Addressed to Low Emission Zone Consultation: <
Dear Sir/Madam,
At a meeting of the Edinburgh Association of Community Council's on 17 February 2022 there was unanimous agreement on the following -
- Support for an Edinburgh Low Emission Zone (LEZ).
- Opposition to an LEZ with the presently-proposed restricted inner-city boundaries. A city-wide boundary is strongly favoured by both city-centre and peripheral Community Councils.
- The need for modelling and zonal design that accurately and realistically reflects the impact of the substantial expansion of housing development within and around the city boundary.
- Ø Accuracy: Modelling is educated guesswork and this analysis is of limited value if foresight is not involved. The huge amount of building currently taking place and planned for Edinburgh is an inconvenient truth that has not been incorporated in the modelling frameworks considered by the City Council.
- Ø Realism: Assumptions are being made within those frameworks which are extremely optimistic and unlikely to have any close relation to actual outcome.
- Opposition to the premature removal of monitoring equipment; this will simply serve to undermine the collection of data needed to support or otherwise challenge the modelling frameworks.
- A request that the City Council return the issue to the Scottish Government to obtain the fresh latitude to deliver an LEZ that enjoys widespread resident support.
A final point was made in relation to the City Council’s fixation with consideration of Edinburgh being seen through the prism of the city-centre at the expense of the suburban communities. Some of the streets in these communities have had the highest observed levels of emissions with the consequent detrimental effect on public health. Perversely it is the residents in these communities which will see little or no benefit from the presently-proposed Edinburgh LEZ boundary profiles.
The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and the Local Government etc (Scotland) Act confer the legal responsibility for community representation in Scotland to Community Councils. Community Councils have a statutory right to be participants in forums where decisions affecting their residents’ lives are being made and for their views to be respected and acted on. This must be true of health and social care, and we request that the City Council return the issue of an Edinburgh LEZ to the Scottish Government to bring about an LEZ that meets residents needs and expectations in those crucial areas.
We are happy to meet with members of the City of Edinburgh Council Transport and Environment Committee and relevant City Council officers to work to deliver the right LEZ framework for the city.
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STEVE KERR
Chair