark Road West (just along from Sainsbury’s garage) every Wednesday between 11am and 3pm. 

You can do anything there you can do at a main post office. 

They are operating from Linlithgow Main Post office.

Download from this link

JGBMCC Newsletter 17 May 2021

This is intended to be the last newsletter of this type, but it may be resurrected if restrictions are re-applied in the future.  We will publish occasional newsletters in future on local matters, and will post individual updates to services such as libraries or buses on this website, and continue sharing posts for local businesses and services on our Facebook page

JGBMCC Facebook page 

Community for Food is a local initiative to help local families in need.   Since January up to 50 families a week have been assisted with fresh food and larder provisions, toiletries and cleaning products.  Donations of food are accepted at Juniper Green Village Hall every Saturday, 11am -12 noon.  They also have a Paypal account for donations, and every penny goes to supplying food to the families.  However, funds are really depleted and there is currently only enough to supply fresh food for the next couple of weeks.  They therefore ask if you could give a small donation. Or do you work for a company that might consider a donation? The Paypal address for donations is Paypal account or contact them via their Facebook page  or email communityforfood@gmail.com.

Roadworks are taking place at the junction with Baberton Avenue from today, 4 May 2021.  Baberton Avenue itself is single lane controlled by temporary traffic lights in each direction.  The signage says this will last 5 days but the Council website says until 14 May 2021.  

Edinburgh Council Roadworks website

Edinburgh Council is looking for your views on design proposals for the Currie Community High School redevelopment within its current site, expected to be completed in 2024.

A series of engagement events have been held with staff, pupils from both the high school and cluster primary schools, parents and the local community in the past two years as the plans have been developed. As a result of this early community engagement the new building will offer the community daytime, evening and weekend access to an intergenerational community hub. Visitors can drop in to the library space in the foyer, access meeting rooms and digital services, visit the café, keep healthy at the gym and pool or enjoy a walk around the grounds.

Three Pre Planning Application Consultation Live Q&A digital events with the project team will be held on Zoom at the follow dates and times:

Tuesday 20 April 2021 at 11am-12pm

Tuesday 20 April 2021 at 6pm-7pm

Thursday 22 April 2021 at 7pm-8pm

Please use this link on your chosen date and time to join the webinar:

https://zoom.us/j/97856438347?pwd=TGdXb2NYcWxsR091WFdUeGJ4Y1hIQT09

Passcode: 591373

Please note that comments made in the course of this consultation process are not representations to the planning authority.

For more information about the project visit  https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/curriehighredevelopment

CEC Consultation

From 11 April, Sunday afternoon parking controls will be in place in the city centre (zones 1-4).

These apply every Sunday from 12.30pm to 6.30pm:

- all parking places, loading places and single yellow lines in zones 1 to 4 inclusive

- all greenway (red line) stopping restrictions, parking places and/or loading places in zones 1 to 4 inclusive

Parking charges and permit controls will apply in all parking places where existing controls are in place on Monday to Saturday.

The usual weekday and Saturday restrictions still apply.

Any existing 24-hour restrictions or parking places, such as double yellow lines, disabled parking places or car club parking places will be unaffected and will continue to operate in the same way as before 

CEC Parking Website.

Scotland’s electricity distribution and water networks have joined forces to launch PSR Scotland to inform customers of the free support available when they need it most.

With the launch of the new PSR Scotland website, customers now can learn more about the free help available in their individual area, with links straight to the specific pages on each company’s website to make the registration process as simple as possible.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Distribution, SP Energy Networks (SPEN) and Scottish Water, have each been running their own Priority Services Registers (PSR) for several years, offering free support to customers during a power cut or an interruption to local water supplies.

Customers are eligible to register if they: are deaf or hard of hearing, have a disability, live with children under five, are blind or partially sighted, have a chronic illness, are over 60, depend on electricity or water for home or medical care, or feel they may need additional support, even for a temporary period of time.

The new service will make it easier than ever to raise awareness of the additional support available nationwide, encouraging sign-ups from customers who may be eligible but are not yet registered for priority services.

SSEN Distribution owns and operates the electricity infrastructure north of the central belt and SPEN is responsible for the electricity network in central and southern Scotland, while Scottish Water manages the nation’s water and waste water services. 

Priority Services Register website 

We're now informed the work will continue at the foot of Baberton Loan until June.  

You may want to monitor progress of the other Scottish Water projects in the area:

Please note that all dates/timescales are approximate and are subject to change. 

Old Mill CSO, Juniper Green

When: Work started - 3rd August 2020. Expected duration: 40 weeks

What: New CSO chamber.  New CSO chamber with static screen. New pipework and outfall with headwall. 

Balerno Bridge CSO

When: Main Construction starts 10th May. Expected duration: approx. 9 months

What: New CSO chambers with static screen and associated pipework. New outfall and headwall

Currie Bowling Club

When: Work started January 2021. Expected duration: 52 weeks

What: New CSO chamber with powered screen and associated pipework. New outfall and headwall 

Kingsknowe CSO

When: Work Started - 12th October 2020. Expected Completion: June 2021

What: New CSO chamber with powered screen and associated pipework. New outfall and headwall. New access road needed from the Water of Leith Walkway

Scottish Water website

The westbound carriageway of the A720 Edinburgh City Bypass will be closed for resurfacing between Baberton and Calder Junctions from 20:30 until 06:00 on the night of 27 March.

A diversion route for westbound traffic will be signposted from Baberton Junction via the B701 and A71 before rejoining the A720 at Calder Junction.

Real time journey information is available from Traffic Scotland

Traffic Scotland website or twitter at @trafficscotland or the mobile site my.trafficscotland.org