Issues
We monitor the actions of the City Council and lobby hard when our interests are threatened.
Below is a page we wrote during our last campaign. This, and a flier distributin to hundreds of houses, helped to raise over 300 objections to the proposal from Zone 6 alone. Our secretary met with the chair of the Council's Transport Committee to lobby and was invited to speak to the full Committee, which buried the proposal as soon as it decently could.
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May 2008
Council plans massive increase in number of business permits
The proposals threaten to swamp existing residents and make parking even more of a misery than it already is
Objections have to be lodged by 7 May
council proposals: detail
The new Lib Dem-SNP Council has advertised plans to allow any business in the city centre parking zones to apply for up to two permits per address, allowing them to use residents and dual use bays. Hundreds of permits are likely to be handed out.
All the businesses will need to do is to 'confirm' that they need the permits for their daily operation. Vehicles as long as 6.5m - 5 tonne lorries! - will be permitted.
No study has been made of the likely take up of the new permits (in fact the Council admits it doesn't even know how many businesses there are in the zones). But the aim is to ensure wide take up, because the purpose of the scheme is to raise revenue.
Money talks, but shows no inclination to listen (or think). So far.
making objection: why?
There are many grounds for objection. Here are three obvious ones, but you may find more.
1. Parking is already difficult in the Controlled Parking Zones. Extra parking capacity is just not there for new permits to be handed out in large numbers.
2. No reliable information exists as to the number of eligible businesses, or the likely take up. The Council is leaping in the dark in the hope of landing on a pile of cash. They should undertake proper study and consult much more fully, not rush things through as they are doing now.
3. The plans will encourage business people who live outstide the city to commute by car and park in the New Town, contrary to the Council's professed commitment to reducing car use in the city centre. We will have people who currently use commercial parking relocate their cars to our streets, because it will be cheaper.
making objection: how?
The Drummond Civic Association is cooperating with other local associations to fight these proposals, which are meeting strong resistance.
Written objections from residents are a crucial weapon. The larger the number, the more impact.
To write to the Council (you must quote reference TROD/08/06A or your letter may be ignored):
- The Director of City Development (Transport), City of Edinburgh Council, Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG
To email the Council (ask for a read receipt & add your postal address; the link below will automatically generate the essential reference and blind copies to us):
To email your Councillors (ask for a read receipt; the link below automatically generates the essential reference and blind copies to us):
David.Beckett@edinburgh.gov.uk - SNP
Charles.Dundas@edinburgh.gov.uk - Liberal Democrat
Joanna.Mowat@edinburgh.gov.uk - Conservative
Time presses: objections have to be lodged by 7 May.
contact details for dca PLUS new town e-bulletin board
We run a kind of online bulletin board for the New Town. You can find latest news, post questions and thoughts for others to see, read their responses, have new postings sent you by email (or not). It is a flexible tool.
You can write to Chris Collins (the Secretary) at
mailing list: ask us to keep you up to date
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