The Water Tower

The Water Tower
The Water Tower at Dusk

Friday, May 11, 2012

WTTs

 
 
 
Works to trees are coded as WTT in the Midlothian Council planning system. At a recent community council meeting we were perturbed by the number of oustanding applications. 
 
I sent a letter on behalf of the community council, with reference to my own personal experience.
 
Here it is. Have been advised it will be dealt with by Mr Peter Arnsdorf.
 
 

Dear Mr Johnson
 
I wish to raise some questions regarding the policy and practice for applications for works to trees.
At the most recent meeting of Eskbank and Newbattle Community Council it was noted that "works to trees" applications (wtt's) are pending consideration as far back as January 2012. Today I have checked the planning application report for 5 Waverley Road Eskbank. The planning report states that the associated tree felling application for this site was granted on April 2nd yet the council web page shows the referenced wtt application as still "pending consideration". Related information is pasted from the councils' web site below.
From personal experience, delays in advising the status of wtt's to the public causes considerable local neighbourhood angst and false reporting which in my own case escalated out of all control. I'm sure you will remember.
The concerns of the community council however arise from communications last year regarding tree works in Newbattle woods and it is the responses provided for Newbattle woods coupled with these overdue status reports that has prompted our request.
The community council would appreciate a response from the council on the following;
1. Why is the council web site not up-to-date on the status of wtt's and what course of action is the council intending to take to rectify this situation?
2. Applications for tree felling may be assumed as acceptable to fell if the applicant does not receive notification within 6 weeks of the application. Is this course of action documented in a formal local/planning policy? and if so may we have a copy.
3. If a tree felling application is refused, the applicant may go ahead and fell anyway, unless the tree is the subject of a tree preservation order. Is this course of action documented in a formal local/planning policy? and if so may we have a copy.
Kind Regards
Susan Goldwyre
Eskbank and Newbattle Community Council

Friday, May 4, 2012

Councillor Boyes

Well what an exciting day yesterday at the local elections in Midlothian. I am not party political, when it comes to local elections, I vote for the person and not the party.

I should have been able to vote in the ward where councilor Peter Boyes was standing for re election, because the Eco House is in his ward. However my voting papers came through for the adjoining ward. At least it made my voting decisions easier because I certainly would not have been voting for Mr Boyes.

A blog site is not the place to document what I know about this man but suffice to say that despite representing Midlothian Council as the elected representative for Eskbank and Newbattle Community Council, when I asked Mr Boyes why he had never attended our community council he did not answer. When told it was held in Westfield hall he then said he had never heard of the place, despite being there a month before for a local Hustings event. Then when questioned again in Midlothian Coucil after a planning meeting he walked away from me and would not engage. What a coward.

So I sat down on the morning of the elections and thought hard about what my poster should say given my opportunity to put my message out to all who came to vote.

Here it is.

Vote for Adults. Not for Boyes.




At the Eskbank Roundabout



Outside the house before we walked down to the local school and left the poster outside the voting venue.