Savile Area Residents Association - Recently Updated Pages

INVITATION to AGM 2011

Chairman — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 08:34:58 CDT

Savile Area Residents Association

Chairman — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 10:08:13 CDT

SARA AGM 2011: Thursday 13th October, at 7.00 for 7.30, until 9.00pm. All welcome!

The 2011 SARA AGM will take placeat Reid Memorial Church hall (at the west end of West Savile Terrace).
All who live or work in our area are welcome to join us at our annual get-together. Arrive at 7pm for refreshments, or 7.30 for the meeting proper. We'll be finished by 9pm. This is a good opportunity to raise local issues in the friendly atmosphere of the SARA annual meeting.

At the start of September 2011 the City Council introduced a modified version of the proposed "Residents priority parking" scheme, intended to alleviate the parking problems in south Grange streets. SARA members were concerned that problem parking would be displaced into our area as a result of the changes. The SARA AGM 2011 is an opportunity to express your thoughts on this issue, and any other matters of local concern.

Royal Blind School.

Immediately after the AGM last October, the treasurer paid a £100 donation to the Royal Blind School as the members had requested. The Blind School acknowledged our donation by letter and today (9th March 2011) Deborah has been invited to represent SARA on April 6th at the schools first event, which will explain to any donors that year, how any gifts are used by the school. The treasurer will include a report of her evening at the 2011 AGM.

Savile Area Residents Association, Edinburgh isa voluntary community group serving the interests of local residents. All welcome! Savile Area Residents Association welcomes new members at any time. The association is open to anyone who lives or works at an address included in the grey box lower down this page. The annual membership subscription is only £1 per household. We hold a friendly Annual General Meeting in October, where subjects of local interest are discussed. If you need to raise a particular issue immediately, there is no need to wait until October. Contact our Chairman, or our Treasurer, or send a message via this website's 'Members' page. You may also add information directly to this page using the 'Easy Edit' function, above. Or start a new 'Thread'.

August 27th 2009: New Parking proposals to add more parking pressures in our area?

Whilst the extension to the Controlled Parking Zone into South Grange was defeated (partly by the objections which came from the SARA area), we may still be affected by lesser changes to deal with the worst of the problems in South Grange. There are new proposals to restrict parking there which, depending on the extent, may decant more resident and commuter parking onto our streets. In view of the published schedule, which suggests recommendations would be sent to the council at the end of September, and since there has been no further news on this, I've written to our councillors and the community council chairperson on 27/08/09, asking the current situation and to ensure we are fully consulted if there is to be any effect on us - see the messages under 'Parking Panel' in the discussions section. (Norman Dryden)

2005 AGM minutes

Chairman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:17:49 CST

SAVILE AREA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON 13th OCTOBER 2005

It was a mild, damp evening when 35 people, including Councillor Fred Mackintosh, gathered in Reid Memorial Church Hall for the AGM on 13 October 2005.

Apologies had been received from Mrs K. Arnott, Miss J. Bragg, Mr G. Eden, Mr & Mrs Fairweather, Mrs Love and Miss V. Laidlaw. Since the Association still has no Secretary, Pat Storey agreed to take the minutes for the meeting.

The Chairman, Douglas Dalgleish, asked the Vice-Chairman, Norman Dryden to read the Minutes of the 2004 AGM, which were approved.

Copies of the Income and Expenditure Account showing the Association’s current financial situation were circulated to those present. These showed a profit on the year of £28.33 even though the Association’s Treasurer, Deborah Allen, explained that she had paid for the hire of the Church hall for two AGMs in one financial year. The Chairman commented that the Association had a useful reserve in the bank, which he felt should be kept in case there was, for example, some development which SARA wished to oppose.

The main item of discussion at this meeting was the question of bus boarders or clearway boxes in West Savile Terrace. Councillor Mackintosh explained that the status quo was not an option because buses have to be made disabled accessible; we could either opt for the current proposal of the smallest possible bus borders without bus shelters, or no change now and end up in the future with clearway boxes which would take up more space and result in losing more parking spaces. A questionnaire had been circulated and showed opinion was against bus shelters. In response to questions from those present he agreed to check the proposed position of the bus borders and why it was proposed to install two opposite one another. It was felt that this could lead to traffic jams if both had buses stationery at them at the same time. It was subsequently noted that the length of the bus borders was so that buses had enough space to stop at them and that their shape was dictated by several factors including drainage, pedestrian safety and ease of parking without driving over or into them.

On other traffic issues, Councillor Mackintosh said the good news was that no day-time Lothian buses were now subsidised by the Council. As regards car parking at West Mains there was now a University plan for further building at KB over the next 15 to 20 years and he wanted to ensure that there would be controlled parking at the university’s expense, not that of local residents. Any traffic calming measures in WST would be long way in the future. The bus tracking system would be expanded in future. Support was expressed for the installation of this technology on single bus routes such as the 24 and 42.

The vice-chairman raised the question of street cleaning, which he felt needed to be carried out more frequently. Councillor Mackintosh said he would see what he could do about this. He also explained that the bins bought by the Council had proved unsatisfactory as they were not vandal proof. It was planned to replace them with better bins. The question of wheelie bins being left on the pavement was raised. It was pointed out that some households had nowhere else to keep them. In reply to a question, Councillor Mackintosh said there were no plans for plastic to be included in the box collection but if multi-packaging bins are installed in the future, they will take plastic. Concern was expressed that if these are not emptied frequently enough, they can lead to a litter problem.

Councillor Mackintosh reported that one phone mast application had been abandoned but another in Charterhall Road was active. Unfortunately, the Council could not force companies to share masts.
Since the last meeting a proposal had been put forward to provide a small play area for younger children adjacent to Blackford Pond. Depending on whether this could be funded from next year’s capital programme or from other sources, Councillor Mackintosh hoped this would be available in late 2006 or early 2007.

The Chairman said that more volunteers to help with the community gardens would be welcome – either at the Rose Garden on the first Saturday of the month or at Watertoun Road on the last Sunday. The idea of a tool box for the Rose Garden had receded but he would welcome other suggestions for possible applications for community grants.

The possible change to the date of the AGM was discussed. There was minimal support for this from those present. It was suggested that the notice of the AGM could include the option of arranging either to meet up with others to walk together or to arrange a lift in a car.

Committee Members: all the existing members were willing to carry on and the Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Treasurer and other committee members were re-elected.
The Chairman asked anyone was interested in volunteering to attend meetings on subjects of interest to our area, such as buses, to get in touch with him. In this context, it was noted with regret that Mary Clark, who had done sterling work representing SARA’s views on bus services, had died earlier this year.

In response to a motion from the floor, the meeting agreed that the Tooth Fairy does indeed exist.

Some discussion took place on improving communication about local affairs and whether it would be possible to distribute a newsletter other than the minutes of the AGM and the notice of the meeting. Information was being sought from those present and via the subscription renewal form about whether members used email and had access to the web. One possibility was a SARA web site. It was agreed that it would be useful if SARA could have its own email address.
As usual the meeting concluded with a welcome cup of tea or coffee and biscuits.

2007 AGM minutes

Chairman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:15:02 CST

SAVILE AREA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON 11th OCTOBER 2007

It was a pleasantly mild if slightly breezy autumn evening when 35 people, including Councillor Steve Burgess, gathered in Reid Memorial Church Hall for the AGM on 11 October 2007. Following the successful experiment in 2006, the meeting was preceded by tea or coffee and cake and a chance to talk to friends and neighbours before the formal proceedings began at 7.30.
Apologies had been received from Catherine Arnott, Mr & Mrs Cato, Mr & Mrs Dey, Jill Henderson, Elené Iannou, Ida Jarron, Violet Laidlaw, Wilma & … Nielson, and the three Councillors who were not present.
The Chairman, Douglas Dalgleish, thanked those who had delivered the Newsletter – he was glad to say more helpers contributed this year - Eleanor McKirdy for the excellent cakes and the volunteers who had worked in the two community gardens during the year.
The Chairman said that Mrs Jarron did not wish to be re-elected to the committee. She felt someone younger should take her place. No one at the meeting was willing to volunteer, however.
The Treasurer reported on the accounts, which were circulated at the meeting. There had been a small increase in the charge for the hall, although we receive a discount for being residents. Weedkiller and sand had been bought for the gardens. Surplus income had been added to the balance in the bank and the meeting agreed that this money should be kept in case the Association needed it at a future date.
The Minutes of the 2006 AGM were circulated at the meeting and were taken as read and approved.
The Chairman said he had now scanned photos of the area which he had been leant and added them to the SARA web site.
The Chairman said he and Eleanor McKirdy were key holders for the notice board. He had been asked by one of the new Community Councillors if the Community Council could use the SARA notice board. It was agreed that this was a good idea. The new Grange Prestonfield Community Council had now been formed and Natalie Murdoch volunteered to go to the monthly meetings, which are open to interested parties, starting on 24 October in the Council Chambers.
Regarding the gardens, it was noted that dog fouling remains a problem in the Rose Garden and footballers in Watertoun Road. More volunteers are always welcome to help with the gardens.
In reply to a question about St Crispins School, Coun. Burgess said that he had inquired about this; the Council was reviewing the needs of the children at the school. It was possible that the existing school might be improved, or moved to a new building on another site, or another existing school might be adapted. No decision had been made yet. A feasibility study was being undertaken and options would then be put to the full Council. If the site was re-developed, any plans would have to go through the full planning approval process. Coun. Burgess said he would ensure SARA was kept informed. It was suggested that SARA should perhaps consider what residents would like to see happen to the site if it was redeveloped, rather than waiting for a developer to put a proposal forward.
The Chairman said he attends meetings of the Environmental Forum which provides an opportunity to tell the Council our priorities. These were considered at the last AGM. It was subsequently noted that the meeting felt that graffiti removal should be higher up the list and that the reference to bus shelters in the list should have indicated that they were not wanted. Residents were urged to report graffiti on, e.g., street furniture, to the Task Force, and if things were not fixed, residents should contact the Task Force manager: phone numnber: 664 8330 or mobile 07786 110377. It was noted that the Blackford Station phone box had been vandalised and would not be fixed by BT until the police had finished with it.
One matter raised at the last AGM had been the erection of radio masts along the railway line. Nothing had yet happened and it was possible that two smaller masts would be put up rather than one very tall one. It is likely that Scottish Power will now use a gantry alongside the bridge for their cables.
Apropos the railway line, it was mentioned that trees along it were getting too tall but it was not clear who was responsible for these.
The slip road between Blackford Avenue and West Savile Terrace is being used by cars. It should be for cycles and access to the flats only and not for through traffic. Coun. Burgess said he could raise this on safety grounds.
The Chairman said he was proposing to complete a funding application to the Council for the gardens: bark for the path, something prickly near the gate to deter dogs and ground cover plants for the Rose Garden, and hedge or low planting to separate houses and fooballers at Watertoun Road. The meeting supported these suggestions.
Regarding trafic along WST, Coun. Burgess told the meeting that it was possible that WST might lose its status as a main trafic route and be eligible for calming. About three trafic calming schemes a year are being carried out. Concern was expressed about humps being noisy. The meeting felt that a meeting with the raod safety officer would be very helpful.
Coun. Burgess explained the new Council system to the meeting. We now have four councillors representing a much larger ward. Our councillors are liaising to ensure they attend as many local meetings such as ours as they can. If residents want to contact their representatives, he suggested they could either email all four or write a letter to one with copies to the other three.
In reply to a question about WiFi, which it has been reported may be worse than mobile phone masts, he said that he was on the Planning Committee and they were supposed to take a proactive approach to the siting of phone masts near schools but he did not know what the new council administration policy is on WiFi.

2008 AGM Minutes

Chairman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:14:20 CST

SAVILE AREA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON THURSDAY, 16th OCTOBER 2008

It was a cool, dry, autumn evening when 38 members of SARA assembled in Reid Memorial Church Hall for the AGM. They were joined by Coun. Gordon McKenzie and at c. 8 o’clock by Coun. Cameron Rose. Tea or coffee and cake and informal conversations took place before the formal proceedings began at 7.30.
Apologies were received from 7 members.

The Chairman, Douglas Dalgleish, began by thanking the members who had organised refreshments before the meeting, those who had delivered the Newsletter, the volunteer gardeners for their work during the year, and, in advance, Pat Storey for taking the minutes.
The Income and Expenditure account and the Balance Sheet were circulated at the meeting. The Treasurer said that the only expenses incurred during the year related to the AGM (hire of hall, photocopying the newsletter and notice of meeting and refreshments). If money was required for the gardens, expenses could be covered. The accounts were approved. It was agreed that the SARA subscription should remain at £1.
The Minutes of the 2007 AGM were circulated at the meeting and were taken as read and approved.

Roads and pavements were discussed next. The pavement in Langton Road had been properly surfaced shortly after the last AGM but the east side of Savile Place has not been. Coun. McKenzie said this had been raised at a meeting last week but it is not a Council responsibility as it is unadopted. Other problem areas, including the broken cover in the middle of Mayfield Road by the shops, were raised. It was noted that the poplar tree stump by Blackford Bridge should be removed when the gantry is built over the bridge to connect the cables currently running down Blackford Road to the Avenue Stores and from KB to the bridge. The trees along the railway line are still growing – they are the railway’s responsibility – Coun. McKenzie said he would take this up with Mike Pringle to ask if anything can be done. There is a three year programme to deal with pavements damaged by tree roots. Attention was drawn to the need for the area behind the barrier on the bridge to be salted by hand in icy weather as the barrier stops machine salting reaching it. Some discussion took place regarding the phone box and how often it was vandalised and out of action. The meeting generally felt that the box should be repaired rather than removed.
Bus shelters: there was a request by the residents of the Mayfield Court retirement flats for bus shelters at the stops outside and opposite Mayfield Court. After discussion the meeting agreed to support a request for small shelters with a seating bench at these two stops but not at the other stops along West Savile Terrace where there was no demand for them.

CPZ: a lengthy discussion took place about the proposed extension of the CPZ in the Grange. Coun. McKenzie explained that parking arrangements in the north Grange area were being amended in light of experience gained since their introduction and more spaces for all-day parking will be introduced – times have changed since Coun. Fred Mackintosh was lambasted a few years ago for suggesting this! Consultation was on-going with residents in the south Grange area and it appeared that feeling was c.2:1 in favour of extending the CPZ to cover that area. All four councillors for our area have pointed out the need to consider the implication of this for the area south of the railway line. A further complication for our area is the University’s development plans for K.B. [For further information about these go to the Council’s planning web site (http://citydev-portal.edinburgh.gov.uk/portal/portal.jsp) and type in Kings Buildings on the Search page.] Coun. Rose added that another complication was the fact that Melville Terrace and Sciennes were in a different section to the north Grange. The dynamics were different for south Grange compared to north Grange due to the higher concentration of housing. Meetings are being held on 22 and 30 October in Reid Memorial and Mayfield Churches respectively to discuss the current plans, which are modified versions of the plans put forward in the spring, having been amended in the light of initial feedback. The Chairman said he would put information on the SARA website (http://sara.wetpaint.com/)
In reply to a question about the recent accident at the West Savile Terrace / Mayfield Road junction, which is listed as the most dangerous crossing in the Sciennes School travel plan, Coun. Rose said the Council’s Transport engineers were monitoring traffic. There had been a number of accidents there, mostly involving cyclists.

It was noted that the new No. 67 bus, which runs from St. Andrews Square [initially Hanover Street] to the Bush via George IV Bridge, Mayfield Road, K.B. and Straiton, is being partly subsidised by the University.
One member urged the meeting to support St. Crispin’s School and for the school to remain on its present site. Coun. McKenzie said there had been a discussion about schools that day. No alternative site had been found and St Crispin’s would not be moving for the time being.
The Committee, Chairman and Treasurer were re-elected. There were no volunteers to join the Committee as additional members.
AOB: in reply to a comment on the reduction in the number of brown bin collections this year, and particularly the non-collection of Christmas trees, it emerged that the garden rubbish collection is being extended: information is now available on the Council web site.
Regarding the recent chaos resulting from the closure of the Princes Street junction at the Mound, the press had been circulated but had not helped advertise this as it was not regarded as newsworthy!
The meeting closed with a vote of thanks to the Chairman and Committee.

2009 AGM Minutes

Chairman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:13:57 CST

SAVILE AREA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION
MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON THURSDAY, 15th OCTOBER 2009

It was a balmy autumn evening when 30 members of SARA assembled in Reid Memorial Church Hall for the AGM. They were joined by Couns. Gordon McKenzie, Ian Perry and, from c.7.45, Cameron Rose. Tea or coffee and cake and informal conversations took place before the formal proceedings began at 7.30.
Apologies were received from half a dozen members.
The Chairman, Douglas Dalgleish, apologised for the late distribution of the Newsletter this year. He thanked the volunteers who had organised refreshments before the meeting, delivered the Newsletter, and worked in the gardens for their work during the year.
The Treasurer, Deborah Allen, presented the Income and Expenditure account and the Balance Sheet, which were circulated at the meeting. The Treasurer said that the reduction in income was due to lower bank interest rates and the association having nine fewer members this year. The only expenses incurred during the year related to the AGM (hire of hall, photocopying the newsletter and notice of meeting and refreshments). If money was required for the gardens, expenses could be covered. She proposed to put the balance in an interest notice account to earn more. One member proposed that SARA should make a donation to the Blind School. The meeting was in favour of this if it was a legitimate expense. The accounts were approved. It was agreed that the SARA subscription should remain at £1.
The Minutes of the 2008 AGM were circulated at the meeting and were taken as read and approved.
The problem of speeding vehicles in WST was raised. This is particularly bad at night at the west (broad) end of the road. As it is a bus route, traffic calming measures such as speed humps would be difficult. Other measures such as a flashing light showing a vehicle’s speed are effective in encouraging drivers to slow down near schools but not where there is no obvious reason for this. The installation of the proposed traffic lights at the Mayfield Road end of WST will affect traffic flow.
It was noted that the City Car Club is about to arrive in our area with parking spaces near East Champanyie. The meeting felt the Club was a good idea apart from the loss of parking spaces.
Various problems were mentioned: a loose and noisy manhole cover by East Champanyie; a dead tree near 126-8 WST which was poisoned when a drain problem was remedied; graffiti and no coin collection box in the phone – card use only available. However, the Council had dealt promptly with a spate of graffiti and there had not been any problems during the winter with the railway bridge being icy.
Bus shelters: there had been support last year for bus shelters near Mayfield Court. Residents on the north side have been sent a letter informing them of the proposal. It was noted that the original suggestion was for shelters on both sides of the road but only the north side has currently been put forward.
Buses: the meeting was glad to hear that the Mound crossing would reopen for buses on 26 November as the tram works have been having a major effect on the length of journeys. It was felt that the No. 24 bus should run later - it finishes too early for theatre goers, etc.
Re-cycling bins: the meeting supported the suggestion of a bin for plastics only and after discussion if appeared that Watertoun Road would be the preferred location in our area.
Parking: the proposals for an extension of the CPZ: have been dropped but problems remain, particularly parking for residents in Fountainhall Road and elsewhere and safety on Blackford Road. There are proposals for single and double yellow lines. There will be a public meeting in late November and plans will be on display in Newington Library. Some changes are in the pipeline for existing spaces in N. Grange to encourage better use of parking spaces within the controlled zone.
AOB: concerns were raised about drug dealing in a flat in WST which was apparently in use as an HMO but did not have an HMO licence. Coun. Rose agreed to investigate further and advised residents to get in touch with their councillors if they had concerns about such issues. There is no cap on the number of HMOs in any one area although this has been a subject for lively debate particularly in Marchmont.
The Committee and Officers were re-elected the coming year and the meeting closed at 9 o’clock.

2010 AGM Minutes

Chairman — Fri, 11 Mar 2011 04:13:26 CST

DRAFT of 2010 AGM Minutes, to be presented for approval at our 2011 Annual General Meeting.

This Draft of the 2010 Minutes has been included here by request of one of our Members.
Any Members who feel that unapproved Minutes should not be publicly displayed are requested to contact the Chairman.

SAVILE AREA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION - MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON THURSDAY, 14th OCTOBER 2010

It was a cool, dry autumn evening when 28 members of SARA assembled in Reid Memorial Church Hall for the AGM. Due to a clash with a Council meeting they were joined late by Couns. Gordon McKenzie (from c. 7.50) and Cameron Rose (from c. 8.05). Apologies were received from c.6-8 members. Tea or coffee and cake and informal conversations took place before the formal proceedings began at 7.30.
The Chairman, Douglas Dalgleish, said that this year’s AGM had also clashed with a parents evening at one of the local schools. He drew attention to the SARA web site which is available for comments to be added (http://sara.wetpaint.com/). He thanked the volunteers who had organised refreshments before the meeting, delivered the Newsletter, and worked in the garden at Watertoun Road and the Rose Garden for their work during the year. If anyone wants to help in either garden, more volunteers are always welcome.
The minutes for the last meeting were circulated at the meeting and were taken as read and approved.
The Treasurer, Deborah Allen, presented the Income and Expenditure account and the Balance Sheet, which were circulated at the meeting. She apologised for her oversight in not having made the donation to the Blind School which the meeting agreed last year. As it was not clear whether an amount had been agreed last year, this year’s meeting subsequently agreed by majority vote to a donation of £100. No expenses had been incurred this year other than those associated with the AGM. She had not changed SARA’s bank account as she had found that the only way to earn more interest would be to tie it up in a long-term building society or to do it on-line which she was unwilling to do. She said several members had written notes to her about various matters when putting their subscription slips through her door. This was a good way to communicate. The accounts were approved.
The meeting generally welcomed the installation of the new traffic lights at the junction of WST and Mayfield Road: crossing the road is much safer and it is easier to turn right out of both WST and Macdowall Road. On the down side, a number of cars are using Macdowall Road and Savile Place as a rat run in order to avoid the new lights, cars are speeding to catch the lights and there can be congestion at the lights when there is not enough room for the bus to get round the corner. The meeting wondered it would help if the bins were moved slightly further away from Mayfield Road at the cost of one parking space on each side of WST. It was also noted that there is a yellow mat over a hole in the pavement on the north side of WST which Clarence was not interested in knowing about.
Some other problems were raised: the loose manhole cover in the middle of the road opposite the entrance to East Champanyie, mentioned last year, remains noisy; uneven pavements due to the cherry trees in WST; the frequency of street cleaning, which is supposed to be very six weeks; the timing of leaf sweeping. The railway bridge pavement had been icy again this winter but conditions were exceptional. Coun. Mackenzie said the Council was considering whether it might be possible to have local volunteers assisting with gritting pavements; he added that it was an urban myth that anyone clearing a pavement could be held responsible if someone subsequently slipped and hurt themselves. It was generally felt that people should be encouraged to do their bit.
Bus Shelters: the request for bus shelters on both sides of WST near Mayfield Court was discussed. Some local residents object as shelters have in the past led to problems with children, noise and vandalism. It was also pointed out that the bus stop on the N. side of WST is very close to the entrance to West Savile Gardens and a shelter there will make it more difficult for drivers exiting on to WST. A majority at the meeting supported the idea of bus shelters on the build outs at both stops adjacent to Mayfield Court and felt that it would be preferable to have shelters without seats rather than no shelters.
Re-cycling: no plastics bin has yet appeared in our area but the Council is planning to roll out new individual or multiple use bins for plastics recycling within the next year. There is a new packaging bin in Blackford Avenue but West Savile Gardens had been told the Council could not afford to put one there. Coun. Rose suggested they reapply with a copy to him.
Parking: the CPZ has not been extended but there are plans to change the use of existing parking spaces in the Grange to make better use of them by introducing additional 9-hour spaces in the north Grange area and by using part-day parking restrictions elsewhere to protect residents (who would be able to buy a permit) from all day parking. Plans are on display in Newington Library.
The City Car Club has not yet arrived in our area. Coun. Mackenzie explained that there had been objections to their plans in other areas and their application had been withdrawn for the time being. He would find out what the current position is.
Notice Board: additional keys are being cut and two new key holders volunteered.
Gas pipe replacement: it was noted that houses which were earthed by connection to the old iron pipes may no longer be earthed now these have been replaced with plastic pipes in our area.
Dog fouling: it was suggested that there should be an official notice on the gate to the Rose Garden about this. If anyone sees dog owners not clearing up after their dogs, they should report this to the Council, particularly if it happens regularly.
In reply to a question, Coun. Rose undertook to check whether the Council has a policy on dish aerials on the front of houses.
Drugs: the problem raised last year has been resolved with Coun. Rose’s help. A cannabis farm in West Savile Gardens has been discovered and shut down.
Reid Memorial Church is now producing a magazine intended for the whole parish not just church members. SARA members were urged to register to receive this by email by sending an email to editor.reid@gmail.com quoting ‘Parish’ in the subject box.
It was agreed that the SARA subscription should remain at £1. The Committee and Officers were re-elected for the coming year and the meeting closed just after 9 o’clock.

Other Residents Associations

Chairman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:42:25 CDT

West Blacket Association:

http://www.westblacket.org.uk/index.htm

Grange Prestonfield Community Council

Chairman — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:26:40 CDT

Grange Prestonfield Community Council:

The community council for our area also has an interactive website:

http://www.grangeprestonfieldcc.org.uk/wordpress

2006 AGM minutes

Chairman — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 04:49:53 CDT

SAVILE AREA RESIDENTS ASSOCIATION: MINUTES OF AGM HELD ON 12th OCTOBER 2006
It was a mild, autumn evening when 47 people, later joined by Councillor Fred Mackintosh, gathered in Reid Memorial Church Hall for the AGM on 12 October 2006. In a departure from previous practice, the meeting was preceded with a welcome cup of tea or coffee and cake.
Apologies had been received from Miss J. Bragg and Miss V. Laidlaw.
The Chairman, Douglas Dalgleish, thanked those who had delivered the Newsletter – 800 copies had been printed and there were very few left. More help with the delivery would be very welcome in future. He also thanked Eleanor McKirdy who had provided some wonderful cake and the volunteers who had worked in the two community gardens during the year.
The Treasurer reported on the accounts, which were circulated at the meeting. Some money had been spent this year on shrubs and bulbs for the gardens as well as on the costs for the AGM, leaving a surplus on the year of £9.44 to add to the balance already in hand.
The Chairman read the Minutes of the 2005 AGM, which were approved. The committee members were reappointed. Norman Dryden resigned as vice-chairman so a new vice-chairman as well as a secretary are wanted.
The Chairman said he wanted to know what local issues the meeting felt mattered most as far as the Council was concerned.
The Council has a community fund for improvements and the possibility of an application for improvements to the gardens was raised.
It was noted that Norman Dryden was now the only key holder for the notice board in the Rose Garden and he removed out of date notices when putting up new ones. Eleanor McKirdy volunteered to be a second key holder.
Regarding the new parking area in the Grange, concerns were expressed that the extension of parking controls meant small shops were suffering as people could not park to shop; the controls were not getting people out of their cars.
Councillor Mackintosh arrived. He reported that bus borders would be installed early in 2007. As a result of the new electoral system, it would be his last AGM as local councillor.
The result of the discussion during the evening was a list of priorities in descending order of importance as follows:

Traffic speed
Speed calming
Rubbish collection
Street lighting
Recycling
More buses
Parking spaces
Community gardens
Street trees
Protect open spaces
Pavement surfaces
OMB bins
Road repairs
More families with children
Dog fouling
Railway service
Encourage wild life
Street furniture
Cycle lanes
Tramline three
More students
Litter
Bus shelters
Local car-sharing
Graffiti removal
More house building

Savile Area Priorities

Chairman — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 18:08:48 CST

SARA priorities:

During the 2006 SARA AGM members considered various issues of interest to our local community and arrived at a consensus about their relative importance.

These are our priorities:

1. Traffic speed: we see this as a safety issue. Speeds should be reduced, particularly the speed of cars travelling along the wide part of West Savile Terrace.

2. Traffic calming measures: we would like more of them, to assist our first priority.

3. Refuse collection: we do not want our rubbish to be collected less frequently than once each week.

4. Street lighting: we want improved lighting and prompt maintenance.

5. Recycling: we like this so much that we want more and better; we don't like throwing away recyclables, such as plastics.

6. Bus services: we need more buses more frequently, not service reductions.

7. Parking spaces: we need more on-street parking spaces in our area.

8. Community gardens: we support these, we want to see them maintained and improved for multi-use.

9. Street trees: we want dead trees to be replaced without delay and we would like less use of herbicide on the soil surrounding the trees.

10. Open spaces: because these are important to us we want public open spaces in our area to be protected from development.

11. Pavement surfaces: some pavements in our area are too uneven, they are being damaged by tree roots, they should be improved.

12. Communal refuse bins: the large on-street refuse bins need to be washed frequently, especially during the summer, when they smell particularly unpleasant.

13. Road repairs; these need to happen more quickly than at present.

14. Families with children: we would like more in our area, which has a disproportionately elderly population.

15. Dog fouling: this is a continuing problem, especially in the Rose Garden on Mayfield Road.

16. A railway service: we would welcome the long-discussed reopening of the South Suburban railway line for passenger use. Some members of our community can remember how very quick and convenient the railway service used to be.
(There are photographs of our two former local railway stations on the Savile Area History page.)

17. Encouraging wildlife: we support measures which encourage biodiversity in our area.

A number of other issues were considered, but were rejected as being relatively unimportant to our community.

Savile Area History: photographs from 1950's to 1970's.

Chairman — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 15:51:36 CST

The corner of Blackford Ave and West Savile Terrace.

Blackford Avenue bus stops.

Blackford Avenue police box.

Blackford Station

The view from Blackford Avenue railway bridge.

Blackford Avenue & Charterhall Road

Maurice Place

The entrance to Blackford Hill & Blackford Pond.

Looking along the path towards the pond.

Beside Blackford pond. Was this the Blackford scout hut?

Mayfield Road and electricity substation.

Newington Station, viewed from the bridge on Mayfield Road.

West Savile Terrace. 1970's?

Groundworks, Watertoun Road, about 1957. Allotments lost to housing.

A changing landscape: Watertoun Road foundations.

Watertoun Road foundations, looking towards West Savile Terrace.

From left to right, nos. 17 to 9 Watertoun Road during construction, rear elevation.

All photographs on this page © B. Revolta.
If you have any interesting old photographs of our area which you would like to share in this way, the process is not difficult. Scan them, then save them as 500pixel wide jpeg files. (I improved the contrast and sharpened the images a little before saving.) Then follow the wetpaint onscreen instructions to create a new page containing a one column wide table. If you don't want to do this yourself, send me your photos and I'll get round to doing it for you. (Chairman)

Savile Area Photographs

Anonymous — Sat, 23 Dec 2006 18:25:21 CST

Do you have any interesting pictures of Savile Area which you would like to share?

Homegrown snowsports.

Watertoun Road transformed.

Cherry blossom in springtime. Flowering cherries planted at the roadside are one of the signature plant species of our area. A controversial choice of tree species, because their habit of surface rooting severely disrupts pavement surfaces.

The morning rush hour on our quiet street.

Type your photo caption or credit here.

Patterns of frost in winter sunshine.