National Priorities
Community

Partner agencies supporting this are the City of Edinburgh Council, Communities Scotland and Lothian and Borders Police. For instance, in any new build projects, all the partners involved have ensured that Secure by Design standards are used.

The main local housing management organisations, the Kintry Housing Partnership, CEC Housing Department and the Landlords Forum have placed a great emphasis on estate management issues to reduce incidences of vandalism and littering. They are also working with the Craigmillar Regeneration Forum and tenants and residents associations to establish Neighbourhood Agreements and have completed one on anti-social behaviour.

This milestone therefore falls into the remit of both the Community Safety and Housing and Environment sub groups, and is addressed by a number of SIP funded projects:

• Craigmillar Neighbourhood Alliance - support
  tenants and residents groups.
  
• Womanzone - campaigns to end violence against women.
  
• Capacity Building Project - supporting youth work projects.
  
• The Venchie and Café K

In 2003 the Police started collecting crime records on the basis of Wards only, and not the smaller, individual beats. The table below has thus been re-worked so that the figures for 1998 - 2002 include the beats that most correspond to Craigmillar Ward. These are Newcraighall and Cleikims, but not the beat that covered Bingham. Cleikims has a major influence on the figures for Theft, because it covers the large shopping area of Fort Kinnaird, as well as the Jewel. The new Edinburgh Royal Infirmary is also now included in the Ward.

There has been a trend of crime falling since 2000. This continued in 2004 in most categories, but the overall figure was the same as in 2003. Those in which the fall has continued are crimes against the person and thefts, which both show significant falls. Vehicle thefts and perverting the course of justice have remained the same since 1998.

Vandalism and drugs offences show rises from the previous years. This may be the effect of having six Community Police Officers in the area. The officers may be able to spot more of these street offences and people may be more willing to report them.

In looking at crime rates per head of population, it does not make much sense to compare the rates for crimes like Theft, as many of these take place in Fort Kinnaird, and cannot therefore be said either to affect residents of Craigmillar, or necessarily be committed by them. Vandalism is however a much more local crime, being likely to be both committed by Craigmillar residents and affecting them.

Conclusion
The number of crimes committed in the area has fallen, both over a seven-year period, and since a peak in 2001. Significant falls have been recorded in crimes against the person and thefts. The number of Vandalism cases per head of population, the most obvious and relevant crime affecting the local community has decreased by one-third since 1999.

Community Safety

The number of casualties from road accidents in the SIP area has been declining since 2000 and came down significantly in 2004 to about half what it had previously been. The bulk of the casualties are only slightly injured; but in comparison to 2000 when there were 2 fatalities and 18% were serious or worse, in 2003 and 2004 this had reduced to about 5%. Just over one-third of casualties were children and young people under 18 years in 2004. Bingham has had no accidents since 2003.

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Housing Demolition, stock refurbishment and new physical construction are the most obvious changes that are occurring locally. This has been linked to the New Housing Partnership programme, which is now complete, and the Development Framework being driven by Parc.

The main partners are the City of Edinburgh Council Housing Department, which continues to own and manage the majority of the socially rented homes in the area, Communities Scotland through its support to Registered Social Landlords, and the private sector, which will be expected to build new homes in the area. The Partnership supports the Craigmillar Neighbourhood Alliance, which assists tenants and residents and supports the Craigmillar Regeneration Forum in its role of inter-facing with Parc.

The Housing and Environment Sub-group has spent the year debating the principles and ingredients of the Urban Design Framework being drawn up by Parc for the area. They commissioned urban design consultants, landscape architects and traffic planning consultants to produce an urban design framework. This was presented to the CEC Planning Committee in December 2004. After representations from the Community Council a period of 12 weeks consultation from January was approved. All the main representative bodies undertook detailed consultations with their constituents and the wider public and submitted responses to the CEC Planning department. A report on the consultations is going to the Planning committee in June 2005.

The Housing Sub-group has received reports on household structures in the area and been concerned to ensure both the needs of tenants in social rented accommodation are met, and the foundations are laid for a sustainable community.

It has taken an increasing interest in the environmental developments that are part of the Parc plans. It has monitored progress of the proposal to restore the Niddrie Burn to a natural watercourse and is working to create community involvement in the project, plus the landscaping of the surrounding park area.

In the meantime no work has been started in building houses under the Parc programme and demolitions have been kept to a minimum. Kintry completed 54 units in Niddrie Marischal during the year. A private developer has however started building 240 one and two person flats on the old brewery site on Peffermill Road. Two stock transfers in Niddrie Marischal and Craigmillar Castle took place. Refurbishment of the properties in Niddrie Marischal is nearly finished, while in the latter it is one-third of the way through.

The main loss of social rented housing in the area, of 600 units, occurred in 2003. Since then the loss of CEC stock has almost been made up by the gain in Housing Association properties. The highest percentage loss of CEC stock occurred in the bigger, 4 and 5 apartment units. 83% of CEC stock is now 2 and 3 apartment units. On the other hand, the Housing Associations have a higher proportion of bigger units - 78% are 3 or 4 apartments.

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