I have recently had complaints from residents in Forest Park Road whose flats back onto the Royal Mail’s Central Sorting Office and Depot in Edward Street about the very overgrown foliage from the depot protruding into their back garden area.
Numerous residents in Rosefield Street, Forest Park Road and Forest Park Place have been in contact with me recently regarding the City Council’s recent proposal to introduce a wheelie bin collection in parts of these streets.
Although some residents have welcomed the move away from the old ‘traditional’ polybin collection as it had its problems, many residents are concerned that in some parts of the area, there may be problems with wheelie bins being left out on the street permanently – an on-going issue in streets like Peddie Street, Blackness Street, Hawkhill and parts of Blackness Road, for example.
Both I and the chair of the local community group – Community Spirit – have raised these concerns with the City Council and a representative of the Waste Management Department will be attending the next meeting of Community Spirit to discuss the issue. It is good to see the department engaging with local residents to discuss the matter.
The Waste Management Department has also advised me :
“We will be monitoring the situation once wheelie bins are introduced. We will allocate one wheelie bin per property and label the bin which will enable us to identify the household should there be an issue regarding bins being left kerbside, outwith collection day. In this instance we can letter households, reminding them of their responsibilites within the scheme. The Environmental Health and Trading Standards Department will be responsible for non-compliance in relation to back areas.
We are consulting with City Development looking at introducing eurobins into Peddie Street. If this goes ahead and proves successsful, we may review the arrangements in Rosefield Street and Forest Park Road should the wheelie bins prove problematic.”
Given the concerns that a wheelie bin fire caused in Peddie Street last September, moves to look at alternative collection arrangements here will be welcomed by residents.
The main complaints in the past have come to me from people in Seafield Lane, Thomson Street and in Brown Street – and in the latter Home Scotland development, the housing association has piloted a residents’ parking scheme that is properly policed to ensure that only those entitled to park there – local residents – do so.
Following further complaints from Home Scotland tenants in other streets, I asked for an update on the pilot’s success and tackling the problem elsewhere and I have today received the following feedback from the Home Scotland Housing Services Manager :
“I am glad at last to be able to advise that we are now in a position to progress the roll out of the parking to other areas. Letters are being issued over the next week to our tenants at the following addresses to seek their agreement to the parking scheme in their area. (We require the agreement of the majority of the residents). This includes:
Thomson Street
Seafield Lane
Forest Park Road
Forest Park Place
Pleasance Court
I would therefore anticipate the scheme being in place within the next month.
I realise that this has taken a long time to be implemented, but following the success of the pilot in Brown Street , I hope that our tenants see the benefits of the scheme.”
I am very pleased to see progress with this – all credit to Home Scotland for taking a proactive approach to help West End residents.
On the wider issue of parking problems for residents in the West End on-street and in council-owned car parks, since the SNP took over council control last March, there has been inaction on moving forward the recommendations from consultants the council brought in to look at the issue and come forward with proposals to improve matters for residents.
I recently met the City Council’s new Chief Executive and the Director of City Development to voice my concerns at the delay in progressing parking improvements for local residents and I have been given assurances that the matter will be progressed in the near future. Needless to say, I’ll be keeping a very close eye on this!
